Theater Review: Academy’s ‘Descendents’ The Perfect Family Summer Show

Once upon a time I was a custodial intern at Walt Disney World. The job was very fun for a 22-year-old who needed six months to figure out what they wanted out of life. There were nightly fireworks, daily parades, and people of all ages reacting with joy and wonder at everything they encountered. Last Thursday I witnessed people having that same experience at the opening of a local production in Orleans.

“The Descendants: The Musical” at the Academy of Performing Arts in Orleans is based off the 2015 Disney film that follows the children of four villains as they are granted the opportunity to go to school in the magic and hero-filled land of Auradon. The villains, who are led by Maleficent (Jen Almedia) and include Jafar (Jeff Almedia), Cruella De Ville (Kendall Smith), and Queen Grimhilde (Dahlia Viprino) command that their offspring infiltrate the school and steal the wand of the Fairy Godmother (Kerry Fitzgibbons) so they can create a portal that would allow all of the villains to return to cause havoc. The question becomes will our four descendants follow their parents’ wishes and steal the wand or will their time spent in Auradon change their perspective?

I loved this show. It’s campy yet earnest, it’s bold and loud with big dance-driven numbers, and it’s rife with a tension akin to every great Disney story. Moreover, the crowd I saw it with was packed with families whose kids and grandparents laughed and exclaimed and wiggled in their seats to see the story that captured their attention. As summer vacation is ending, “The Descendants: The Musical” is a fun night out for the family.

The story starts with Ben (Zendon Donoho), the son of Belle (Raven Berry) and King Beast (Brendan Conlin), nearing his coronation. King Beast is stepping down so his son can ascend and Ben tells his parents what his first proclamation will be to take four kids from the Isle of the Lost – the land Belle and King Beast isolated all of the fairy tale villains and sidekicks within when they unified the 19 kingdoms of Auradon – and bring them to go to school at Auradon Prep. While his parents have reservations, Ben sends the Royal Page (Gia Popov) to the Isle of the Lost to announce his proclamation.

This is where we meet our quartet: Mal (Hazel Yingling), the daughter of Maleficent; Evie (Cecilia Miner), the daughter of Queen Grimhilde; Jay (Matt Whelan), the son of Jafar; and Carlos (Charlie Tobin), the son of Cruella De Ville. Our squad is navigating the streets of the isle and, like any good musical, they break out into song and tell us a little bit about themselves with “Rotten to the Core.” It’s a great beginning point for the narrative because it provides a baseline for the four. They identify themselves as evil…and it’s the only thing they’ve known.

There are many highlights to mention, but the musical wouldn’t work without Yingling, Miner, Whelan and Tobin. Yingling, a rising sophomore at Nauset Regional High School, is a star as Mal. She has a powerful lower register that commands the room and plays the defiant daughter of the wickedest witch in the land with aplomb. Miner plays Mal’s best friend Evie who tries to be vain and superfluous yet shines more and more as she’s allowed to explore who she is in high school. Whelan as Jay is the thievery-obsessed tough guy who is loyal to his friends and always willing to race to action, a bit of a straight man but gets his own beats to explore. As Carlos, Tobin, also a rising sophomore at Nauset, jumps off the stage, almost quite literally. His performance, albeit in a character who is mostly comic relief, is dynamic. 

Donoho as Ben is essentially the fifth member of the group. As the story progresses, he grows closer with Mal and becomes someone who experiences life from the quartet’s perspective, allowing him to help them grow. Donoho naturally plays the young idealist. He has an affable presence that balances the chaotic energy his newfound friends bring to the scene.

There’s a bevy of kids at Auradon Prep to note. Brendan Dias Da Costa as Chad, Cinderella’s son, has my favorite joke of the night (which I won’t spoil, but it is slipper related) and has a character description that I kept jotting down in my notes as “Chad keeps chadding.” Esme Van Buskirk is Jane, the daughter of the Fairy Godmother. She has a crucial suppressed intensity that boils over as the story progresses. Audrey, played by Erin Walsh, is just a perfect mean girl who seems to be delighted the more she gets the opportunity to act out. Lastly, there’s Lucas Almedia as Doug, the son of Dopey. Almedia is genuinely genuine, as he sees the good in characters like Evie from the start.

Then there’s the adults. Jen Almedia is the perfect blend of camp and deceit as a Maleficent. She’s the commanding mother without any regard for her daughter, but also a bad guy who has already been foiled and can’t stop trying. Her rogues’ gallery of Jeff Almedia, Smith, and Viprino follow suit, and each have moments with jokes tied to their existing stories. Fitzgibbons plays the Fairy Godmother, headmistress of Auradon Prep, as a reticent teacher who initially struggles with the task of working with the quartet. Rounding out the cast is Ralf Kramer as Maurice and Chiara Castro as the Royal Apprentice.

The show is co-directed by Terrence Brady and Sam Govoni. Set design and construction are Nicholas Door, Mark Roderick, and Claire Edwards. I’m always a fan of the work they do on all of the landings that are part of the Academy stage and this show was no different. The mural of Auradon in the round is gorgeous. The music director is Chris Morris. There’s a strong blend of numbers that are pure spectacle and then touching introspection. It was all brought together very well. Lastly, costumes were constructed by Govoni and artistic director Judy Hamer. Costumes in this story are crucial and speak so much about each character’s progression through the story. The sartorial journey they undertake is worthy of another discussion.