Mickey might want to cover his ears on this one. These Disney princesses are pretty pissed off.
The characters emerging from the storybook-esque castle in the musical comedy “Disenchanted!” at Marathon Community Theatre will be more than familiar to most audience members – Snow White (Abbi Colella), Cinderella (Stephanie Zajac), Sleeping Beauty (Kara Pascucci) and the Little Mermaid (Aubrey Kehn), just to name a few.
But there’s just one – actually, several – problems. Ariel’s a drunk, Sleeping Beauty took one too many Ambiens, Mulan is struggling to tell everyone she loves girls, not guys, and Rapunzel is on the verge of taking the House of Mouse to court for lost royalties. And that’s just for starters.
Directed by Trish Hintze and produced by Claudia McEwen for MCT, playwright Dennis T. Giacino’s cabaret-style musical is a hysterical tale of 10 classic Disney icons battling the “Princess Complex.” You know … the one where slim-waisted and well-endowed women fight through their historically-altered storylines on the silver screen as they fight to “earn” their happy ending with Prince Charming just before the credits roll.
Along the way, they take aim at nearly every animated film cliche in the book – from belaboring their physical appearances in numbers like “Big Tits” and “All I Want to Do is Eat,” to a furious rant over debts owed in “Not Vone Red Cent.”
But although the show contains a healthy dose of adult themes and content that will keep an audience roaring from curtain to curtain – parents, keep this in mind when considering bringing younger princess fans along – the end result is a triumphant celebration of female empowerment and independence, one that Hintze says uses “brutally honest” humor to prove that “you have to be happy with yourself to create your own happily ever after.”
And it certainly doesn’t hurt that under the guidance of Zajac, who also serves as the production’s music director, the show boasts one of the best vocal lineups to grace MCT’s stage in the last decade.
“It’s amazing to see this cast laughing together and watch them learning from each other,” added Hintze, praising the eight-member group with ages ranging from 17 to 60. With a group that has adapted to multiple substitutions since its original lineup was chosen after September auditions, she applauded the ability of all involved to adjust as “life happens,” even up to a cast member switch out that took place less than a month from opening night.
“Directing this show is a labor of love and the most rewarding thing I’ve done in my life next to being a mom,” Hintze said. “I would say I’m proud, but that would be selfish, because the cast and crew did all the work to make this show what it is: spectacular.”
“Disenchanted!” opens at MCT on Thursday, March 14 and runs on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. through April 6, plus a 3 p.m. matinee on Sunday, March 24. Tickets are $33 and are available at marathontheater.org or by calling 305-743-0994.
Photos by ALEX RICKERT/Keys Weekly
