Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch at The Lowry Review

Reviews

12 Dec

Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch 2025 production image. Photo by Mark Senior

Written by Roby for Theatre & Tonic

Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review

As we’re coming up to Christmas, many may opt to watch a pantomime or a feel-good family musical… I, however, would prefer to watch ‘Unfortunate’ - the musical that reveals the untold story of Ursula from The Little Mermaid. It’s hilarious, camp chaos that is a stroke of pure genius.

The show is a musical parody that somehow still manages to convey a poignant message about beauty standards, female empowerment and self-love. It is nothing short of bonkers, and will quite often leave you questioning “what the hell am I watching?”. It’s this joyous absurdity that makes this musical so perfect.

Sam Buttery leads the cast of just seven incredibly well, commanding the stage with experienced ease. Buttery has such a rich stage presence that makes her perfect for this role and most of the time tackles the score brilliantly. Alongside her, Blair Robertson provides an equally engaging King Triton, somehow managing to convey a masculine aura whilst wearing a pair of sparkly flared leggings. Robertson and Buttery have great chemistry and both are so easily comedic.

This is a strength of the entire cast (of which there is no weak link). All seven are incredibly funny and jump from strength to strength throughout the show, expertly multi-rolling and quick-changing. Miracle Chance is a scene-stealer in the role of Ariel providing clean vocals and “dumb blonde” energy. Her performance of ‘Where The Dicks Are’ is a highlight of the night, although there are so many. She compliments James Spence as Prince Eric well, whose performance of ‘My Little Flute’ is a great addition to this version of the show. Spence is a brilliant performer who excels in every role he plays - his portrayal of Poseidon in particular is just absurdly bonkers. Allie Dart, however, is the standout of the night. She is just a natural performer who delivers a flawless performance in countless roles. Her Chef Collette is genius, and her frantic multi-rolling in ‘Les Poissons’ is so chaotic it’s brilliant.

Ensemble members Freya McMahon and Fionan O’Carroll caught my eye throughout the performance, executing Melody Sinclair’s choreography with sharp fabulosity. The entire cast are also brilliant puppeteers (all puppets are designed by Jasmine Swan and Mikayla Teodoro and look incredible). Laura Cubitt’s puppetry direction shines in ‘We Didn’t Make It To Disney’ which is a side-splitting showcase of lyrical genius.

Jasmine Swan has also done the show’s costume and set design, which are both amazing. My favourite element of the set, although a small detail, was the Poseidon banners that stated the school motto: “Liveus, Laugheus, Loveum” (excuse my poor Latin). It’s small details like this that allow Unfortunate to blossom into the intricately witty show that it is, which is what makes it so special. Another great detail are the gravestones for Bambi’s Mum and Mufasa in the second half - being able to see these hilarious details alone makes paying the extra for a stalls seat worth it.

The true strength of this show is its writing and direction; Robyn Grant (book, lyrics and direction), Daniel Foxx (book and lyrics), and Tim Gilvin (music) have came together to create a genuinely funny piece of theatrical genius that owes itself to its clever wit, chaotic plot and musical brilliance. I will forever be mourning the loss of dear Kirsty the Cucumber, whose cataclysmic death had me sprinting to the merch stand in the interval for a “poet, dancer, cucumber” tote bag.

Quite simply, Unfortunate is so good I have ran out of synonyms for “brilliant” and “hilarious”. The show is a camp, chaotic concoction of brilliant performances and genius writing that is part Disney parody, part musical theatre extravagance and yet still somehow empowering. I could happily watch it time and time again, and it would be unfortunate if you did not book to SEA it this Christmas at the Lowry, or when it transfers to The Other Palace in London next year. I’m already eyeing up tickets for a second visit!