Becoming a Disney princess was Diana Huey’s dream as far back as she can remember, but even in her wildest dreams, a role as Ariel in Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” seemed out of reach.

“As an Asian-American, I always thought it could be Jasmine or Mulan. For it to be Ariel is a great surprise,” said the actress who has been touring as “The Little Mermaid” since November.

Pittsburgh CLO presented a glittering production of the Disney musical in the summer of 2013, then starring Jessica Grove in the title role. Not content to let it go, the company now joins Kansas City Starlight in presenting a new 21-week tour starring Ms. Huey, opening at the Benedum Center in Downtown on Wednesday.

Ms. Huey, of Japanese heritage, is a recipient of the Washington, D.C., Helen Hayes Award for outstanding lead actress in a resident musical, as the title character in “Miss Saigon” for Signature Theatre.

Still, she had no expectations of winning the “Little Mermaid” lead when she first tried out for the role at the 5th Avenue Theatre in her hometown of Seattle.

“When I was asked to audition, I asked for what role, and when they said Ariel, I was like, ‘Ha ha ha.’ Well, I did it just to get in and be seen. I figured I would sing ‘Part of Your World’ and they would pretend to listen. And then ...” Ms. Huey leaves it at that, because the rest is musical theater history.

Now her favorite part of the job as she travels the country is meeting little girls at the stage door, some in red wigs and mermaid dresses, who have dreams similar to hers.

Like the newest Ariel, they have grown up with “The Little Mermaid,” via tape or DVD, as the animated character from the 1989 Disney film that launched a string of new heroines for the studio.

Unlike Cinderella or Snow White, Ariel is an independent mermaid who takes big risks and saves the day when her “prince,” Eric, is almost drowned in a storm.

“We were doing the show in Orlando and I was singing ‘Part of Your World,’ and I could hear this voice answering back when I asked the questions,” she said of the “whooz-its” and “whatz-its” and “thingamabobs” in the lyrics. “That was one of my favorite moments — it is so magical to connect like that.”

Unlike Broadway, but in keeping with the previous Pittsburgh CLO production, the magic onstage includes an undersea scene conducted in midair, with actors attached to harnesses, floating and “constantly undulating” their arms to indicate the current.

Ariel’s aerial work is all programmed digitally, and there has been one breakdown in which the little mermaid’s father, King Triton, is supposed to join her onstage. The equipment froze and all she could do was call to her father before finally they were back on track.

“It felt like forever, and I was one second away from turning the entire scene into a monologue, but then it started working again, thank God,” Ms. Huey recalled. “For a moment, I was just going to have a really awkward conversation with myself.”

Steve Blanchard as Triton is among the theater veterans on the tour who include Jennifer Allen as Ursula, the sea witch and Allen Fitzpatrick as Grimsby, Eric’s caretaker and confidant. That role for Ariel is Sebastian (Melvin Abston), a fretful crab and singer of the calypso-inspired “Under the Sea.” Eric will be played by Eric Kunze, who joins the cast from the international tour of “Fun Home.”

Those little girls who love the characters from the movie will find some changes in a couple of new songs by the Disney team and the musical theater book by Doug Wright.

The evil Ursula is now Ariel’s aunt, sister of Triton, and Ariel “from the beginning never fits in,” Ms. Huey said. “It’s more of a journey of self-discovery.

It’s not just about the shiny things she finds — she is looking for a place where she belongs.”

Diana Huey is where she belongs these days, living her dream and floating on air as a Disney princess.

Sharon Eberson: seberson@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1960. Twitter: @SEberson_pg.

First Published: June 14, 2017, 4:00 a.m.