What to Wear Under the Sea

April 25, 2026

Everyone knows it takes a village, and Leland Drama’s The Little Mermaid is no exception. The show—which runs with two alternating casts April 24 and 25 and May 1, 2, and 3—takes audiences “under the sea” with straight-from-Broadway costumes and help from local artists like Mary Beth Kelley-Lowe. Kelley-Lowe has a master’s degree in museum education, and it wasn’t such a leap to go from making a replica of an extinct creature to creating a pufferfish papier-mâché costume for the play…though it did take 40+ hours. She says it’s a “very fun, free creative process” that also lets her spend more time with her actor granddaughter. This is the third Leelanau costuming production for Kelley-Lowe and her daughter, Molly, and this time around they’re also making anemones, jellyfish, seagulls, and more. Catch the show (and the amazing costumes) at the Leland School Performing Arts Center on 200 N. Grand Ave. Tickets are $10-$12 at lelandschool.com/drama.