By Ben Nielsen
The Disney Project offers an excuse to continue listening to the catchy tunes from the musicals you watched as a kid. Local singer/songwriter Max Garcia-Underwood, with a four piece band, puts a new spin on the most well known songs from a variety of Disney movies.
Heralding the opening of the show was the fanfare like African chant of The Circle of Life, followed by a selection of songs from Mulan, The Little Mermaid, Tarzan and an assortment of other movie musicals and television shows.
The musical arrangements were diverse and effective; the alteration of style, harmony and rhythmic feel at the heart of the reworked version. While all songs were as equally outstanding, the entertaining deconstruction of Cruella De Vil was a standout performance. The band feigned an attempt to find the most appropriate style for the new version, traversing various genres including reggae, hip-hop, and pop. The short skit was a showcase of the band’s versatility and fine musicianship, as well as Garcia-Underwood’s arranging and writing finesse.
Whether they played as the complete quartet or sometimes just a duo; the band exhibited a strong sense of ensemble and togetherness, producing a raw rock/pop sound. Lead singer, Max Garcia-Underwood easily impressed the audience with his vocal versatility, achieving different tone colours throughout a wide vocal range, as well as realising the appropriate characterisation of the song. It was unfortunate that the other musicians’ vocals were not as adequately showcased; partly due to balance issues.
Particularly during the beginning of the performance, various intonation and mispitching issues were apparent, but it was obvious that as the show progressed, the band members became more comfortable and at ease on the stage, and the quality of the performance improved.
Feedback and sound problems became more evident towards the end of the performance, and in what was perhaps a remedial effort, microphone volume was minimised. This was detrimental to the ensemble balance and most significantly, the audibility of the main vocals.
Despite these issues, The Disney Project is a must-see performance at the 2012 Fringe, showcasing the talents of an up-and-coming artist. If you are going to see the show, arrive early as seating is limited, and be prepared for a whole new world of Disney!
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