They got all the ways to be W-I-C-K-E-D! Just get your tickets and you’ll see them be W-I-C-K-E-D! Children’s Playhouse of Maryland is bringing the house down this holiday season with their production of Disney’s Descendants. And it is living up to its wicked namesake! Directed by Liz Boyer Hunnicutt with Musical Direction by Charlotte Evans and Choreography by Rachel Miller this thrilling, high-energy, totally upbeat and wildly twisted tale of the children of Disney’s finest ‘evils’ will have you recognizing that bad is the new good all through the holiday season.
The creative and production team, spearheaded by Diane M. Smith, pulls out all the stops, giving these young performers a quality set with a whole bunch of wonderful effects to perform on and perform with. Between the very on-brand-for-Disney castle-style projections (SLShowTech Productions) and all of the wild, energetic bouncing lights, designed by Tyrell Stanley, there’s a great amount of spectacle that compliments the performances superbly. Sammy Jungwirth works alongside Diane M. Smith to design the set— a series of brick-frontage castle turrets that helps you travel to the land of Auradon and of course through the portal to the Isle of the Lost. Jungwirth, Smith, and Stanley (mingling with the work of SLShowTech Productions) create all sorts of magical illusions not only for the portal but just in general when the performers are singing and dancing their hearts out on stage.
Costume Coordinator Robyn Alvarez is showcasing Disney Villain couture at its finest. You get a stellar dress-ensemble for Jafar (who is played by a young lady) as well as the signature appearances for Maleficent, Cruella De Vil, and Queen Grimhilde (aka Snow White’s Evil Queen.) Where Alvarez really gets clever is the street clothes for the four ‘descendants.’ You get Mal (daughter of Maleficent), Evie (daughter of Grimhilde), Jay (son of Jafar), and Carlos (son of Cruella) in these modern threads and togs that nod to their origins (Mal has luscious purple locks, Jay’s rockin’ all of Jafar’s colors in street-elite-attire, etc.) And of course Alvarez gives the royal Disney treatment to all the members of the ensemble as well, finding gowns or ‘school clothes’ that are perfect for each member of the ensemble.
Singing never sounded finer and more energetic than with Music Director Charlotte Evans at the helm. With live percussionist Lisa Wood to keep the beat moving along, the kids really get a chance to showcase their vocal talents with these two outstanding individuals coaching and guiding them through the performance. The insane razzle-dazzle comes into this show by way of Choreographer Rachel Miller, who really and truly has outdone herself with the extremely intense, urban-flared modern dance routines that simply dominate most of the musical numbers. (If you’ve ever seen a CPM show in the last five years or more, you’ll know that Miller is more than capable of bringing quality level dance moves of varying styles to the young performers of all abilities, but this show takes the cake in Miller’s recent history!) The synchronicity alone during “Rotten to the Core” is enough to make you break out in a sweat (and thunderous applause) just watching how intense these young performers are with their dance routines. And Miller’s choreography is loaded with all of those modern-pop dance moves for multiple numbers all throughout the production.
You get a tremendous sound and wondrous series of movements from the ensemble (Daniela Alvarez, Caroline Anderson, Lily Anderson, Noah Anderson, Kaitlyn Bell, Elinor Bower, Zoey Cashin, Lucas Castro, Pablo Castro, Lilly Colon, Hazel Dietrick, Angelina Ferris, Emily Foggo, Molly Foggo, Jordan Myers, Lilah Peinado, Grace Petrich, Kailyn Quince, Morielle Shechter.) This versatile bunch of talented performers switches up from being ‘evil extras’ on the Isle of the Lost during “Rotten to the Core” to being the ’blessed goodies goods’ from Auradon during other big ensemble numbers like “Be Our Guest”, “Goal”, and “Better Together.” You even get a few standouts— like Lilly Colon, who is the panicked and hilarious Royal Page going back and forth between the gates of the portal, and Pablo Castro who is professor Maurice, a studious and sagely individual.
Now on the mainland of Auradon you’ve got some principal ‘goodie goods’ namely Audrey, Chad, Jane, and Doug (played by Allyson Gray, Victor Scigala, Gracie Roberts, and Miranda Cockey, respectively.) Allyson Gray, as the ‘popular girl’ Audrey, Ben’s girlfriend, has quite the voice and you get to hear it during “Ways to Be Wicked.” Victor Scigala does an fantastic job of playing up the stereotype of ‘dumb jock’, with quirky delivery and a great smile. You get to see and hear his vocal talents and dancing capabilities during “Goal” among others. Gracie Roberts, playing poor, neglected Jane— daughter of Fairy Godmother— is hilarious, especially when she tries to stick it to said mother-fairy, for ignoring her! Running away with the delightfully dopiest and most adorable sidekick style character is Miranda Cockey who plays Doug— son of Dopey, the dwarf— and the way Cockey takes up the super nerdiness of the character is just pure glee and delight. She’s channeling all of the dwarves, sometimes blushing, sometimes showcasing the brains of Doc, but mostly just cheery and glowing like bashful whenever she happens to get near Evie.
The principal adults on Auradon include King Beast (Christian DeBaufre) and Queen Belle (Sofia Alvarez) and the aforementioned Fairy Godmother (Ryann Reich.) While DeBaufre an Alvarez don’t get any particular huge solo opportunities (the script is just written that way) they make for great parents of Ben, even when DeBaufre’s character’s temper runs thin and he runs out of patience, and especially when Alvarez’ character tries to be benevolent and fair. Ryann Reich, as the effervescently bubbly Fairy Godmother will have you giggling at her mirth and merriment every step of the way. She’s so positive and chipper that you almost overlook the fact that she’s an unintentionally neglectful mother, completely overlooking her own daughter Jane, in favor of getting prepared for the royal coronation. Reich gets a chance to showcase her vocals too, during “Good is the New Bad (Reprise)” and it’s a lovely show of her talents.
We’ve got the evils— the big baddies— who have been banished to The Isle of the Lost— show up in the form of Grimhilde (Jackie Hicks), Jafar (Katreese “Clover” Wellons), Cruella De Vil (Molly McVicker) and Maleficent (Linda Brown.) These super baddies give a great rendition of “Rotten to the Core (Parent’s Revenge)” and they each do a fine job of channeling their animated villainous namesake, though there are some ‘softer’ moments when Hicks, Wellons, and McVicker get to interact with their offspring near the show’s end. Linda Brown, as the mistress of evil, the master of mean, and the utter diva of dark and wicked way, is astonishing. Brown’s Maleficent is vicious and vivacious— she’s got such powerful command of her belting voice and maniacal evil laugh that she doesn’t need a mic! You really get a sense of how she can bend a song to her will when you hear her sing— in classic Disney villain style— “Evil Like Me.” It’s mostly a solo number (Mal gets a duet-line at the end) but between Brown’s stage presence, command of her voice and tone, you will fall readily and easily under her wicked spell!
Caught in the middle, poor Ben (Shahmeer Mirza) is just trying to bring peace to all the people. He wants to be the great neutralizer and have everyone get along; everyone deserves a second chance, and Mirza is out to prove it with his character’s benevolence and kindness. Mirza is sensational in the role of Ben, the son of Belle & Beast. He has the giddy-glee of a proper prince charming but balances that with his own convictions and strong personality. And he’s got a voice for miles that just soars sublimely during numbers like “Better Together (Prelude 2)”, which is the closing duet number (opposite Mal) for Act I. Mirza sings all throughout the performance, but one of his finest moments on stage is during “Chillin’ Like a Villain” where he goes from intentionally stumbling haphazardly over his own body (as clumsy good-boy-Ben tries to ‘blend in’ with the ‘evils’ on Isle of the Lost) to stepping in sync with a snap during the high-octane choreo of that number. The chemistry Mirza shares with Mal feels so delightfully authentic, and when they duet-apart (two characters, one stage, one song, opposite existences) during “If Only” there is something truly wondrous about the way he sings and his voice is truly an aural sensation.
Carlos (Max Ozbolt) and Jay (Jordan Dixon) are just one half of the evil-empire of descendants. Descended from Cruella De Vila and Jafar respectively, Ozbolt’s Carlos and Dixon’s Jay are quite the team. Ozbolt plays a finicky, nervous wreck, who physicalizes these characteristics with great zeal, generating some hilarious physical comedy whenever he runs into or flees out of a scene. Dixon’s Jay is more ‘street-rat-savvy’ a nod to the fact that he’s like an Aladdin antagonist. Dixon has got some seriously impressive dance moves, which are put prominently on display during “Goal” and again during “Chillin’ Like a Villain.” Ozbolt holds his own dancing alongside Dixon and the other ‘evils’ during these numbers and both of these performers are extraordinarily talented additions to the “Core Four Evils.”
Emma Hammett, playing Evie, has a smart side that she’s reluctant to showcase. In a similar fashion, Bella Comotto, playing Mal, has a tender side that she’s equally hesitant to put on display. Both Hammett and Comotto grace the stage with powerhouse vocals, insanely energetic and well-executed dance moves, and fully articulated characters who complete arching journeys of transformation from the show’s beginning through to the end; these ladies are the true triple threat. Hammett has featured moments in song during all of the big villainous numbers, and you really get to hear her vocal capabilities during “Rotten to the Core.” Comotto, whose vocals are stellar whether she’s belting out her villainous tendencies or struggling internally with her existential crisis, masterfully displays the bitter-witch-chip-on-your-shoulder-bad-girl with a humanity that really has the audience on her side. You’ll want to be both Mal and Evie with the way Comotto and Hammett present these characters, they make them look fun, enticing, inviting, and really a wild ride on the stage.
The only way you can see that these CPM kids have all the ways to be W-I-C-K-E-D is to get your T-I-C-K-E-T-S! And don’t delay! They’re selling out like wildfire and going faster than a one-way trip on a magic carpet ride to Auradon. Don’t miss Disney’s Descendants with the incredibly talented young performers of Children’s Playhouse of Maryland this December season.
Running Time: Approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes with one intermission
Disney’s Descendants plays through December 18, 2022 with Children’s Playhouse of Maryland in the Lecture Hall of the Administration Building at the Community College of Baltimore County Essex Campus— 7201 Rossville Boulevard in Baltimore, MD. For tickets call the box office at (443) 840-2426 or purchase them online.
