Southwark Playhouse Elephant – until the 17th February 2024
Reviewed by Fiona Leyman
4.5 ****
We all know the classic Disney story The Little Mermaid. Ariel, who has the voice of an angel is tricked by the evil sea witch into giving up her voice in exchange for legs, and all to find true love. But there are always two sides to every story, and The Queen of Disney Villains, Ursula, is here to set the record straight. Did Ariel really have such an angelic voice? Was this a father’s bid to ensure a suitable Queen for the Kingdom of Atlantica? Was Ursula really that evil or did a man make her in to the “bitch” she was today?
To understand the ending of this love story, we must go back to the beginning when they were just growing up. Ursula and Triton were not siblings as some publications would lead you to believe. Their love was forbidden, cruelly manipulated by a father who wanted his kingdom to be ruled by a great King. Resulting in a tragic betrayal and banishment to the darkest depths of the ocean, Ursula became the evil octo-woman she has been portrayed for all these years. Will she get her Happily Ever After? You’ll have to come and see to find out!
Shawna Hamic (Orange Is the New Black, Les Misérables) is the perfect “Sea Bitch”. Her attitude, charisma and incredible voice commands the stage, elevating this iconic role to new heights. Her larger-than-life personality is perfect for the stage and this type of role. I would encourage everyone to see her perform on stage.
Everyone in this weird and wacky production deserved that standing ovation, but the standout star of the night goes to Allie Dart (2:22 A Ghost Story) who takes on the roles of Sebastian the Crab and Chef, alongside multiple others throughout. Her ability to switch between characters, accents and costumes is commendable. Her energy and stage presence was infectious, and the audience was completely absorbed in her performance.
Unfortunate: The Musical Parody comes in at a little short of 3 hours long and for such a small venue, this can get a bit uncomfortable at times. It was also difficult to distinguish the words they were singing at times because the music overpowered their voices, which was unfortunate because the songs were excellent. Although, this wasn’t a bad thing when Ariel, played by River Medway (RuPaul’s Drag Race UK) was singing because she was “atrocious” (her singing was intentionally bad).
There is so much to say about this production, from amazing costumes, which left little to the imagination to the unique puppetry. An incredible score by Tim Gilvin and Howard Ashman, sees familiar melodies from The Little Mermaid turned on its head with genius lyrics and innuendos. This is a show for those who “didn’t make it to Disney”. Who aren’t “perfect” and will be accepted into a society regardless of who/what they are. Don’t be fooled into thinking this classic tale is for children though, its rude, its camp and it’s not for the faint hearted. Please do not bring your children!
UnFortunately for us, this musical parody is a Wild, Funny and Flamboyant Smash Hit which will have the incredible songs stuck in your head for days. It’s Fabulous Darling!