REVIEW: Circa ’21 Shows More Girl Power With Fun, Raunchy, Entertaining “Disenchanted”
“Disenchanted” is the name of an upcoming 2022 Disney+ live-action/animated musical fantasy film, a sequel to the 2007 “Enchanted,” with Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, and Idina Menzel reprising their roles.
But that title was taken years before, first in a 2009 New York workshop (in its own way a sequel), as Dennis T. Giacino wrote the snarky book, lyrics and music to “Disenchanted!” – which pops a good-natured (and often bitingly accurate) pin in the inflated, unrealistic images of
Erica Lee Bigelow, Kim Kurtenbach, Tammie Harris, Sydney Dexter, Shelley Walljasper, Quinn Mei Lysaght.
10 Disney princesses. The fun-filled, energetic musical revue is given its winningly entertaining Q-C premiere at Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse, Rock Island.
It’s the second full production in the past three shows here to a feature an all-female cast. Talk about girl power — each performer in the wacky, naughty “Disenchanted!” showcases expert comic timing, innate grasp of the fairly ridiculous characters, and jaw-droppingly impressive, fabulous vocals.
Three Circa veterans have the relatively straightforward duty to inhabit a single, iconic role – Kim Kurtenbach as the no-nonsense, cynical hostess (of this show within a show) Snow White; Erica Lee Bigelow as the cute, ditzy, sparkly Cinderella, and Shelley Walljasper as the far more relatable, dowdy Sleeping Beauty.
The other three wonderful women are making their excellent Circa mainstage debuts – Bootlegger Sydney Dexter absolutely steals every scene she’s in as Belle, Little Mermaid and Rapunzel. Quinn Mei Lysaght (a 2020 musical theater grad) is a dream in three parts dripping with delightful sarcasm: Hua Mulan, Pocahontas, and Princess Badroulbadour (better known
Erica Lee Bigelow, Sydney Dexter, Kim Kurtenbach.
as Jasmine in “Aladdin”). And while Tammie Harris makes a noticeably belated entry into the show as the first Black heroine, the Princess Who Kissed the Frog (also known as Tiana), that makes sense since Disney took so long to do it on screen, and her thrilling voice raises the roof on the place.
In “Disenchanted” (rated PG-15), the all-princess revue is aimed at upending their popular portrayals and due to its subject matter, and occasionally blue language, it’s definitely not for the whole family. While a double-entendre joke is riffed off “Someday My Prince Will Come,” the Circa production chose to go with an alternate number to the original’s “Big Tits.” Though here the waif-thin Lysaght as Pocahontas decries her film adaptation as a virtual child porn star.
After “Disenchanted,” you’ll never look at these Disney heroines the same again. It’s almost like the show is set in a mental institution where the women have literally gone insane (one of the song titles), since there’s no “happily ever after” in real life. Their lives, anyway.
Dexter as Belle from “Beauty and the Beast” is strapped to a throne, noting she’s supposed to be from a small provincial town in France, yet has an American accent. She complains that “little chipped cup won’t shut up,” and with Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty as dancing
Kim Kurtenbach, Sydney Dexter, Erica Lee Bigelow.
silverware, she laments “talking to inanimate objects is the least of my worries.” It’s supremely silly, like much of the goofy musical itself.
As the red-haired Ariel from “Little Mermaid,” Dexter is a dexterous, drunken redneck – once she discards her mermaid outfit, she reveals a denim skirt, knee pads, white socks and red heels. Dexter’s southern-style, country crooning while hoisting a beer is a hoot.
And at the top of the second act, she goes all out as the stern, domineering Rapunzel (who actually was German in the original fairy tale), decrying that the German princess was Americanized and commercialized by Disney. With Snow White and Cinderella, Dexter gleefully owns the audience-participation number “Not Vone Red Cent” (about how Rapunzel never made anything off her merchandising), and it’s just about the best thing in the show.
When the princesses rail against princes who expect them to do all the housework, you can forget the princesses you think you know, as the royal and ruthless renegades figuratively toss off their tiaras to set the record straight. They’re pissed and not gonna take it anymore. One running joke for Walljasper is that Sleeping Beauty is literally caught sleeping at several points in the production. Her use of a kazoo in a “Tequila” takeoff is one of many highlights.
Quinn Mei Lysaght, seen in “Disenchanted,” graduated in 2020 from Point Park University, with a bachelor’s in musical theater.
Lysaght reveals that Mulan was a lesbian, since she was the only princess without a guy, and that happiness shouldn’t depend on a man. During this number, lighting designer Heather Hauskins displays a beautiful rainbow effect on the top half of the blank backdrop (on which many varied projections are used throughout the show).
Lysaght best showcases her comic chops in the “Aladdin” parody, in which she “rides” on her flying carpet (a “whole new world,” indeed!). For some reason, she’s got a gritty New York City accent and confesses how far her real character differs from what was shown in “Aladdin.” All the women seem to go stark-raving mad in “All I Want to Do is Eat,” including Ariel wanting to consume her fish friend Flounder, and Snow White later talking to her bird, which is perfectly normal!
The Act I finale (fittingly called “Finally”) spotlights Harris in her royal gown, white gloves and glittering tiara, and her big voice makes the spunky, funky number a showstopper, including a key costume change. Choreographer Andrea Moore provides boisterous dance moves for the group, among many partying, freeing scenes in “Disenchanted.”
Though bawdy humor and rebellious, feminist release are the main points of the show, there’s a more serious message toward the end as
Quinn Mei Lysaght, Kim Kurtenbach, Erica Lee Bigelow, Tammie Harris, Sydney Dexter, Shelley Walljasper.
Sleeping Beauty begs to do her song, and Kurtenbach impatiently wants to keep the show moving, claiming she just doesn’t fit in. That hurts Walljasper’s feelings, and she shows that by being imperfect, she’s just like us. Sleeping Beauty snoozes so much because when she dreams, she is perfect, thin and dainty (heartbreaking!)
The female empowerment anthem “Perfect,” from Walljasper and her pals, shows us we are perfect and good just the way we are. The exuberant, self-confident number is irresistible, like the show itself.
The first-class Circa creative team features director Cory Johnson, music director Ron May, scenic designer Susie Holgersson, and costume designer Greg Hiatt.
“Disenchanted!” runs through Nov. 6 and has scheduled performances on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:45 p.m., Sundays at 5:45 p.m., and Wednesday matinées at 1:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $56.55 for the evening dinner-and-show productions and $49.73 for the plated-lunch matinées.
Reservations are available through the Circa ’21 ticket office. Contact the theater at 1828 3rd Ave., Rock Island or by calling 309-786-7733 ext. 2. Due to state requirements, masks must be worn by all Circa guests, regardless of vaccination status.
