It’s a whole new world for Aladdin, the princess and Ja’far, the misunderstood Royal Vizier. In the new Team Starkid musical, Twisted: The Untold Story of a Royal Vizier, theater audiences experience a retelling of Aladdin from the villain’s perspective. (What a wicked-ly cool idea.) After a sold-out run in Chicago, the show comes to New York’s 54 Below for two performances on March 17. In honor of Twisted, BroadwayBox looks at 10 other villains whose perspective deserves to be heard.
10. Queen Aggravain, Once Upon a Mattress
Queen Aggravain's husband the King doesn’t speak a word to her, but that doesn’t stop him from undermining her and running around with different ladies of the court. Also, her son is a dud who marries some swamp woman.
9. Lord Farquaad, Shrek
This tiny Shrek villain's father was Grumpy (that angry dwarf). And who knows? Maybe Farquaad dreamed of playing pro-basketball.
8. Elsa Schrader, The Sound of Music
This beautiful baroness was going to marry a decorated naval captain without a prenup, move to his villa and become a stepmother to seven children, who were all under the age of 17. That is until the captain ran away with a singing nun.
7. Velma Von Tussle, Hairspray
It must have been difficult for Velma to peak early as Miss Baltimore Crabs, bury a husband so young and then see that high-pitched Tracy Turnblad steal her daughter’s man and her daughter's spotlight.
6. Gaston, Beauty and the Beast
He’s the village’s most handsome and eligible bachelor, and he is saving himself for the town’s smartest and prettiest girl…only she has eyes for this bear/human/lion hybrid living in a castle with talking knickknacks.
5. Miss Trunchbull, Matilda
It's a tale as old as time: The Trunchbull's post-Olympic endorsement deal fell through and soon her life spiraled out of control.
4. Chino, West Side Story
Poor Chino think he’s marrying the boss’ kid sister, the beautiful young Maria. Except the floozy falls for some stranger she makes eyes at across the gym, invites him onto her fire escape and then he kills her big brother. Darn right Chino's taking revenge.
3. Ursula, The Little Mermaid
She’s banished royalty trying to help poor unfortunate souls—doing under the sea charity. And she’s not asking much, just a token really, a trifle.
2. Javert, Les Miserables
1. Miss Hannigan, Annie
Aggie is a lovelorn spinster living through the Great Depression; her brother is a con-artist; she’s developed an expensive drinking problem; and her Irish mother polluted her mind and mislead her with dreams of Easy Street.
Twisted: The Untold Story of a Royal Vizier features a score by The Book of Mormon’s A.J. Holmes and Kaley McMahon and a book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang and Eric Kahn Gale. The cast includes Holmes as the titular royal vizier, Andrea Ross, Holly Grossman, Rebecca Spigelman, George Salazar, and StarKid veterans Tyler Brunsman and Jeff Blim, who appeared in the Chicago production and will reprise his role as Aladdin. Rob Schneider directs.
