REVIEW - UNFORTUNATE - UNDERBELLY FESTIVAL

When the story is told from a different perspective, we learn that the villain isn’t always as ‘Wicked’ as we first thought. And it’s finally time for Ursula the Sea Witch to have her redemption arc.

Let’s preface this by saying – IT IS NOT DISNEY – DO NOT take children to see this show.

Fat Rascal Theatre are known for their comedy musicals, they are Fringe favourites and have produced 7 new musicals! Fat Rascal is run by women, and Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch, is a musical parody, with book and lyrics by Robyn Grant and Daniel Foxx. Unfortunate premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2019. The show currently on a little UK tour, heading to the Fringe again this summer.

Unfortunate begins with Ursula, 20 years before the storyline of ‘The Little Mermaid’. We see her falling for King Triton and then being blamed for the death of Kirsty the Sea Cucumber. She is subsequently banished. We then jump 20 years and follow her throughout the storyline of ‘The Little Mermaid’. This is akin to ‘Wicked’ in the way we see Elphaba’s origin and then follow her throughout the storyline of ‘The Wizard of Oz’.

The set is purple – it has to be doesn’t it? It sparkles and shines, and is very camp. The lighting aids the design and gives off the feel of an underwater disco. Three musicians are upon the stage, and they are all exceptional.

The costumes are great – but I’m just going to talk about Ursula’s, designed by Cory Shipp, it really is the star of the show. The costume belongs in a museum. The way in which Elliotte Williams-N’Dure moves within the costume brings Ursula gliding across the sea bed to life.

Williams-N’Dure commands attention with her stage presence. She adds an incredible physicality to the role, and her vocals are beautiful. She’s bold, sexy and everything you’d imagine Ursula to be. The only gripe I have is that at times she did not enunciate enough which meant it was difficult to understand what she was singing. Williams-N’Dure is the singular member of the cast to play just one character – the rest of them take on multiple roles throughout the show. And some of their quick-changes are beyond impressive, they literally reappear on stage in a new costume in seconds.

Allie Dart is the star of this show. Dart takes on many legendary characters including Sebastian and Vanessa. Her changes are ridiculously quick and she’s onstage for most of the run time. She embodies every character that she appears as and each is a separate fully realised character. Her comedic timing and use of physical comedy is impeccable. I’m sure she needs a long lie down after each show. Jamie Mawson is also worth a special mention for his gloriously camp portrayal of Prince Eric.

The show includes the use of puppetry, but it is more ‘Avenue Q’ than ‘Life of Pi‘. It works exceptionally well, and brings to life many much loved characters including Flounder and Max. The puppets performing ‘We Didn’t Make It To Disney’ is a musical highlight of the show.

The score of Unfortunate is a lot of fun. It’s filled with pop music numbers, with satirical parody lyrics. The show includes many important themes such as; consent, toxic masculinity, plastic pollution and body positivity. These are included within the musical numbers, for example they’ve changed Disney’s ‘Kiss the Girl’ to ‘You Better Ask Before You Kiss The Girl’. Encouraging Eric to ask Ariel if he can kiss her before leaning in.

There is some work to be done with the sound during this production. On a few occasions throughout the performance the microphones weren’t switched on in time for us to hear the first line of the script or song.

Unfortunate is hilarious, and you can tell that the cast are having so much fun up on the stage. It is a joy to watch them. This show is funny, fresh and jam packed with great musical numbers. It makes for a great night out. Important messages are included throughout the show, but this is a show that doesn’t take itself too seriously at all. This is what Fringe theatre is all about!

And Unfortunate begs the question.. is Ursula a villain at all? Or is she a feminist icon?

{🎟 AD – PR invite – Tickets were gifted in exchange for an honest review}

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