Disney’s Wonderful World of Color was a staple Sunday night television program on NBC from 1960 to 1969. I got to hand it to the Argyle Theatre for providing the same carousel of color, but this time it was live on their stage. Disney’s Descendants: The Musical is just one more of their vivid productions.
The show begins where Beauty and the Beast ends. Belle and Beast are married now and have founded the United States of Auradon, a thriving new nation from the surrounding kingdoms. Banished are the bad guys and their children to the Isle of the Lost, an island hovel surrounded by a barrier where magic is suspended, trapping all the villains there for good.
Twenty years later, their son Ben, who will soon be crowned king, announces that his first proclamation is to give four selected children from the Isle of the Lost a chance to live in Auradon, far from their villainous parents, despite his father’s protests.
He chooses Carlos, son of Cruella de Vil; Jay, son of Jafar; Evie, daughter of the Evil Queen; and Mal, daughter of Maleficent. When Maleficent gets wind of this, she secretly instructs the four of them to steal the fairy godmother’s magic wand, so that she can release the barrier and be able to take over Auradon.
Traveling to Auradon Preparatory School, the core four meet Ben and his girlfriend Audrey, the daughter of Princess Aurora. They also meet the Fairy Godmother, the school’s headmistress. Evie uses her mother’s pocket-sized compact magic mirror to locate the wand in a nearby museum, and Mal uses her mother’s spinning wheel from the museum to put a security guard to sleep, but they fail to recover the wand because a barrier blocks it and sets off a siren.
From there, the glowing excitement begins!
The Argyle Theatre kicks off this incredibly vibrant play with an explosion featuring a brightly colored set and a double dose of visual overload, blending song and dance with the above.
Not just a children’s play, and I must admit, this presentation will keep all members of the family interested. If you are a fan of robust dancing, you are in for a real treat.
At times, the performance extended beyond the stage, pairing brisk, energizing music with captivating choreography that had you stirring in
your seat, while performers moved through the aisles, bringing the experience even closer to the audience.
I have to point out that the director, Nikki Rinaudo-Concessi, must have had her hands full, as this was a rather large cast, and all the actors’ lines were on point and truly synchronized. Everyone was cast properly in their parts. Costumes were fitted properly as well, which adds to the thrill of the performance.
All in all, the dynamics of the remarkable recreation of this fast-moving Broadway play were truly one of my new favorites.
You will marvel at the show and the colorful way it is presented; I highly recommend it for both children and adults.
“Disney’s Descendants: The Musical” will be showing through June 7. The Argyle Theater is located at 34 West Main Street in Babylon Village. For tickets, showings, and other information, visit argyletheatre.com or call 844-631-5483. Group rates for parties of 15 or more are available. This production has been sponsored by Good Samaritan University Hospital.
Also at the Argyle through June 7: Long Island’s premiere of “The Prince of Egypt,” which takes you on a journey through the wonders of Ancient Egypt as Ramses and Moses, two young men raised together as brothers in a kingdom of privilege, find themselves suddenly divided by a secret past. One must rule as Pharaoh, the other must rise up and free his true people; both face a destiny that will change history forever. This production has been sponsored by East Neck Nursing & Rehabilitation Center.
