Unfortunate
Liverpool Playhouse
So you think Ursula is the villain of The Little Mermaid? How unfortunate, you’re about to discover you have been lied to your entire life!
Written by Robyn Grant and Daniel Foxx, Unfortunate is part origin story, part redemption arc and a whole lot of chaotic, camp brilliance.
In a similar way to how Wicked re-wrote the tale of the Wicked Witch, Unfortunate takes audiences through Ursula’s life to show that she isn’t all bad. A childhood of bullying and hiding her dark magic, a forbidden love and a parental betrayal that leaves Ursula banished and a sea cucumber in bits (RIP Kirsty) all contributed to the events in The Little Mermaid. Though even those events aren’t strictly accurate, and with a different perspective we see what really happened to Ariel and what the true happy ending was.
There is no mistaking this for a Disney production, and this is very much not a “family friendly” re-telling. The show is packed full of adult humour, sexual innuendo and tongue in cheek filth. Combined with Queer cultural references and a liberal sprinkle of panto-esque moments this is possibly not the type of show to take your Granny to. If Avenue Q, The Book of Mormon and the TV series The IT Crowd had a love child, this show would be the result.
Behind the comedic moments, Unfortunate also has some truly excellent music courtesy of Tim Gilvin. Ursula’s big numbers of ‘Unfortunate’ and ‘Female Role Models’ have an unexpected depth (no pun intended!), whilst the power anthem ‘Sucking On You’ is one of the strongest duet pieces in any musical.
The show doesn’t shy away from the association with The Little Mermaid. Some of Alan Menkin’s classic pieces have been given an update in a non-copyright infringing way. ‘Kiss the Girl’ is transformed into a song about consent called ‘Ask the Girl’, whilst ‘Part of Your World’ is now all about Ariel wanting to be ‘Where the Dicks Are’.
Our personal favourite musical moment was the brilliant ‘We Didn’t Make it to Disney’ in which a range of puppets tell the tale of how they were too ugly for the Disney version.
The cast of this touring production of Unfortunate were outstanding.
Shawna Hamic known for her role on Orange Is The New Black is sensational as Ursula. She perfectly channels drag queen Divine (whom Disney famously based the original Ursula character on) whilst also bringing powerhouse vocals and an authority to the stage that clearly says she is large and in charge. A perfect plus sized icon in a killer leather look, complimented brilliantly by Thomas Lowe’s Triton. Lowe’s vocals matched Hamic’s and we can’t imagine a better casting than these two for the main roles.
Drag Race UK alumni River Medway takes on the role of Ariel opposite Jamie Mawson as Eric. Both of these characters have shoe sizes higher than their IQ and the performances from both Medway and Mawson were fantastic. Much of the time River Medway is without a voice so has to rely on mime which she does with ease. The way she dragged herself across the stage as Ariel returning to the water was brilliant slapstick comedy.
For us, the stand out star of the production was Allie Dart who takes on Sebastian and Colette the chef from Ratatouille. In one scene, she has to play both roles simultaneously and deserved a standing ovation for that alone as she seamlessly switched between Sebastian’s Irish accent and Colette’s French. Add to that a German accent as a third character, plus a range of songs and dances throughout which she maintained a high energy performance; she could easily entertain as a one woman show!
The set and costumes designed by Abby Clarke are glorious. We were sat in the gallery level at the Playhouse, but every sparkle and sequin could be seen. There was a range of colour and life in the costumes, with fabric choices that emulated being under the water and carried by waves. This is a visually stunning piece of theatre, with imaginative puppets that only add to the spectacle. The show is worth seeing for the costuming alone.
The show possibly runs on for slightly longer than necessary. This was originally an 80 minute show, but following updates the show is now around 150 minutes. We have never seen the original 80 minute production, but for around 20 minutes in Act II the show felt like it was treading water, with some of the punchlines repeated one too many times.
We enjoyed the show and would recommend it to adult Disney fans who enjoy a smutty joke, but we feel like a slight re-arrangement and reduction in run time would be a massive benefit. Having said that, we would definitely watch this show again.
Unfortunate The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch is on at the Liverpool Playhouse until 9 March 2024. Tickets can be bought via the Playhouse website. The UK tour currently runs until July with full details available on the Unfortunate Musical website.
Our tickets to this production were kindly gifted by The Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse in exchange for an honest review.
Cover photograph by Pamela Raith.
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