Review of ‘Sea Witch’: “Adroit cast and superb lighting can’t save saltless musical from drowning”

London’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane hosted the world premiere of this prequel to Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairy tale. Guillermo Nazara shares his views on the show to let us know if this new dive into The Little Mermaid’s lore managed to make a splash.

Something shone last night, and it wasn’t the writing. Anyone who was there would agree on that. There was brilliance, but it didn’t stem from the show’s score, characters, or narrative. No. Instead, its glow took on a more literal form; sometimes, so powerful that it may literally burn the viewers’ retinas.

The consensus seems to be unanimous: the musical adaptation Sea Witch is unlikely to ride a wave of popularity, but its lighting design was a beacon of hope — and apart from the cast, probably the only one.

It’s an interesting time to experience in the London scene, where products are being duplicated through opposite moulds. While the Trafalgar gave us a ridiculously campy revision of Mary Todd Lincoln’s life, the Charing Cross delivered a portrayal that might not be droll, but it was just as ridiculous.

Now, the same has happened to the most dashing sorcerer in the fairytale canon. And so, while The Other Palace is currently hosting a Wicked knockoff of Disney’s divinest villainess, the Drury Lane hosted the stage adaptation of the Sarah Henning novels, whose only sign of uniqueness was the performance’s one-off nature.

It is not a great musical. It is not even good. It’s packed with so many problems that it’s difficult to find any redeeming features beyond the production. Putting aside the heavily overused concept of “how the bad guy came to be the bad guy”, every aspect of the script and score is flawed and defined by its derivative essence and uninspired execution, where not even the basics of storytelling are honoured or understood.

Despite its simplicity, the plot is hard to follow. The issue lies in its confusing, aimless action. Sometimes it’s impossible to know where the recount is heading or what the conflict really is. It is that vapid.

There is a witch in the royal court who must hide her secret to avoid the most terrible consequences. There’s also a mermaid who’s been turned into a human for three days, and whose magical background leads to a strong bond between the two. At the same time, a prince is waiting to be married so he can inherit the throne, threatened by his cousin’s desire to usurp it. And yet, despite all of this, the overall impression is that nothing is actually happening.

The conflicts evaporate so fast that one can’t really tell what the story’s main goal actually is — or its characters’. There is no exploration of their relationships, no introspection, and no transformative elements. Consequently, there is no arc. All the personages are strapped into their archetypes, and even on that level, their construction is poor.

There’s nothing in them that speaks to the audience. Their motivations are sketchy, and their individual traits are nonexistent. There is no singularity to any of them. They all merge into the same savourless substance this piece is made of, which is interesting given that the piece has no substance at all.

Its defective structure cracks even further through an inadequately conceived score. From a narrative perspective, it’s overexpositional, and it is not even competent in that effort. The lyrics are banal and fail to make any progress. A rough germinal idea is just worded in different ways, but there’s no depth or evolution to it. As a result, the songs do not make any significant contribution, as both characters and viewers are left in the exact same state they were in before every number began.

All the melodies are extremely generic. Not only do they lack identity and memorability on a musical angle, but they’re also incapable of serving the plot. You could easily swap the ‘I Want’ song with the ‘Angry Mob’ number, and nobody would notice. Ninety per cent of the score sounds like a rehash of itself: similar chord progressions and tempo; abrupt endings with no climactic strength; bland motifs; and a mainly nondescript sound, which doesn’t convey any emotion apart from a dull ersatz of epicity. And if you are into key changes, you’re in for a treat — but only one; Act Two might double the fun.

Jeff Nang’s flavourless orchestrations underpin these shortcomings. Its electronic approach, with a couple of nods to Alan Menken’s iconic soundtrack, isn’t varied or versatile enough. Constantly, it utilises the same unoriginal resources. And rather than bringing cohesion, it just makes the whole thing incredibly repetitive. It should also be acknowledged that the entire instrumental section is prerecorded, something unforgivable in a major West End rendition.

Performed in a bare black-box space featuring a staircase and a prop of the show’s title as its sole scenery, the staging is the ultimate winner of the night alongside the cast, particularly thanks to Joshie Harriette’s arresting lighting. The design soars above the notion of building texture and atmosphere, creating actual beam-based sets through a vivid, unified palette of turquoises, azures, and electric blues.

The company is admittedly the production’s most valuable asset. For the most part, their vocals are solid, and their portrayals flaunt robustness despite the script’s feebleness. Mazz Murray and Amy Di Bartolomeo earn the highest praise thanks to their exquisite singing, magnetic presence, and adequate acting. Simultaneously, Paris and Michelle Visage also excel musically and exhibit adequate interpretative skills.

Djavan Van De Fliert struggles to meet the same standards, most sadly, giving an exceptionally flat performance that’s also tarnished by its limited credibility. Comparably, Jay McGuinness doesn’t flaunt the best pitch or vocal technique, a shortcoming shared by the female choir playing the Mermaid Sisters.

Apart from Dean Lee’s overall vigorous choreography, which is not exempt from a couple of questionable choices, the show fails to enchant its audience due to its empty musical charm and narrative tricks. Jumping on the wagon of previous IPs, its lack of originality has unfortunately led to a rather noisy trainwreck. The troupe has helped shore up the material, but regardless, audiences were all at sea.

All pictures credit to Danny Kaan.

By Guillermo Nazara