Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch Reveals Full London Cast
The London return of Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch has revealed its full cast ahead of its upcoming run at The Other Palace.
The production, a musical parody that reimagines the villain from The Little Mermaid, will play from 6 February to 5 April 2026. The new London season marks the fourth major iteration of the show, which invites Ursula to tell her own side of the story in what the creators describe as a tell all tale of sex, sorcery and suckers.
Unfortunate first premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2019 and has since been staged in Edinburgh, Birmingham, London and on tour across the UK. A Swedish language production is currently running in Linköping, while the most recent version enjoyed a festive season at The Lowry. The 2023 iteration, seen both on tour and in London, received a positive response from critics.
The 2026 London run will introduce a newly reworked version of the show, featuring a new set, updated costumes, additional material and new characters. The running time is two hours and 15 minutes, including an interval.
Returning to the production is Sam Buttery in the title role of Ursula. He is joined once again by Allie Dart as Sebastian and other roles, Blair Robertson as King Triton and others, James Spence as Eric and others, and Freya McMahon as part of the ensemble.
New to the cast is Julie Yammanee, who will take on the role of Ariel. Ensemble members Jacob Whawell and Kelly Sweeney also join the company.
The musical features a book and lyrics by Robyn Grant and Daniel Foxx, with music by Tim Gilvin. Direction is by Grant, with set and costume design by Jasmine Swan and choreography by Melody Sinclair-Marsh. Puppetry and movement direction is by Laura Cubitt, with orchestration, music production and supervision by Nikki Davison and Joe Davison for Auburn Jam.
The creative team also includes sound design by Ian Dickinson for Autograph, lighting design by Adam King, puppet design by Mikayla Teodoro and Jasmine Swan, and puppet making by Teodoro. Casting is by Will Burton, with production management by James Anderton and associate direction by Eliza Beth Stevens.
Unfortunate is produced by Wildpark Entertainment, Runaway Entertainment, The Vaults, Stoddart Entertainment and Dianne Roberts, and will play at The Other Palace for a strictly limited season.
