Unfortunate - The Other Palace - Review

We all know the story of Ariel, perhaps better known as The Little Mermaid, and her wish to walk on land with the humans and to be with the handsome Prince Eric, but how well do we know the story of Ursula, the sea witch who made her wish come true, at a cost of course? Enter Unfortunate, the Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch, a loud proud big and bold musical that explores her tale from her school days through to tricking the young princess into giving up her voice. But perhaps not in the way that you would expect, for this 16+ production isn't for your typical Disney fan.

Ursula (Sam Buttery) is an outcast, laughed at by her classmates and kept quiet by her teacher, the crab Sebastian (Allie Dart) but when she tries to speak out about the damage being done to the dark waters where the outcasts are banished too, only one person listens, Prince Triton (Blair Robertson), the super popular jock destined to be king. Forbidden love, lies, trickery and secrecy follow. Fast forward and Triton's daughter Ariel (Julie Yammanee) is causing trouble, dreaming of boys and two legs, and Ursula's magic is the answer. But will it be happy ending for Ariel, or perhaps more importantly, will it be happy ending for Ursula?

Buttery's Ursula is powerful, proud and pushy, knowing she has more to offer than people expect of her. She knows what she wants, what she deserves, and she isn't afraid to put herself out there. Buttery showcases great vocals, a natural flair for comedy and silliness, bouncing off both the energy and the responses of the audience with ease. Blair Anderson's King Triton is the jock has it all boy that you would expect to see in some teen high school comedy drama, and has a wonderful chemistry with Buttery; their duet 'Suckin on you' which is revisited throughout is a comedic highlight.

Allie Dart puts in a star performance, playing the famous Sebastian Crab, a voice of reason and guidance to both Ariel and Ursula, with a great sense of timing as every joke lands perfectly. She doubles up also as one of Ursula eel sidekicks and the chef of Prince Eric's palace, giving her own unique rendition of 'Les Poissons', with some quick changes that have the audience in absolute stitches.

As Prince Eric, James Spence creates a wide eyed foolish young man, more interested in his flute then anything else and easily led by those around him. His performance brings laugh after laugh with oodles of silliness and with Yammanee's Ariel, they make for an instantly lovable and hilarious pair as Yammanee takes the classic 'Part of your world' we all know and transforms it into something completely new that may just change how you look at it forever.

This production is crammed full of musical moments, and whilst the opening song may walk the finest of lines between being 'Poor Unfortunate Souls' and not, with cheeky digs to the original that make you wonder just how they got away with it, the standout number for me was 'We Didn't Make It To Disney' performed by the ensemble cast as a parade of odd and disturbing creatures of the deepest ocean, deemed simply not attractive and cute enough to make it as a Disney character.

Unfortunate is loud, proud and out there, going for it 100 percent to bring the untold story of Ursula the Sea Witch to life in a way that you would never have expected. Just when you think you know where it is going, there is a curveball there and a plot twist here, keeping you guessing and laughing throughout as relationships are explored, secrets exposed and questions answered. It's an hilarious adventure that has, not surprisingly, developed quite a following and I would be interested to see what is going to happen next for this one on bigger and bolder stages.