WORTH A LOOK?: ****1/2

OUT: now

TRACKLIST: Nasty; We Didn’t Make It To Disney; Unfortunate; Female Role Models; To Be King

‘My mother ate my father with lemon, lightly fried’ is a line from our titular protagonist Ursula in a parody musical that we’ve yet to see but are loving this song selection from.

• Read on for reasons including what Fat Rascal Theatre is doing next – Covid-19 permitting

For the uninitiated Fat Rascal Theatre won our Best New Musical monsta in 2019 for Vulvarine: A New Musical which we caught at the VAULT Festival in south London.

We saw musical whodunnit Waiter! There’s A Murder In My Soup in north London earlier this year and have everything crossed that we’ll be post-Covid when Harry Potter parody Hexborn’s: School Of Sorcery is due to open at Waterloo’s The Vaults in September.

Ursula is played by Robyn Grant, who co-wrote the lyrics, and she’s got the best lines. ‘What’s that? ‘Nice chest.’ Thanks, it’s Oliver Bonas.’ Or ‘That’s what happens when you roll with me boys. People are always trying to banish you, or kill your friends and cut your screen time.’

And Fat Rascal are always unafraid to venture where others might fear to dare: ”What’s that smell?’ Well girls, it’s my natural musk. I call it plus-size villainess performing at dusk.’ All are from opening track Nasty (listen below) which we imagine serves as a great scene-setter for Ursula’s character.

Ursula appears to draw on The Little Mermaid and, while the music is very Disney, We Didn’t Make It Disney revels in the characters unlikely to be featured including the lines: ‘We’re more Grimsby than Disney’, ‘Best not to dream you’ll ever be in someone’s heart when you look like a nightmare and smell like a fart.’ or ‘I can’t be screened in Texas ‘cos I’m gay.’

Ursula’s line from our opening paragraph is from the superior Female Role Models (listen below) which namechecks other heroes of ours including Janelle Monae, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Malala, Michelle Obama, Helena Bonham-Carter, Greta Thunberg, Rosa Parks and Mary Seacole.

Plot wise Ursula appears to be ticking off Triton for poor parenting in Female Role Models: ‘Well you raised a drip and now she’s wet, teach her she’s pathetic and pathetic’s what you’ll get.’

In the last five years Fat Rascal has created seven brand new musicals, won six awards and played 46 venues. If you like what you’ve heard, you can support them further here. They can’t be back on stage soon enough.

• Picture via Facebook courtesy Fat Rascal Theatre. Tickets
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