The New Minowa Players will present Disney’s “Descendants: The Musical” in January.
Based on the popular Disney Channel movies, the musical is packed with comedy, adventure, hit songs from the films, and a slew of Disney characters, both good and evil.
Imagine bringing together some of the kindest Disney characters, including Belle from “Beauty and the Beast,”
with some of the worst villains, including Cruella de Vil from “101 Dalmations” and Jafar from “Aladdin.” The
stage is set for a battle between good and evil.
The show will be performed at the New Minowa Players theater at 906 S. Mill Street in Decorah, and there will be plenty of opportunities to see it at least once. Evening performances will be at 7 p.m. on Jan. 18, 19, 20, 26, and 27, and matinees will be at 2 p.m. on Jan. 21 and 27.
The basic premise of the story is this: All of Disney’s favorite heroes and heroines are living in peace in the
kingdom of Auradon. The villains have been banished to Isle of the Lost, and they no longer have their magic or their powers. Ben, the son of Queen Belle and King Beast, is about to be crowned king of Auradon when he comes up with an idea. Why not invite some of the troubled offspring of the wicked villains to go to prep school in Auradon? Maybe they will learn new ways when surrounded by the children of heroes and heroines. The four teenagers are Mal, the daughter of Maleficent; Evie, the daughter of the evil Queen Grimhilde; Jay, the son of Jafar; and Carlos, the son of Cruella de Vil. The troubled teens arrive with a plan and a plot, but soon they have a difficult choice to make. Should they follow in their parents’ wicked footsteps or learn to be good?
Sheryl Scheffert, the show’s director, is collaborating with Mike Ellingsen as music director and David Mendez as choreographer.
Scheffert recently released the cast list for the show, noting that the response to the audition call
was overwhelming:
Isle of the Lost
Mal – Indigo Fish
Evie – Becca Kane
Jay – Ezra Harman-Wood
Carlos – Emma Cline
Maleficent – Karen Esterl
Grimhilde – Kelly Johnson
Jafar – Rick Scheffert
Cruella de Vil – Molly Holkesvik
Auradon
Ben – Lucas Hanson
King Beast – Martin Peña-Rodriguez
Queen Belle – Miranda McGrath
Fairy Godmother – Melanie Folkerts
Jane – Kaya Johnson
Chad – Caleb Johnson
Audrey – Bethany Hanson
Doug – To be determined
Royal Pages – Harper Menke and Nessa Kane
Royal Guard – Patrick Gallagher
Coach – Martin Ahrndt
Snow White – Elliana Brodbeck
Ensemble – Xavier Ahrndt, Olivia Blake, Rachel Johnson, Nessa Kane, Earland Lienan, Lailyn McGrath, Harper Menke, Justice Nelson, Jillian Volz, and Autumn Wagner
The script for Disney’s “Descendants: The Musical” was written by Nick Blaemire, with music adaptation and vocal arrangement by Madeline Smith, additional lyrics by Nick Blaemire, and orchestration and music
production by Matthew Tishler.
Disney’s “Descendants: The Musical” is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International.
Submit A Comment
Fill out the form to submit a comment. All comments require approval by our staff before it is displayed on the website.