Review Roundup: SEA WITCH at Theatre Royal Drury Lane

The world premiere production of Sea Witch, is now officially open at Theatre Royal Drury Lane. The collection of top West End and global talent coming together from the worlds of musical theatre, dance and pop speaks to the ambition and scale behind this major world premiere musical with performances promising something not seen on a West End stage before. 

Whatsonstage Award nominee and star of Frozen and Les Miserables, Djavan van de Fliert joins the all-star principal cast as Nik alongside Drag Race star and broadcaster Michelle Visage as Tante Hansa, Strictly Come Dancing winner and The Wanted's Jay McGuiness as Iker, Olivier Award nominee and original SIX cast member Natalie Paris as Evie, Mamma Mia!'s Mazz Murray as Queen Charlotte, Olivier Award and Whatsonstage Award nominee Amy Di Bartolomeo fresh from her role as Emily in The Devil Wears Prada as Annemette and Moulin Rouge! leading lady Natalie Kassanga as Malvina.

The show is driven by a brand-new creative team which includes Co-Creator & Director Kristopher Russell, Co-Creator & Book by Michael David Glover, Music and Lyrics Segun Fawole, Choreographer Dean Lee, Associate Choreographer Elena Russell, Orchestrations and Musical Production by Jeff Nang, Lighting Designer Joshie Harriette and Casting Director Peter Noden.

Sea Witch is a new musical that reimagines the origins of one of the sea's most feared villains. A prequel inspired by The Little Mermaid, it follows Evie, a witch surviving in a world where magic is outlawed.

When her fate collides with Annemette, a mermaid with a secret of her own, both are driven toward a reckoning that will reshape their futures forever. A powerful story of identity, sacrifice, and self-discovery. A myth reimagined. A villain reborn.

Based on Sea Witch by Sarah Henning and adapted with permission of HarperCollins Publishers. The production is produced by Russell & Glover Theatrical.

Laura Jones, BroadwayWorld: There is, undeniably, potential in the concept of Sea Witch, an origin story of a misunderstood villain has all the makings of a hit production, but potential alone is not enough. Premiering in a venue as vast and unforgiving as Theatre Royal Drury Lane has only magnified the show’s structural shortcomings. With rigorous development and a clearer artistic identity, this tale might yet find firmer footing. In its current form, however, it feels adrift.

Chris Omaweng, London Theatre 1: There was so much spoken word at the start of the evening that I wondered if I should settle in to watch a play. By the end of a very long night, I still wasn’t sure whether I’d seen a musical – it wasn’t even a song cycle. Most of the numbers, aside from the occasional torch song, had a generic chart music vibe about them, and it was notable that nobody, as far as I could tell, was humming any of the tunes on the way out. Snippets of storyline were made available through what was spoken rather than what was being sung, with the songs themselves largely reinforcing with banal repetitiveness, the relatively few narrative points already made.

Cathie, Theatre & Tonic: Overall, the idea of this adaptation is solid, but this is still a show that is in its experimental stages. There are some strengths, but with editing and further rewriting, this show could rework itself to the same strengths as other alternative villain shows, such as Wicked and Unfortunate, that the musical clearly aspires to be. I look forward to seeing its future inception and wish all involved all the best in the fruits of their hard effort.

Louisa Clarke, West End Best Friend: Just like a sea witch to leave us speechless. It should be simple – exceptionally gifted vocalists and performers, with only five days as a company under their belt, romance, magic, high stakes danger, just a few little issues sprinkled in every now and then – but when the little issues happen to be that it doesn’t make sense, it naturally stops a review in its tracks. Sea Witch, much like a mermaid, is a story of two halves.