Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Urusla the Sea Witch

Book and Lyrics: Robyn Grant & Daniel Foxx

Director: Siobhan Cannon-Brownlie

There have been wicked witches, mistresses of evil, and fashionistas with a fetish for puppy fur. There is, however, only one Ursula. Plus-size, fabulous, proud and sick of your shit – this sea witch is going to give us the down and dirty. This Sea Witch is on a mission to save the oceans from the humans above, fight for the ugly, downtrodden sea-creatures and most importantly, reclaim her agency as a strong, independent, fat purple woman.

Fat Rascal Theatre has a name for transforming unique narratives into a hot, vivacious mess of colour, song and commentary. Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch is no exception. Bombastic scoring, belting vocals, and a host of eccentric reject puppets serve up the premiere musical of this year’s Fringe.

The year is 1989, the Walt Disney Company are facing a catastrophically poor decade of sales, faith and mediocre film receptions. They have to return to what made them a household name. Casting away the shackles of originality, taking chances and dark tales – they had to go under the sea.

Returning to Princess fairy-tales, Hans Cristian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid was their choice, and it was a staggering success. Most successful, something no one would have suspected, was an Octo-Woman based on the Drag Queen Divine. Large, scene-stealing and given life by Pat Carroll, Ursula was a return to form for Villain royalty and sits as an LGBTQI+ icon.

So how on earth do you capture such an iconic character? Robyn Grant not only oozes ambitious, authoritative control of the stage, but she also pays tribute to Carroll’s creation of the role in every sense. This is the Sea Witch, living, breathing, grinding and bundles more flair and energy. Vocally, Grant has sublime control, managing to break the fast-paced show into hypnotic, freezing moments as you soak in the atmosphere.

If you’re in the front row, a cautionary warning, this production may conjure states of unexpected arousal. No one on stage requires magic when they have this much rampant desire, filth and depravity. The script is laden with innuendo, firing out at you left, right and centre, sometimes obvious, often hiding in plain sight.

A Queen in every right, Grant must, unfortunately, share her crown with another. Allie Munro has boundless energy, staggering range and dedication to her performances. The pace in which Munro adapts from Jamaican, via Donegal, crab Sebastian into the sultry, sensually seductive Vanessa leaps above impressive.

No one leaves miserable – the only Poor Unfortunate Souls are those begging for tickets outside the door. With no-where else to turn, they listen to cackles, sniggers and on occasion the genuine heartfelt moments and rally cries against suppression. Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch is another exceptionally well-constructed production from Fat Rascal. It’s wicked, it’s saucy, it’s modern, but above all – it’s nasty.