Sea Witch - A New Musical

Theatre Royal Drury Lane

Strong female leads conjured up a powerful performance. The story is at times a little hard to follow and repetitive. Once the storm clears, this musical has a bright future.

As this musical was a concert performance, it seems unfair to give it a rating. It was a taster of the musical. So this review will be a brief explanation of the experience and what I thought.

A tidal wave of a new musical hit the Theatre Royal Drury Lane stage at the start of this month. What a way to start the month than with a new musical! It's based on the novel 'Sea Witch' written by Sarah Henning. The show is a prequel to the Hans Christian Anderson story of 'The Little Mermaid'. It is set in a place where magic is shunned, and the magical main character, Evie, played by the powerhouse Natalie Paris, is trying to navigate her life, hiding her magic and her inner pain. The story reveals Evie's past and how it's affected her present. A dare led to tragedy, two girls in danger and only one of them was saved by heir to the throne Nik, played by Djavan Van De Fliert. This haunts Evie, and those around her pass judgment on her, especially Queen Charlotte, played by Mazz Murray. Evie's world is turned around when Amy Di Bartolomeo's character Annemette, a mermaid, washes up on shore searching for the Prince she saved and hoping to steal his heart. There's only so much time, and Evie has to decide how to help her new friend... will she turn to dark magic?

It was a concert filled with powerful voices and some enchanting choreography by Dean Lee. It was a premiere that the London audience could sink their teeth into. The story was not the simplest to follow; at times, it felt as if moments were prolonged and repeated. The lighting in the show was dazzling and matched the drama of the production... perhaps a little too dazzling. Costumes were quite standout and created the aesthetic of the show.

It was indeed a star-studded cast, and quite a selection of hardworking performers in the ensemble. Amy Di Bartolomeo and Natalie Paris showed their power. Their voices are magical. There were many moments for the ensemble to have their own individuality, which was empowering and great to watch. Whilst the songs were incredibly powerful, well-written and composed by Segun Fawole. Leads would at times sing one song after another, which felt like the objective of the songs was overdone. The songs had their own authentic style and fitted the aesthetic of the show well. The female roles shone brightly.

This show is filled with potential! The content of the story and dialogue lacks individuality, which does not match the power of the songs. The quality of the show was in the music, the vocals by the actors and shone bright in the brilliant choreography. This musical is one to watch out for. I look forward to seeing how it develops. It could be something magical.