Disneyland! I couldn’t wait for the Sunday night castle with its arc of stars, the theme music and welcome into the wonderful world of Disney. Fantasia, Mary Poppins, Jungle Book. The Love Bug! And of course, Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Sleeping Beauty. All magical. When my children were small taking them to the latest holiday Disney film was a joy. The Lion King, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Pocahontas….
Now my children are adults, I have to take myself on sneaky little trips. My private excursion to see Frozen was like a dirty secret that I didn’t share for weeks, and Up was the best 3D fun I’d ever had.
The World of Disney is like that– beautifully appealing no matter how old you are. We all love a good fairy story with a happy ending. Because real life is nothing like that.
Seth Drury’s alter ego in UNMASKING PRINCE CHARMING is another Disney fan. Actually, he’s an obsessive. OCDPD – Obsessive Compulsive Disney Prince Disorder, complete with a prince costume and set of Disney Prince Dolls. The audience becomes fellow Redemption House outpatients who have all been advised by the therapist, Denise, to use Art as Therapy to deal with our individual issues.
Seth takes us on a his particular therapeutic journey as he explores how his obsession with the Disney Princes and copying their manner of dealing with women has gone terribly awry with his successive potential personal princesses Penny, Jenny and then Danni.
Abducting your kindergarten love and dragging her to the sandpit, leaping the fence and singing songs of praise to your neighbour or kissing the drunken, comatose woman at a party never turns out remotely like the Disney film for this hapless prince. His increasing understanding of the inherent flaws in their modus operandi as well as an insight into his own true nature is the basis of this quirky, humorous and clever cabaret.
Seth has a fine singing voice and uses it to great effect with many songs from films such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Sleeping Beauty and Enchanted, as well as some jazz standards such as The Lies of Handsome Men.
I Think I Like Her from Summer of 42 is fun and upbeat and my absolute favourite was a particularly beautiful rendition of Lost in the Waves by Kooman and Dimond, all ably accompanied by Benjamin Kienhe on keyboard.
Seth chose The Press Bookshop in Hunter Street, for his Newcastle show and the intimacy of the venue, surrounded by books and collectables made it a charming experience, pun intended. Be warned though, if you sit close to the front in future incarnations of this show that you will be required to don a princess mask and dance, so brush up on your step, gallop, ball change.
A few lights, supplied and operated by students from Hunter TAFE Creative Industries courses, completed the simple setup.
Seth is a graduate of the Hunter TAFE Creative Industries Acting/Musical Theatre Courses and he is a fine ambassador for their belief that performing artists need to create your own work rather than waiting for the calls to come.
UNMASKING PRINCE CHARMING has already been performed at the Melbourne and Sydney Fringe Festivals. Seth’s show played the Press Book House, 462 Hunter Street, Newcastle for just two nights only on the 23rd and 24th October.
Seth has been offered more work as the result of the success of his current show. He has been invited to write a new show titled BRING BACK THE BARITONE, which will premiere at The Playhouse in Newcastle, Sunday the 13th of December at 2pm. Tickets will be available at the door.
BRING BACK THE BARITONE will also be presented in Canberra at an event called Music at Midday at The Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre on the 10th of February, 2016.