Review: DISNEY'S DESCENDANTS THE MUSICAL at The Studio Theatre Enchants With A Dastardly Production

Is it wrong to root for the bad guys? I mean....honestly. I think the villains in DISNEY'S DESCENDANTS THE MUSICAL are my favorite, and I'm a little sad that their kids decided to conform a little. Still, fun was had by all, and you have one more weekend to check out this dastardly production at The Studio Theatre, 320 West 7th Street, in Little Rock, Thursday through Sunday, August 4-7.

I saw the first Descendants movie on Disney with my kids, so I was already familiar with the show. Mal (Blakely White), daughter of Maleficent (Julie Atkins), Evie (Annabelle Redenius), daughter of The Evil Queen Grimhilde (Maggie Garrett), Jay (Tylen Loring), son of Jafar (Christian Waldron) and Carlos (Walt Wenger), son of Cruella De Vil (Maranda Barris), who are inhabitants of the barren Isle of the Lost, are invited to attend Prep school in Auradon, where the "good" kids go. While there, Maleficent wants Mal and her friends to steal the Fairy Godmother's (Amanda Gilmore) wand so she can rule all of the kingdoms. Mal gives charmed cookies to Ben (Tru Bass), son of King Beast (Justin A. Pike) and Queen Belle (Courtney Fose), so he will fall in love with her to make it easier for her to get the wand. The week plays out, they find out that there is good and bad in everyone, the boy gets the girl...or maybe the other way around, and evil is thwarted once more (booooooo!).

Director Rosalyn Williams did a wonderful job pulling in all this talent for this enjoyable show. This was a really good mixed ensemble. The adults were fabulous as always, and the kids really held their own with their characters. I was super impressed with 14-year-old Blakely White with the lead role. Her angsty persona was believable and singing was fabulous. The four "bad" kids had great chemistry and performed well together. I also appreciated how Audrey (Veronica Ivester) kept her scorned feelings known to the very end. Seriously though, going from 'almost queen' to being dumped because the "bad" girl duped her boyfriend with enchanted cookies-I'd be pretty peeved as well.

The songs were catchy. Music Director Christian Waldron and Choreographer Raegan Hammonds had the whole cast singing and dancing as if they were really at a Disney show. The mother-daughter song "Evil Like Me" has always been one of my Disney favorites, and White and Atkins did an amazing job. "Rotten to the Core", done by the four "bad" kids and island inhabitants, was a entertaining number with great choreography. And, I also really like how the "good" kids were getting into the number "Good is the New Bad." This whole show seemed like a lot of fun and a great way to spend the summer.

The audience was told that this ends the season, but stay tuned, because KINKY BOOTS (which I am very excited about) will be showing soon. Keep a lookout on their Facebook page www.facebook.com/studiotheatrelr for more information and ticket sales.

Special thanks to Emmy award-winning producer Matthew Sewell of Matthew Sewell Photography. He does wonder headshots, family portraits, and other special-event photography. Check out his website at www.msewellphotography.com.

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