'Disenchanted!' deliciously disses princesses in sketches, songs

Ads for the musical comedy revue “Disenchanted!” feature the names of fairy-tale princesses scrawled on a big red apple, but don't assume for a second that this 2014 off-Broadway show is for tiara-loving tots. If the MPAA were classifying it, “Disenchanted!” would barely squeak by with a PG-13 rating.

That's not a bad thing, though. “Disenchanted!” is essentially a 95-minute distillation of cultural criticism lobbed at Disney's animated film princesses. Rather than a series of dry critical essays, “Disenchanted!” shows how funny raw feminism can be via smart songs and naughty comedy sketches.

Written and composed by Dennis T. Giacino, the show becomes a proud example that men can also be feminists. More often than not, Giacino is on-target in musicalizing gripes against Disney by the likes of overly analytical academics to parents annoyed by too much princess merchandise filling their homes.

“Disenchanted!” begins with the first three Disney princesses - Snow White (Merritt Crews), Cinderella (Madison Hayes-Crook) and Sleeping Beauty (Daniella Richards) - countering their typically demure persona to lay out the show's premise. From there, each princess gets to critically highlight how they've been depicted or what they culturally represent.

The mainly Canadian cast gets quite a workout in director Christopher Bond's fast-paced touring production. For instance, Miriam Drysdale plays the Little Mermaid as a trashy country singer who gives up everything for her man and a German dominatrix Rapunzel upset about cultural and financial appropriation of her Grimm Brothers' origins. Too bad that Drysdale is stuck with one of the weaker numbers showing Belle from “Beauty and the Beast” being driven crazy by talking furniture and cutlery.

Ann Paula Bautista gets the best costume gag involving a flying carpet (courtesy of designer Vanessa Leuck), attached at waist level, in a sendup of “Aladdin.” Bautista also drives home more of the pointed historical controversies involving Hua Mulan and Pocahontas.

Uche Ama sings the celebratory number “Finally,” pointing out how long it took for Disney to create an African-American heroine. Unfortunately, “Disenchanted!” itself embodies the delay by waiting until the show is more than half over to add Ama to the hardworking ensemble.

“Disenchanted!” is certainly not for kids. But by bringing up topics involving body image and other issues tied to “the princess complex,” the show could kick-start a dialogue between parents and teens - as long as they leave their little sisters at home.