Fresh from complete sell out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe and around the UK, the parody musical Unfortunate – The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch comes to the Oxford Playhouse stage.
This brand-new show features an original hot pop soundtrack and trademark filthy humour, with Shawna Hamic (Orange is the New Black, 1776 on Broadway) leading the cast as Ursula and River Medway (RuPaul’s Drag Race UK) as Ariel. It takes to the Oxford Playhouse stage from Tuesday April 23th until Saturday April 27th.
The show received rave reviews in London for it’s twist on the Little Mermaid story, with nominations for six Off West End Theatre Awards – one of the highest for any show in the past year. Directed by Robin Grant, who played the lead in the show’s original production.
For those aged over 16, Unfortunate puts the Disney Diva front and centre, giving her take on what really happened all those years ago. Take the plunge and experience Ursula in a way you’ve never seen before.
Cruella told her side, and Maleficent had her moment. Now the legendary queer queen Ursula is ready to spill, in this tell-all tale of sex, sorcery and suckers.
The Cast
Shawna’s theatre credits include 1776 (Broadway and US National Tour), The Last Ship (Broadway and US National Tour), Les Misérables (US National Tour), Kinky Boots (US National Tour), Miss You Like Hell (The Public Theater, Off-Broadway) and My Paris (Terris Theater, Connecticut). TV credentials include Orange is the New Black, The Time Traveller’s Wife, Halston, Russian Doll, New Amsterdam, That Damn Michael Che, Bull and BRUISED.
After appearing on the third season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, River quickly became a fan favourite. River has since travelled the UK on various tours, including Pick’n’Mix, The Main Event and the official Drag Race UK Season 3 tour. In 2021, she also briefly joined the cast as Alice in Tuckshop’s Dick Whittington (Phoenix Theatre, West End).
She continues to headline Pride events and club gigs across the country. Most recently, River played Sister Mary Julie Andrews in Death Drop: Back In The Habit (West End and UK Tour).
Shawna and River are joined by Thomas Lowe as Triton, Allie Dart as Sebastian, Jamie Mawson as Eric, Julian Capolei as Grimsby and Corrina Buchan, Jack Gray, Jamie McKillop and Milly Willows in the ensemble.
The Plot
The plot of unfortunate is of course a reference to the character’s actions in the 1989 Disney film the Little Mermaid. This panto/cabaret focuses on Ursula’s unjust framing, the subsequent banishment, and a plot twist on why she wanted to steal Ariel’s voice.
Details
Tickets for Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch at Oxford Playhouse start from £14 and are available from Box Office: 01865 305305 or book online at www.oxfordplayhouse.com
Address: 11-12 Beaumont St, Oxford OX1 2LW
