Note: TWE reviewed  ‘Unfortunate’ earlier in its current tour. Given that this is the same touring production, what follows is a revised version of that same review, updated for its visit to the Wolverhampton Grand.

The copyright-swerving super powers of the ‘parody’ as a concept has led to it becoming quite the rage in the theatre world of late. Being able to slap on a beloved IP or iconic character without fear of the House of Mouse lawyers lining up outside the rehearsal room doors? It’s easy to see the appeal.

Yet character or brand recognition alone do not necessarily a good show make. By all means, let’s take a moment to celebrate the fact that satirists are afforded such robust legal protection in an increasingly litigious creative world, and hopefully it’ll be a good few years before AI learns the nuances of the send up, but any satire worth its sea salt has to bring more to the table than just familiarity.

Robyn Grant, Daniel Foxx and Tim Gilvin’s fringe favourite, Unfortunate is a distinctive, bold example of getting your parody down pat. It takes one of Disney’s most bombastic, fabulous villains, The Little Mermaid’s Ursula the Sea Witch, and retells the story of Mermaid from her perspective.

It’s essentially Wicked – Under the Sea edition (something its marketing freely acknowledges), and much like that canted revisit to Oz, and to a lesser extent Disney’s own Maleficent live action outings, the emphasis here is very much on setting the record straight from the villain’s perspective. Here, young Ursula (Shawna Hamic) Squirt is a feisty, gifted young witch who struggles to fit in amongst her classmates, catches the eye of a handsome young peer, and is ultimately unfairly cast out to a life of exile by a corrupt overlord who frames and shames her.

“It’s essentially Wicked – Under the Sea edition.. .and much like that canted revisit to Oz, the emphasis here is very much setting the record straight from the villain’s perspective.”

Sound familiar? The early building blocks of Unfortunate’s story certainly offer more than passing nods to Gregory Maguire and Winnie Holzman’s handling of Elphaba/The Wicked Witch of the West, but after this initial, slightly familiar, set up, Unfortunate sets sail to a gloriously bonkers retelling of Mermaid, with plenty of twists in the tale (tail?), as Ursula and her fishy friends recount how the story really went.

The broad strokes of Ursula as a woman scorned, seeking to right her wrongs may not be shatteringly original, but its execution here as a naughty, decidedly adult offering certainly brings a jolt of individuality to it all.

And beneath the outer shell of joyful, often silly smut, the reworking of the Mermaid story is deceptively quite clever, and certainly original. Reframing Ursula as essentially a contract cynic hired to inject some disillusionment and reality into air-headed young Princess Ariel (RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star River Medway) before she can take the throne is a delicious riff, and works brilliantly as a canted spin on the original film’s deal with the devil. Everything else about it is suitably dialled up to stratospheric levels of camp, including an insufferably spoilt Prince Eric (Jamie Mawson), Ursula’s alter-ego Vanessa (Julian Capolei) respawned here as a moustached, slut-dropping, straw-sucking Essex girl, and even has Ratatouille’s Colette thrown in for good measure (Allie Dart, in one of numerous roles).

The lampooning is regularly on the nose – from a decidedly non-PG rework of Ariel’s seminal ‘Part of Your World’ ballad, to an extended number about uglier denizens of the sea who ‘Didn’t Make It To Disney’. More inspired are the costume-swapping hijinks of ‘Les Poisson’, and in particular the biting commentary of ‘Ask the Girl’, which musicalises modern concerns about the original song.

“They’re fun, often bawdy takes on the original Disney offerings, and its certainly refreshing to see a parody actively engage in just that.”

They’re fun, often bawdy takes on the original Disney offerings, and its certainly refreshing to see a parody actively engage in just that. But in some ways, Unfortunate fires best when doing its own thing. It relishes in its mischief and devilment, and the flourishes of sexual tension or empowerment in numbers such as ‘Sucking on You’, ‘Female Role Models’ and ‘I’m That Witch’ are where the show really seems to find its sea legs.

This is in no small part thanks to a fierce and commanding central turn from Orange is the New Black’s Shawna Hamic, who stomps, sasses and sings up a veritable sea storm as Ursula. Bombastic, brassy and unflinching, she gives great diva and captures the cackling wickedness and malevolence of the infamous sea witch, with added splashes of punk and camp.

“Shawna Hamic… stomps, sasses and sings up a veritable sea storm as Ursula. Bombastic, brassy and unflinching, she gives great diva”

Medway is a lot of fun as a ditzy, dick-obsessed Ariel, and Allie Dart is a transformative ball of energy, hilarious and in impressive voice in a variety of turns, perhaps most notably as disillusioned chef Colette. Regularly threatening to steal the whole thing, though, is Thomas Lowe as Ursula’s one-time love, King Triton, pitched here as a sort of nepo himbo on steroids. In addition to some truly outstanding vocals throughout, Lowe is a nimble and impressive physical comedian, with an impressive and routinely hilarious grasp of character as his tortured, sensitive, often useless Triton tries to navigate his own choppy waters of emotions and regret.

Migrating from its more humble origins to the full, sizeable stage of the likes of the Wolverhampton Grand, some of Unfortunate’s fringe roots can still be seen and felt in a couple of places, but on the whole Abby Clarke’s staging work and Adam King’s lighting have been well upgraded. It still retains much of that indefinable fringe charm and edge, though a number of recurrent sound issues, and in places an overly loud mix, could do with some work.

On the whole (apologies, this show would probably much prefer on the hole…), Unfortunate is a big, bawdy sucker punch of nautical naughtiness. It’s most assuredly not one for the kids, which might feel slightly jarring given the source material. Indeed, for some it may be even a little too crass.

But for everyone else, the frequent filthiness, and regular talk of suckers, sluttiness and semen (no typo there) are all part of an unashamedly naughty, unapologetically empowering middle finger to Disneyfied pleasantry and sensibilities. And a firm, ripe, juicy cherry on top of what is, yes, a deceptively well-conceived parody, after all.

The copyright-swerving super powers of the ‘parody’ as a concept has led to it becoming quite the rage in the theatre world of late. Being able to slap on a beloved IP or iconic character without fear of the House of Mouse lawyers lining up outside the rehearsal room doors? It’s easy to see the appeal.

Yet character or brand recognition alone do not necessarily a good show make. By all means, let’s take a moment to celebrate the fact that satirists are afforded such robust legal protection in an increasingly litigious creative world, and hopefully it’ll be a good few years before AI learns the nuances of the send up, but any satire worth its sea salt has to bring more to the table than just familiarity.

Robyn Grant, Daniel Foxx and Tim Gilvin’s fringe favourite, Unfortunate is a distinctive, bold example of getting your parody down pat. It takes one of Disney’s most bombastic, fabulous villains, The Little Mermaid’s Ursula the Sea Witch, and retells the story of Mermaid from her perspective.

It’s essentially Wicked – Under the Sea edition (something its marketing freely acknowledges), and much like that canted revisit to Oz, and to a lesser extent Disney’s own Maleficent live action outings, the emphasis here is very much on setting the record straight from the villain’s perspective. Here, young Ursula (Shawna Hamic) Squirt is a feisty, gifted young witch who struggles to fit in amongst her classmates, catches the eye of a handsome young peer, and is ultimately unfairly cast out to a life of exile by a corrupt overlord who frames and shames her.

“It’s essentially Wicked – Under the Sea edition.. .and much like that canted revisit to Oz, the emphasis here is very much setting the record straight from the villain’s perspective.”

Sound familiar? The early building blocks of Unfortunate’s story certainly offer more than passing nods to Gregory Maguire and Winnie Holzman’s handling of Elphaba/The Wicked Witch of the West, but after this initial, slightly familiar, set up, Unfortunate sets sail to a gloriously bonkers retelling of Mermaid, with plenty of twists in the tale (tail?), as Ursula and her fishy friends recount how the story really went.

The broad strokes of Ursula as a woman scorned, seeking to right her wrongs may not be shatteringly original, but its execution here as a naughty, decidedly adult offering certainly brings a jolt of individuality to it all.

And beneath the outer shell of joyful, often silly smut, the reworking of the Mermaid story is deceptively quite clever, and certainly original. Reframing Ursula as essentially a contract cynic hired to inject some disillusionment and reality into air-headed young Princess Ariel (RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star River Medway) before she can take the throne is a delicious riff, and works brilliantly as a canted spin on the original film’s deal with the devil. Everything else about it is suitably dialled up to stratospheric levels of camp, including an insufferably spoilt Prince Eric (Jamie Mawson), Ursula’s alter-ego Vanessa (Julian Capolei) respawned here as a moustached, slut-dropping, straw-sucking Essex girl, and even has Ratatouille’s Colette thrown in for good measure (Allie Dart, in one of numerous roles).

The lampooning is regularly on the nose – from a decidedly non-PG rework of Ariel’s seminal ‘Part of Your World’ ballad, to an extended number about uglier denizens of the sea who ‘Didn’t Make It To Disney’. More inspired are the costume-swapping hijinks of ‘Les Poisson’, and in particular the biting commentary of ‘Ask the Girl’, which musicalises modern concerns about the original song.

“They’re fun, often bawdy takes on the original Disney offerings, and its certainly refreshing to see a parody actively engage in just that.”

They’re fun, often bawdy takes on the original Disney offerings, and its certainly refreshing to see a parody actively engage in just that. But in some ways, Unfortunate fires best when doing its own thing. It relishes in its mischief and devilment, and the flourishes of sexual tension or empowerment in numbers such as ‘Sucking on You’, ‘Female Role Models’ and ‘I’m That Witch’ are where the show really seems to find its sea legs.

This is in no small part thanks to a fierce and commanding central turn from Orange is the New Black’s Shawna Hamic, who stomps, sasses and sings up a veritable sea storm as Ursula. Bombastic, brassy and unflinching, she gives great diva and captures the cackling wickedness and malevolence of the infamous sea witch, with added splashes of punk and camp.

“Shawna Hamic… stomps, sasses and sings up a veritable sea storm as Ursula. Bombastic, brassy and unflinching, she gives great diva”

Medway is a lot of fun as a ditzy, dick-obsessed Ariel, and Allie Dart is a transformative ball of energy, hilarious and in impressive voice in a variety of turns, perhaps most notably as disillusioned chef Colette. Regularly threatening to steal the whole thing, though, is Thomas Lowe as Ursula’s one-time love, King Triton, pitched here as a sort of nepo himbo on steroids. In addition to some truly outstanding vocals throughout, Lowe is a nimble and impressive physical comedian, with an impressive and routinely hilarious grasp of character as his tortured, sensitive, often useless Triton tries to navigate his own choppy waters of emotions and regret.

Migrating from its more humble origins to the full, sizeable stage of Birmingham’s Hippodrome theatre and others (Midlanders should take note that the show also comes to the Wolverhampton Grand this July), some of Unfortunate’s fringe roots can still be seen and felt in a couple of places, but on the whole Abby Clarke’s staging work and Adam King’s lighting have been well upgraded. It still retains much of that indefinable fringe charm and edge, though a number of recurrent sound issues, and in places an overly loud mix, could do with some work.

On the whole (apologies, this show would probably much prefer on the hole…), Unfortunate is a big, bawdy sucker punch of nautical naughtiness. It’s most assuredly not one for the kids, which might feel slightly jarring given the source material. Indeed, for some it may be even a little too crass.

But for everyone else, the frequent filthiness, and regular talk of suckers, sluttiness and semen (no typo there) are all part of an unashamedly naughty, unapologetically empowering middle finger to Disneyfied pleasantry and sensibilities. And a firm, ripe, juicy cherry on top of what is, yes, a deceptively well-conceived parody, after all.

Ahh, the musical parody. Darling of the festival scene. Copyright-swerving bane of many a studio or Estate. Much like their more, ahem… adult cousins, the ubiquity of these fair use fun times has bloomed over recent years.

The appeal of plastering one of the Marvel or DC ouevre or, in this instance, Netflix megahit, Stranger Things, on a poster to invite bums on seats is fairly obvious. Even the bloodthirsty litigious titans at Disney have been able to do little to stymie the cult success of Unfortunate, which sees The Little Mermaid’s Ursula the Sea Witch get a Wicked-style musical reappraisal of her own.

Sorry, musical parody.

And yet, the obvious pitfall lingers ominously. If you can slap an iconic Disney villain or Millie Bobby Brown lookalikee on your marketing, does it really matter how good a parody, or indeed musical, it even is?

Strangers Sings! proves itself to be as unexpected and bizarre an anomaly as the sci-fi happenings of the original show upon which it riffs. For, despite a modest budget, its off-Broadway roots, and being the debut offering from New York-based Jonathan Hogue, it all works remarkably, unprecedentedly well.

“There is more than a flair of the French and Saunders or Saturday Night Live in its winningly low-budget simulacra.”

Sure, aesthetically it has something of a feel of community theatre about it, with its cardboard-faced demogorgans, Smiffys wigs and joyous, almost B-movie flourishes. And yet, for a parody this only adds to the nudge-nudge, wink-wink, fringe charm of it all. There is more than a flair of the French and Saunders or Saturday Night Live in its winningly low-budget simulacra.

Perhaps most surprisingly, Strangers Sings! works surprisingly well as a comedic, satirical musical in its own right. The songs are routinely catchy and witty, and littered with plenty of in-jokes for fans of the show. “And best friends never DIE…” croons ill-fated internet favourite, Barb (Philippa Leadbetter). Most inspired of all is a bonkers, fourth-wall breaking ode to Things’ cast member Winona Ryder, complete with cameos from her past hits. Howard Jenkins’ Hopper not only uncannily channels David Harbour’s gruff officer, but also makes good use of his tragic backstory, never quite allowing him to get his Dear Evan Hansen moment to musically pine for his lost child.

“Those unfamiliar with Stranger Things itself will be lost on the full extent to which Sings! does indeed parody the source material…”

Those unfamiliar with Stranger Things itself will be lost on the full extent to which Sings! does indeed parody the source material (the opening number alone offers plenty of digs at how rote many of its cast of characters are), but it is plenty funny and silly enough throughout to keep even the unfamiliar entertained. Hogue’s book also does a fairly solid job of summarising what is mainly the first season of the show (which a couple of later season subplots and cameos woven in) and mercilessly lampoons everything from Joyce’s (Verity Power) certainty that her son is communicating via Christmas tree lights, to the the innate silliness of the show’s cookie cutter mad scientists and generally ineffective child protagonists. There’s even a soupçon of Avenue Q-style fun to be had with Joyce’s missing son, Will (also Power, on dual-role, puppeteering duty).

The laughs and visual gags come thick and fast, and Hogue even wheels through some old musical theatre favourites for good measure. Not all of it lands, but thankfully the jokes are frequent and zany enough that the duds don’t linger for long.

And the character work is impressive across-the-board. Anna Amelia showcases impressive versatility as the enigmatic lab escapee, ‘Eleven’ and a Nancy dialled up to beyond ditzy, whilst William Shackleton serves up a hilarious imitation of Gaten Matarazzo as loveable doofus, Dustin. Elliot Wooster is in fine voice as young Mike, and the aforementioned Jenkins is perfect casting as as swaggering, droll Hopper. Leadbetter vamps up a late-game Sondheim type with relish, but it is regularly Alfie Doohan, equally hilarious as cocksure jock the Steve Harrington as he is the nervy, nerdy Jonathan, and Power in full unhinged Winona Ryder mode, who regularly steal the show.

As with practically anything so reliant on its intertextuality, those wholly alien to Stranger Things will get considerably less mileage here. That being said, anecdotally there were people in the performance reviewed who had never seen an episode of the show, and still happened to love it.

“…as it to be expected for anything Things-related, it is positive drenched in all things Eighties…”

There’s clearly a deep knowledge and passion for the source material, which makes for an effective piece of both ridicule and pastiche. And as it to be expected for anything Things-related, it is positive drenched in all things Eighties, with the obligatory nods to NeverEnding Story, Dungeons & Dragons and Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” all present and accounted for.

It won’t be giving Chekov or Keats a run for their money anytime soon, but if you’re in the market for silly, unpretentious musical tomfoolery based on a hugely popular IP (and who isn’t at this time of year?), and just an overall fun, funny time at the theatre, head on (upside) down to Hawkins Town and enjoy a quirky, zany show peppered with colourful performances, goofy humour, and a musical parody that genuinely sings.