Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy’s Theatre Department presented Disney’s Descendants 09/16/22 - 09/18/22 in CHCA’s Lindner Theater. This entertaining story was directed by CHCA Director of Theatre Susan Jung, with Technical Direction by Jim Jung, Stage Management by junior Jake Kaesemeyer, and Choreography by Maria Huey and Susan Jung.

Based on the popular Disney Channel Original Movies, Disney's Descendants: The Musical is a brand-new show jam-packed with comedy, adventure, Disney characters, and hit songs from the Descendants films. Imprisoned on the Isle of the Lost – home of the most infamous villains who ever lived – the teen children of Maleficent, Grimhilde, Jafar, and Cruella De Vil have never ventured off the island… until now. When the four troublemakers are sent to attend prep school alongside the children of beloved Disney heroes, they have a difficult choice to make: should they follow in their parents’ wicked footsteps or learn to be good?

Playing the parts of the wicked parents were juniors Lauren Detling (Maleficent), Lainey Zurcher (Grimhilde), Tobi Aina (Jafar), and Ella Hansell (Cruella De Vil). All four were wickedly fun to watch - Zurcher with her dry wit and expression as the wicked queen, Detling captivating as the true villain of the story and fantastic belting solos, Hansell both charming and hilarious with her dalmatian sidekick, and Aina charismatic commanding the stage as the villain Jafar.

Juniors Lania Skinner (Mal), Natalie Hudepohl (Evie), Noah McRedmond (Jay), and sophomore Stephen Tait (Carlos) were a delight to watch on stage as they brought to life the descendants of these wicked parents. Hudepohl’s stage presence and vocals were a standout. Skinner was stunning as Maleficent’s daughter, portraying her anguish throughout the story as she struggled between good and evil. McRedmond’s energy was electric as he sang and danced his way through tense scenes, and Tait was hilarious and charming interacting with his fellow troublemakers.

Junior Clete Reinberger (Ben) was outstanding as the optimistic king soon to be crowned and able to see the good in everyone. Senior Carley Milette (Fairy Godmother) and junior Charleigh Wright (Jane) portrayed the parts of mother and daughter beautifully. Freshman Henry Cool was comical as a clueless Chad, while junior Joanna Williams was exceptional in portraying jealous Audrey. Also especially fun to watch was sophomore Wyatt Elma portraying the loveable Doug.

Always a highlight of CHCA’s Playbills are Director Susan Jung’s notes:

“I believe that all truth is God’s truth, and although on the surface this may feel like a cute Disney show, there is a deeper troubling and relevant message. There is danger in making our minds up about people and ourselves. The old story of good vs. evil is as old as creation, but we humans seem to be getting worse at understanding it. We assume that good looks one way and evil looks another. We assume that we are on the good side and those who don’t think like us are on the evil side. But the bigger story is the same one in this story: evil has been banished to another place, but there is one who seeks to offer redemption regardless of others’ opinions.”

CHCA’s Fine Arts Director Mona Summers shared, “Congratulations to our directors, cast, student and adult production teams, and all the parent volunteers. Disney’s Descendants was a fun show with over 60 students involved. It was great to have a full house all three shows, which makes it even more fun for our student performers.”

*The show is one of seven theatrical productions at Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy this year. Mark your calendars now to see these remaining CHCA productions: Willy Wonka KIDS (10/22/22-10/23/22), A Tale of Two Cities (11/18/22-11/20/22), The Wizard of Oz Youth Edition (01/13/23-01/15/23), The Music Man (03/10/23-03/12/23), Academy Night Live (04/21/23-04/22/23), and The One Act (05/10/23).

*Photos courtesy of Dan Ledbetter