A playful and witty musical based on the iconic sea witch Ursula from Disney’s The Little Mermaid is merrily sailing onto the stage.
Unfortunate - The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch is now playing at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre.
When Disney released The Little Mermaid in 1989 it set the box office on fire and generated $235million and introduced a villain who effortlessly took her place alongside such Disney villains as Maleficent, the Queen of Hearts, Cruella de Vil, Captain Hook, and Queen Grimhilde from Snow White.
In recent years the House of Mouse has gone back and revisited these iconic villains and given the characters their own films where their lives, and their motivations, are given a fresh spin. Audiences have packed cinemas to see Cruella and Maleficent, and now - fresh from the London stage - comes a naughty adult musical based on Ursula from The Little Mermaid.
The epic show has a book and lyrics by Robyn Grant and Daniel Foxx. The story of The Little Mermaid is filtered through the lens of Ursula’s origin story. The tale is given a healthy dose of irreverence, propped up with dynamic feminism and peppered with the rainbow colours of Pride.
This Ursula oozes passion, there’s sassy sparkle and a glittering cavalcade of music and orchestrations by Tim Gilvin that takes in everything from classical, opera, rock, pop and even disco.
Robyn Grant, who actually performed the title role when the musical first premiered, is now the director of this mammoth and sprawling spectacle of a show that turns the stage into a spectacular undersea kingdom full of luminous creatures with pulsating light design by Adam King.
The cinematic set, colourful costumes - Ursula’s tentacles are sensational and seem to have a rippling life of their own - and puppetry designs by Abby Clarke are magical and ethereal, and the effect is so complete that the mind becomes mesmerised by the atmosphere.
When it comes to a musical of this magnitude, which is vast and sweeping, the show needs a performer who not only brings the title character to life but can also harness the beauty and power of the rest of the cast to produce a show that grips and captivates the audience.
Shawna Hamic is the performer with a mighty voice - and perfect comic timing - who takes on the hyperactive role of Ursula with such delicious relish and passion that the audience is quickly seduced by Hamic’s natural charm and magnetism. Hamic flies high above the parody panto and camp elements and makes the audience really feel Ursula’s anguish and betrayal.
The show is in need of pruning due to the epic length which runs to almost three hours, and if some of the edgy material had the adult edge smoothed over this could easily appeal to a family audience. The timely and topical themes of the show scream to be heard by a younger audience.
Unfortunate - The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch is a melodic and mischievous show full of incredible wit and charm.
Verdict: ★★★★
Unfortunate - The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch is now playing at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre until Sunday 14 July
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