Interview: Cast of DISENCHANTED National Tour Explain 'The Princess Complex' at Queens Theatre

What would happen if your favorite Disney princess stepped off the screen to talk about the reality of her life, the parts of the story that the animators missed? That is the premise of DISENCHANTED, a musical that played off-Broadway at the Westfield Theatre in 2015 after four years of development. The musical is hitting the road in a national tour presented by Marcie Gorman and MNM Theatre. The tour kicks off this Friday and Saturday, October 11-12 at the Queens Theatre in Flushing Meadows Corona in Queens.

DISENCHANTED is not a “Disney-sanctioned, safe-for-the-kids” experience. It is straight talk about what it is to be a modern woman while dealing with images that promote “The Princess Complex.” It deals with princes who are not as charming as advertised and about damsels who are in no way in distress and can darned well take care of themselves. It is also hysterically funny.

I was fortunate enough to sit in on a rehearsal and talk to the director, my friend, Jonathan van Dyke. I also talked to some of the very talented actors who brought the princesses to life:  SJ Nelson (Snow White), Ashley Rubin (Cinderella), Emily Qualmann (Sleeping Beauty), Allyson Gishi (Mulan), and Katrice Jackson (The Princess Who Kissed the Frog). This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Welcome to Broadway World. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me. Your show is beautiful. How did you all get involved with the project? Did you just go to an audition?

AR: I did the off-Broadway workshop in Tampa at the Straz Center 11 years ago. That's where Jonny and I first worked together. I swung for The Little Mermaid, Rapunzel, Belle, and Cinderella. We ran for about four months at the Sraz Center. So I did it then, and I did it again at the MNM Theatre in West Palm Beach and the Kravis Center.

I know the MNM.

AR: So I came from that production and then sent in an audition tape for this production and was, was cast.

And are the rest of you new to the project?

All: Yeah.

EQ: I've known Jonny for a couple of years, we did a show together in Florida. He was not my director. He was my cohort. [Laughs] It was a parody of The Office. He was Michael Scott, and I was Phyllis and Meredith. That is a bond that cannot be broken [laughs]. Then I got an email from him a couple of months ago, "I have this project coming up. Are you available?" And I said, "Yes, a job. Oh my gosh. Amazing!"

SN: I was submitted through my agent. I came in for in-person callbacks, met Katrice, and then got the job.

Awesome. What I love about this show is that it takes aim at some of the tropes about the Disney idea of femininity and how those animated images objectify women. And the authors have given each princess a clearly definable flaw. Tell me, in a few brief words, what is the problem with your character?

AG: I think my character's a little different in her movie. She does go off to war, like a man. But it's also in kind of a stereotypical way, you know? I think what's great about this show, especially for my character and the growth that you get to see Mulan go through, is finding strength in who you are and unapologetically living that. You don't have to be this feminine, little girl. You can be a strong, independent woman as well. And that is so worthy of being a princess.

KJ: Yeah. My story is still very relevant today. To put it in perspective, I was born in 2000. I was nine years old before I saw a princess who was of color, who was a black woman. It took that long. I think just saying the dates speaks for itself. A lot of African American girls started asking "Why can't we be a princess?" Right? And then Disney took advantage of the movement we started. That's kind of why I love my song. I'm being really funny, really, real, really cool about it, but I'm also hitting the nail on the head by saying what took so long?

I think the show is interesting in that way. It's very campy and funny. Yeah, sure. But there's something in every song that twists it around. There's a real point. Yes. There's a real point. What is the problem with Sleeping Beauty?

EQ: Sleeping Beauty. She's portrayed as this, damsel in distress. The only thing that can save her is a man kissing her. And then they live happily ever after. That is the craziest thing I've ever heard, honestly. What I love about this version in particular is when I tell people that I'm playing Sleeping Beauty in Disenchanted. I don't look like this small, blonde-haired, blue-eyed Barbie. I'm this Jewish-Italian girl from Florida. Yeah. It's totally the opposite of what the actual story is. And that's where my song "Perfect" comes along and says, you don't need to be a perfect princess to succeed or to live a happy life. You can be perfect the way you are.

And Cinderella?

AR: Cinderella in the classic Disney tale is essentially enslaved by her stepmother and step sisters. She lives to do everything for them until a man comes along and rescues her. And he couldn't even recognize her face in a babushka, which is problematic. The man comes along and whisks her into the dreamland and saves her from entrapment. We are taught to idolize that. That's the dream. And yeah, I think that is somewhat problematic.

Snow White?

SN: Well, Snow is the original Disney princess, and in that story, she sings about whistling while she works and she loves to clean and dust. And then, like so many of these other princesses, has to be saved by a man at the end of the day. I think it's cool that she was the first princess and now she's spearheading this anti-Disney, anti-"the princess complex" thing that we have in the show. That message. I think she gets caught up in it. I see it a little bit as the internalized misogyny in the way that Disney princesses are portrayed. She has a hard time seeing that being perfectly you can look different than it does for me than it does for MoveOn, or for these other princesses. And she has a really great eye-opening at the end. Being a woman and being a princess has many shapes and colors and wonderful different things that are unique and wonderful.

We talk about that "Princess Complex" for the entire show. We know that it is problematic and that it doesn't represent women as they truly are. Why do you suppose that we are so eager to buy into that?

KJ: I mean, it looks beautiful, right? They make it look all pretty, and magical, and sparkles, and the woman is smiling. It's something I think some women may see as an easier route. In reality, It's kind of dimming yourself and who you can truly become on your own. That's what I really think.

AR: Up until recently, women couldn't have their own credit cards, until the seventies! Women were not counted as individual people. They had to be married to get financial freedom and you couldn't get a divorce. So traditionally through history, the only route was to become this perfect housewife. And then, through propaganda in the fifties, just hammering in this is how women behave, this is women's place. It's hard to break the cycle and see something new because it's so ingrained. This is what Snow White goes through in the show. Even when you think you're doing something to offset it, subconsciously you turn to that because that's how we have been taught.

EQ: I've had to do a lot of dismantling on my own of what true happiness and contentment mean in my life without settling down and settling for a man. There is so much more to life than that. And, it takes a lot of work to kind of get that out of your brain growing up as a little girl. And I think this show helps a lot of people realize that.

And I'm guessing probably more complicated this year than most when you're being called a "childless cat lady" for those decisions.

All: Oh, exactly!

AR: As an insult. An insult!! Which is crazy. It's actually the dream.

You're playing in Queens. As you know, NYC has a reputation as a tough town. Which princess do you think would thrive best in NY?

KJ: That's a good question. Hmmmm.

All: Rapunzel.

AR: She wouldn't take it off anyone.

Thank you, ladies. I have a few questions for your director, but I'm delighted to have had this time with you. Welcome to Broadway World, Jonathan van Dyke. Tell me about how you got involved with this project.

JVD: Well, I was involved with Disenchanted in Tampa in 2014. It was kind of an out of town tryout. I was hired to be the casting director. And as that process was going along, I knew that this was a special piece. They needed a company manager for this production. So I stayed on and it ran for 11 sold-out weeks. And it was during that run that it was announced that they were going to be taking the show to Off-Broadway. So I was able to see the show come together the way that they wanted it to.

It's startling that in 10 years, so much of the show is still unfortunately relevant.

JVD: I don't know if people will ever change that, that much, where this won't be relevant. I would love for that to happen. This show is so endlessly timely.

I'll ask you the same question that I asked the ladies. The idea of the "Princess Complex." The show attempts to dismantle it and talk about how it's a damaging thing for women in general. Why do you suppose that we are all so eager to buy into that fantasy?

JVD: Well, I think we're breaking a lot of old molds. I think this show is so special and important. The humor is used to get the audience on board before a lot of important issues are sprinkled in. Once you have 'em with the humor, then the brain starts ticking. And, um, you're, you're left with a lot of thoughts. In many ways we've been duped for years and years, you know? This isn't a show about women. It's a show about people. These princesses are the vessels for these messages. But it's, it's really about humanity and the issues we all face. As funny as it is, I think it's also equally moving.

It's a show that sneaks up on

JVD: Yes, it sneaks up on you. These women are extraordinary people. They're talented. Because of who they are, it has made this process even more meaningful because there's a true camaraderie here and an appreciation for the material. It lands so hard. And, um, that is a happy, sad thing.

Thank you for taking the time to talk to me.

JVD: Thank you for taking the time to talk to me.

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DISENCHANTED plays at the Queens Theatre October 11-12. For tickets and information go to queenstheatre.org.

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