Review! Sea Witch Theatre Royal Drury Lane 2026

On paper, Sea Witch is exactly the kind of musical I should love. Drawing inspiration from the tale of The Little Mermaid — though serving as a prequel — this one-night concert staging seemed to promise real potential. The story follows Evie, a young witch living in hiding, concealing her powers while grappling with the resentment of those around her after a tragedy in her past. When Annamette enters her life, bringing secrets of her own, events begin to shift in unexpected ways.

I went in completely blind. With a book by Michael David Glover, based on the novel of the same name by Sarah Henning, I had little sense of what to expect — but I must admit it wasn’t until the second act that I felt I truly understood what was happening. The narrative is told almost entirely through song. While many recent musicals adopt this approach successfully, here I found it made the plot difficult to follow.

Character relationships, in particular, were unclear. It took me until the end of Act One to realise that Hansa was related to Evie, and even by the curtain call I was uncertain about Malvina’s role — was she simply envious and resentful of Evie, or was there a deeper motivation that I had missed?

That said, any criticism of the storytelling should not detract from the sheer level of talent on stage — because this is undeniably where the production excelled. With performers such as Michelle Visage, Natalie May Paris, Amy Di Bartolomeo and Mazz Murray in the cast, I felt confident that, whatever my reservations about the material itself, the songs would be delivered with conviction — and I was not disappointed.

Each performer’s standout moment came during their solo numbers. As Mazz Murray soared into her final, powerhouse notes, the rapturous applause that followed was entirely merited. Equally deserved was the mini standing ovation from the Royal Circle for Amy Di Bartolomeo, a testament to the impact of her performance.

A further special mention must go to Natalie Kassanga. This was my first time seeing her perform live, and she proved herself a strong presence during her number.

While I can wholeheartedly praise the performers, I cannot extend quite the same enthusiasm to the material they were given. As mentioned, the piece is almost entirely sung-through, meaning the songs carry the full weight of the storytelling. Yet if I found myself struggling to follow the narrative throughout Act One, it does raise the question of whether the score was truly serving the story as clearly as it needed to.

Act Two felt noticeably more coherent, with the plot unfolding in a way that was far easier to grasp. Which, in turn, prompts another consideration: was the story simply overstretched? Might it have benefitted from being tightened, condensed, and streamlined to allow its strongest elements to shine through more effectively?

An area of the production I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed came with choreography by Dean Lee. The entire dance company were captivating every time they were on stage and in sync with one another perfectly.

I’m not suggesting I wouldn’t see this musical again if it were developed into a full production — in fact, I’d be genuinely curious to discover what changes might be made, as its concept has clear appeal for fans of fairy tales, particularly those who love The Little Mermaid. For now, though, while it stops short of total disaster, it still feels as though it’s navigating rather choppy seas. ⭐⭐