Director: Kristopher Russell
Book: Michael David Glover
Music: Segun Fawole
This one-day world premiere makes a musical splash at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
This musical is a prequel to The Little Mermaid, focusing on the evil witch who will one day steal Ariel’s voice. In fact, the beginning and end of the story briefly feature Ariel and Eric. The story follows Evie (Natalie Paris), a young witch in a world where magic is forbidden. She experiences loss before the start of the play and is faced with the reality of not being her true self. This changes when she meets Annemette (Amy Di Bartolomeo), a mermaid she does not know but who reminds her of a departed friend. Annemette must win the King’s heart. With only three days, Evie finds herself forced to make a decision that will affect her life and the ones around her.
This dark prequel is a fun addition to the lore of the Sea Witch, who one day offers a similar bargain to Ariel. Fans will know the story either from the original Hans Christian Anderson fairytale or the beloved Disney adaptation. This being said, fans who are less familiar with the original story or the film can still find enjoyment in this musical. This production is actually based on a book. Sea Witch by Sarah Henning came out nearly a decade ago, but its story is easily translated to this production.
This is a one-day performance, and yet it does not feel as if it is, due to how well the actors perform on stage. This all-star cast, which includes Michelle Visage and Jay McGuiness, easily draws in the audience with their acting and singing. And the dancers, choreographed by Dean Lee, are impressive.
The flow is a bit off in this production, making the plot hard to follow at times. This is partly due to the limited dialogue and the order of the musical numbers. In regard to the dialogue, there is not always enough between each song. It feels as if the quick dialogue is there only to fill in gaps that the songs are unable to properly tell. At times, this works, but in the first act, there are numerous instances when only a few sentences are awkwardly given, and then the next song begins to be sung. This affects the pace and needs to be either eliminated or expanded for better clarity.
In addition, and this is largely felt in the first act, the order of some of the musical numbers is a little confusing. This is largely due to the complexity of the story, where there are around seven major characters, each of whom needs to be introduced with a song. Each number by itself is powerful and well-performed, but at times is disjointed and feels unconnected to a prior or future song.
The costumes capture the essence of the characters well. The only way to tell that this is a one-day performance is by the production’s lack of a proper stage and props. The stage is in a deep blue colour with the enlarged words “Sea Witch”. This does not take away from the performance, though, especially because lighting designer Joshie Harriette creates a visual masterpiece. Perfectly working with the music, dialogue and dancing, the lighting enhances the production and is the true standout.
This production begins by having one of the main actors appear on stage to let the audience know that this is a new production and therefore to give it grace. This is entirely unnecessary as each actor and dancer brings their all to this musical. This is a production worth a visit if it becomes a more prominent feature in the West End.
Reviewed on 1 March 2026
