Wednesday, December 6

Tag: Unfortunate

Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula The Sea Witch – Sheffield Lyceum
Yorkshire & Humber

Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula The Sea Witch – Sheffield Lyceum

(Warning :- this is NOT a children’s show, it is firmly and deliciously an Adult Parody with vulgar, blue jokes and imagery – leave the kids at home with a babysitter!) I have always found the Disney princess’ lacking personality and in a word… boring! Now, the Villians, that’s a different kettle of fish and none did I identify with more than Ursula from Hans Christian Anderson’s and later Disney’s - The Little Mermaid.  A strong, larger than life female with sass, attitude and in three words… big, brash and bold!  Ursula is unconventional and superbly bucks the norm with an independent style and flair that any young woman would do well to have in their armour. So, why must she be a baddie because she doesn’t fit the stereotypical images of what a women should look like and b...
Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula The Sea Witch – The Lowry, Salford
North West

Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula The Sea Witch – The Lowry, Salford

Many musicals have now been inspired by Wicked - creating a spin-off of a well-known tale and flipping it on its head. Unfortunate is similar, where it takes the story of The Little Mermaid and makes Ursula (the villain) the protagonist. She is now a feminist and self-confessed ‘tough bitch’ to give the character a backstory. The musical was first performed at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and has now been revamped into a full-length production. Before going into the review, I must state on press night the role of Ursula was played by Allie Dart due to cast illness. Dart was absolutely fantastic; you’d never know she was an understudy. She completely embodied Ursula and made her a wickedly likable character. And perhaps she wasn’t evil after all and just misunderstood? Anyo...
Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch – Underbelly, George Square
Scotland

Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch – Underbelly, George Square

Can I give this show 6 stars?! Unfortunate is a phenomenal, intelligent, filthy, satirical extravaganza! Every part of this camp, queer, raunchy retelling of the little mermaid from the perspective of Ursula, the sea witch, was on point. The cast were an extremely gifted group of individuals.  Ursula, played in this performance by Robyn Grant, was absolutely magnetic and had a voice that was pure electricity. Nearly the entire cast played multiple characters and their portrayals were so unique and different it really felt like watching an entirely different person each change. This is an extremely talented group of performers who have honed their craft to near flawless. The duets between Triton (George Whitty) and Ursula were exhilarating and every song in the show was performed w...