Fringe Review - Dizney Rascal ✭✭✭✭
Review by Anne Mackie
Devised and performed by Disney fanatic, Rebecca Humphreys (with the help of director, Sam Swann) and her pianist Jo, this free hour-long gig focusses on Humphrey’s obsession with the works of Disney and how it’s charm and promise hasn’t quite translated into reality. Using a delightful fusion of screen, song, audience sing-a-long and stand up, she riotously documents her growing disillusionment of the Disney Princess life, highlighting particular issues (I mean, why do Disney make their animals look so humanly attractive?!) with energetic renditions of well-known Disney melodies to new, witty lyrics. But Humphrey’s talent doesn’t stop there. There are also equally as amusing original musical numbers intertwined with the examination of iconic Disney scenes, allowing you to view the eternal cult classics in a whole new (amusing) light. A particular highlight came when Humphreys discussed the hilarious theme of misogyny, executed through a parody of short video clips in which she portrayed a select number of the most iconic Princesses of all time before arbitrarily breaking into song... (Well, this is Disney...)
With a packed out venue, it seems the Disney cult remains as popular as ever, and Humphrey's original cabaret certainly packed a punch, providing feel-good comedic moments from start to finish. My only criticism is that we sometimes lost our cabaret Princess's diction during the particularly fast-paced numbers. Fortunately, this did not detract away from the overall charm of the piece and I left the fringe venue feeling like the eighth member of Snow White’s Dwarfs – Amused.
First, let’s lay down some ground rules: if you don’t like Disney, you won’t like this. But if Disney ‘touches’ you in the way that it does Rebecca Humphreys, you will appreciate every joke, anecdote, song, slideshow and video that this musical cabaret entails.
Devised and performed by Disney fanatic, Rebecca Humphreys (with the help of director, Sam Swann) and her pianist Jo, this free hour-long gig focusses on Humphrey’s obsession with the works of Disney and how it’s charm and promise hasn’t quite translated into reality. Using a delightful fusion of screen, song, audience sing-a-long and stand up, she riotously documents her growing disillusionment of the Disney Princess life, highlighting particular issues (I mean, why do Disney make their animals look so humanly attractive?!) with energetic renditions of well-known Disney melodies to new, witty lyrics. But Humphrey’s talent doesn’t stop there. There are also equally as amusing original musical numbers intertwined with the examination of iconic Disney scenes, allowing you to view the eternal cult classics in a whole new (amusing) light. A particular highlight came when Humphreys discussed the hilarious theme of misogyny, executed through a parody of short video clips in which she portrayed a select number of the most iconic Princesses of all time before arbitrarily breaking into song... (Well, this is Disney...)
With a packed out venue, it seems the Disney cult remains as popular as ever, and Humphrey's original cabaret certainly packed a punch, providing feel-good comedic moments from start to finish. My only criticism is that we sometimes lost our cabaret Princess's diction during the particularly fast-paced numbers. Fortunately, this did not detract away from the overall charm of the piece and I left the fringe venue feeling like the eighth member of Snow White’s Dwarfs – Amused.
Labels
Edinburgh Fringe