From February 15th, through the 17th, UHS’ theatre program premiered Disenchanted, a PG-13 musical comedy starring Snow White and her ensemble of disenchanted Disney princesses. The princesses are displeased with their portrayal in modern pop culture, so they have come to set the record straight in hilarious, theatrical form.
The Little Mermaid is one of a dozen of Snow White’s acolytes. Contrary to the beloved movie’s happy ending, Ariel is left disappointed with her new human lifestyle. After losing her tail, she takes up drinking to drown her sorrows. “The performance was fun, I liked acting drunk and silly on stage. It was also great to hear the audience’s reaction to my scene,” said senior Toula Lovera.
Disney’s Mulan takes a twist on traditional fairy tale tropes, in the original film, she takes her father’s place in battle by impersonating a man. The show capitalizes on this persona, breaking free from the cliched ‘damsel in distress’ act, by having the character announce that she is a lesbian. “I am of Asian descent, so it was amazing to have the opportunity to present that narrative and culture to an audience,” said senior Chloe Christiansen.
The show consisted of musical vignettes allowing each princess to share their story with the audience. “It was a great learning experience, I had fun working with my friends behind the scenes and meeting new people,” said freshman backstage technician Gianna Zayas.
Disenchanted had a relatively small cast, including ten princesses, and fourteen ensemble members. “As a member of the ensemble, learning the choreography was probably the most challenging part of performing on Disenchanted, but doing it with my friends made up for it in the end,” said sophomore Hannah Weimer.
