Review: UNFORTUNATE: UNTOLD STORY OF URSULA THE SEA WITCH, Pavilion Theatre Glasgow

After spellbinding success in the Edinburgh Fringe, the not-safe-for-work musical parody Unfortunate dives into Glasgow to stage a revolutionary queerification of Disney's 1989 movie The Little Mermaid. 

Recently Disney admitted evil sea witch Ursula was based on iconic drag queen Divine, highlighting the anti-LGBT contempt prominent in 80s media. Unfortunate reinvents this by presenting Ursula as relatable, empathetic and humanised. We see the backstory that leads her to sea-witchdom, followed by her own narrative of The Little Mermaid tale. This queer reimagining propels the message that we exist beyond our stereotypes - no one is wholly good or bad. We deep dive into more changes from the 1989 classic - Sebastian is now Irish, Eric is encouraged to "Ask the Girl" before he goes in for the kiss. 

The entire cast are delightfully flamboyant exuding camp joy through vibrant choreography (yes, there's even a can-can number) and Abby Clarke's glorious puppets. Shawna Hamic is a magnificent lead showcasing both Ursula's girlboss power and her vulnerability. She is a vocal powerhouse, particularly during the risqué "Sucking on You", "Unfortunate" and "I'm that Witch". Robyn Grant and Daniel Foxx's script is clever and snappy, thrusting sexual innuendos throughout (don't bring your kids).... It's a shame some were hard to hear against the questionable sound system.

Hamic is well-complimented by Thomas Lowe who plays her friend-turned-lover-turned-enemy King Triton. The two undergo a melodramatic 'will they won't they' trope that is fun to watch. River Medway's airheaded Ariel is hilariously horny, obsessing nonstop over human land "where the d*cks are". Jamie Mawson's Eric embodies the archetypal 'gap yah' rich bloke, Allie Dart plays a multitude of characters with talent and ease. Julian Capolei's Vanessa is fantastically silly sporting envy-inducing dance moves and a fabulous strut. 

Unfortunately, it's definitely too long. At over 2 hours 30 minutes including interval, we would have survived without a few filler songs and some unnecessary exposition. Furthermore I am no prude to obscenity, but some choices seemed too odd, even for me (why was King Neptune so overly-sexual with his son?). 

Overall the show is an uplifting feel-good retelling, giving us an iconic sea witch reclaiming her stolen narrative. She's proving she isn't an unfortunate soul, and we're here for it.

Unfortunate: the Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch is at the Pavilion Theatre Glasgow until 4 May.

Photo credit: Pamela Raith

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