Book and Lyrics: Robyn Grant and Daniel Foxx
Music: Tim Gilvin
Director: Robyn Grant
You’ll have seen the Disney movie of The Little Mermaid, the girl who gave up her voice in exchange for legs so
that she could be with her handsome prince – and if you haven’t it’s pretty much a prerequisite if you’re going to understand a lot of what’s going on here. Well, this is Ursula the Sea Witch’s story of what really happened under the sea, the parts of the story that Disney didn’t show. And the first thing to say is – it’s got an age advisory of 16-plus, and that’s for a very good reason. The language and some of the situations and actions of the characters are definitely unsuitable for children. Neither is this a show for the easily offended – the word that’s often used is filthy, and that sums it up.
Having said that, this is an entertaining production with some laugh-out-loud moments and a plot that broadly follows the Disney movie but seen from a different angle – and to go into more than that would spoil some of the surprise. The characters are familiar and the music by Tim Gilvin is catchy, written clearly in a Disney style and with a lot of it bearing a striking resemblance to some of the original Little Mermaid songs or other songs featured in Disney movies, though obviously different enough to escape the attention of Disney Corporation’s lawyers.
Leading the cast is Shawna Hamic with a larger-than-life performance as Ursula, the Sea Witch who feels she’s been unfairly portrayed as evil. Is it Ursula’s fault if her clients don’t read the small print? Hamic has a good voice ideally suited to putting across the driving numbers that Ursula is given to deliver, and a nicely tetchy and impatient attitude at the apparent stupidity and intransigence that are getting in the way, alongside a surprising other side to the character. Alongside Hamic is River Medway as Ariel the Little Mermaid, bringing a very different side to the character. Medway would probably be the first to admit that she doesn’t have the best voice on stage but she puts over her numbers well enough with a good line in comedy.
Thomas Lowe is a gentle Triton until he gets egged on enough. He has a superb voice with some great numbers to deliver, songs that if they were actually in a Disney movie could be big hits in their own right. Allie Dart also shows some good vocal talent – credited as Sebastian, she spends most of the show actually playing a French chef alongside Ariel’s crab friend with some very funny moments as she’s trying to cook herself. Jamie Mawson is an interestingly air-headed Eric with Julian Capolei (Grimsby) working hard to pick up a number of the remaining roles – as indeed do many of the cast.
There’s a very narrow line between something being funny and it being gratuitously offensive, and a lot of the time Unfortunate manages to stay just on the right side of it. There’s some genuinely entertaining stuff going on, with an amusing storyline and some cracking music, and it’s a shame that too often explicit language is used to get a cheap laugh.
Overall, it’s the soundtrack that makes its mark though – and as the curtain comes down on a driving techno-pop I’m That Witch, toes will be tapping all the way home.
Runs until 14 July 2024
