Fringe review: DISENCHANTED! THE HIT MUSICAL, Pentland Theatre at Pleasance at EICC
Photo credit: Pamela Raith
In Disenchanted! The Hit Musical, a selection of Disney princesses take to the stage to tell their sides of their ‘happily ever after’ - which may not have been as happy as Hollywood wants us to believe.
The music and lyrics from Dennis T. Giacino and Fiely Matias are good fun, even if they’re not super memorable. Some of the songs evoke their Disney counterparts well, while others feel like standard pop musical theatre numbers. The book, also by Giacino and Matias, leaves much to be desired. The show is repetitive in structure - each princess sings their song and then there’s a handful of group songs scattered in. The framing device is quite weak, making the show feel far more like a song cycle than a cohesive musical.
HOWEVER, whilst the material isn’t incredibly strong, Lichfield Garrick’s production of the musical, produced by The Production Garden, is excellent.
Lichfield Garrick’s Artistic Director and Chief Executive Daniel Buckroyd directs the musical - he does his best to keep the show moving as much as possible and makes sure the tone has enough shifts to keep the audience engaged. Kayleigh Dettmer’s choreography is energetic and great fun to watch. The music, under the direction of Joanne King and supervision of Jennifer Deacon-Say, sounds wonderful, and sound designer Kieran Powell mixes the live and recorded sound perfectly.
Sara Perks’ costume design is the star of this production. She perfectly captures the essence of the Disney princesses we’re meeting, whilst bringing her own creative spin to them (and making many of them seem a little worse for wear!). Perks’ set design works well for the cabaret style of the show.
An outstanding cast has been assembled for this production, all of whom will be major musical theatre stars in time we’re sure. Our leading trio of hosts are Lois Glenister as Snow White, Rosie Napper as Cinderella and Roshaan Saulnier as Sleeping Beauty. Glenister has a strong stage presence and demonstrates her vocal versatility, blowing the roof off with belty moments and hitting classical soprano notes with ease. Napper brings to life the ditzyness of this Cinderella perfectly and Saulnier adds a healthy dose of comedy to the proceedings.
Eliza Bowden is fantastic as the three princesses who have ended up more than a little unhinged - Belle, Little Mermaid and Rapunzel. She characterises the three roles so differently that we had to check our programme to double check they were actually played by the same person! Jewelle Hutchinson delivers fabulous vocals as The Princess (Who Kissed A Frog), adding a huge amount of energy to the show.
Ashley New definitely gives the standout performances in the show as both Hua Mulan and Pocahontas. Her vocals are sublime in both of her numbers, with her songs bringing a much needed slower pace to the show. Her numbers are genuinely moving as New brings so much emotion to them through her beautiful acting.
Disenchanted! The Hit Musical may not be the strongest musical out there, especially since its arriving on UK shores after we’ve had SIX the Musical, but it is still a fun night out. More than anything, the show provides space for a group of incredibly talented women to showcase their immense talent in a colourful production that is a feast for the eyes.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Jacob Bush