Ursula the sea-witch is one of Disney’s most-loved villains – she’s bold, brutal and unapologetically herself, and as such has long been considered a queer and plus-size icon. ‘Unfortunate’ provides Ursula’s (hilariously x-rated) side to the story we all thought we knew so well, in this fabulously queer romp through the ocean.
After a sell-out debut at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2019, this critically acclaimed parody musical has just enjoyed a run on the West End, before embarking on its first UK tour. The daring (and very naughty) script and lyrics by Robyn Grant and Daniel Foxx are incredibly clever, with not-so-subtle nods to the original film and sharp contemporary references, all set to Tim Gilvin’s varied and versatile score.
Shawna Hamic is sensational as Ursula, oozing sass and sex appeal, delivering cutting one-liners with impeccable comic timing and showing off her impressive pipes as she belts out some of the show’s best musical numbers. She has the audience wrapped firmly around her tentacles from the moment she struts onstage and draws our attention to her ‘lesbian haircut’ and purple make-up of the original Disney villain, inspired by drag queen, Divine.
Flamboyant and misunderstood, Thomas Lowe’s Triton provides a camp and endearing counterpart to Hamic’s raunchy Ursula, and their chemistry is sizzling, especially the duet ‘Sucking on You’ which had the audience howling with its saucy lyrics and physical comedy. I particularly enjoy his rendition of ‘To Be King’ in Act two, which demonstrates his superb vocal talents.
River Medway, of Ru Paul’s Drag Race fame, is fabulous as the air-headed and horny Princess Ariel; her (wildly inappropriate) Act One number ‘Where the D**ks are’ (a parody of ‘Part of Your World’) absolutely brings the house down.
Prince Eric, rather than being a charming and handsome prince, is a hapless buffoon with a tiny flute, and Jamie Mawson plays him brilliantly. Though, for me, his Neptune (Triton’s maniacal father) was the stand-out performance of Act One as he prances around the stage wreaking havoc.
Julian Capolei and Allie Dart win the award for most character/costume/accent changes, with their camp German double-act as Flotsam and Jetsam, as well as other recognisable characters from the original film. Capolei mesmerises the audience with their performance of ‘Hot Girl Summer’ as Vanessa (Ursula in disguise), vying for Eric’s heart with her ‘double-Ds and sexy moustache’, as well as the sarcastic but caring Grimsby, who has the challenging job of keeping Eric safe from himself. Allie Dart provides the performance of the night, though, proving herself an accomplished triple-threat, with her smooth (and often very quick!) transitions between a Northern Irish Sebastian the Crab, a French chef, Kirsty the Sea Cucumber and Flotsam/Jetsam, never missing a beat or dropping an accent even for a second.
Abby Clark’s spectacular set and costumes bring the show to life in stunning technicolour, adding vibrancy even in the darkness of Ursula’s cave. The show makes clever use of puppetry (also designed by Clark), and these are well-handled by the ensemble (Corrina Buchan, Jack Gray, Jamie McKillop and Milly Willows), who also delight us with entertaining dance numbers (choreographed by Melody Sinclair), including a particularly eye-watering can-can at the start of Act Two!
Directed by Robyn Grant, this bold new musical is a silly, saucy and fabulously camp celebration of individuality – and, to use Ursula’s words, f***ing fantastic.
