Apparently Ugly - Underbelly Ermintrude - Review

We are used to fairy tales wrapping up with the big white wedding, the smiles and the happily ever after, but have you ever given any thought to what happens next to the people left behind? But, here we are with Apparently Ugly, a musical for families and fairy tale fans. Cinderella is married now, away from the home where she was the servant, and left her stepsisters, Agnes and Olga bickering over the brides bouquet. What are they to do now that their sister is gone, especially when their appearances are everything mother announces shamelessly that her daughters are ugly, and are to leave the home and not return until they have found husbands.

And what does a fairy tale girl do when she’s in trouble? Make a wish of course! The sisters wish and beg to be beautiful, to be loved and to make their mother proud. And poof, as if by magic a fairy godfather (Elliott Wooster) appears in the second twisting of the classic fairy story stereotype replacing godmother with father that I’ve seen during the fringe. With a twirl and a song, he sets the sisters a mission with a Cinderella meets Into the Woods task that requires three objects to make a potion.

Hannah McRoche and Amber Hegarty play twin sisters Olga and Agnes, close as can be within their bickering and threats to leave the other behind. One tough, one sweet. One bossy, one soft. But both selfish and obsessed with the idea that beauty would be the solution to all their problems. Both McRoche and Hegarty boast impressive vocals, and a boundless energy that continues to skip, jump and twirl throughout keeping the pace moving along nicely. With the ugly stepsisters perhaps always known as villains, it could be a task to make them likeable, but these two performers go one step further and make them lovable to both children and adults in the audience.

It is Elliott Wooster that is the spark that gives this production its punch, donning the sparkles as the fairy godfather, amongst several other guises. Full of sass, excitement and fun, he plays the role of guiding light to the girls, following their journey and showing them the way to the right decisions.

Nicky Douglas plays the girls mother, in full drag, ruling the roost and bossing the girls around, all whilst delighting the audience with some fourth wall breaking. But it is with this character that the lines start to blur in this production. In the opening minutes the girls proudly announce, whilst arguing with a magic mirror, that this is not a pantomime. But here we have a dame, talking directly to the audience, sharing a number of cheeky innuendos that thankfully fly over the younger audience members ears, and improving with a gent in the front row, all characteristics and antics that you would find in a pantomime. This makes the production feel a little confused about what it really wants to be.

The songs are charming, with catchy music and high energy dance routines that families will love, and I see this show doing well in family theatre beyond the little stage of Underbelly Ermintrude. That being said, some points of the storyline could be trimmed for a better flow, especially in the forest scenes. And whilst I know it’s a fairy tale designed for family viewing, you can see every twist and turn coming a mile off. All things that could be fixed with a little further development.

Overall, Apparently Ugly is a fun, funny and delightful show that celebrates the true meaning of beauty and teaches the importance of far better qualities, wrapped up in song and dance. For families, this is a perfect way to start a day at the fringe, and you can guarantee that you will leave the theatre with a smile on your face.