Disney’s Aladdin: Adding Magic to Broadway
The Tony awards took place earlier this week. Coincidentally, I attended a traveling production of Disney’s Aladdin on the same day. It was my first Broadway show in a few years, so I was excited. That’s an understatement. I was in the theater though, where etiquette still demands some level of restraint, so I reluctantly complied. At least until the final curtain. I didn’t win a Tony award that day, but I still felt like a winner. You can too. Disney’s Aladdin rewards its guests from beginning to end.
The original stage production of Disney’s Aladdin opened on Broadway in March of 2014. Like so many other shows, it had previously debuted outside of New York and worked it’s way through various venues before hitting the main stage. It was nominated for five Tony awards that year and won one for best actor in a musical. Rightfully so, at least in my opinion. It’s been delighting guests and spreading Disney magic around the country ever since.
The list of positive attributes for this show is a mile long. For the sake of time, I’ll limit it to five. Here are five reasons to love Disney’s Aladdin.
Pop Culture
The animated version of Disney’s Aladdin is full of pop culture references delivered in an upbeat and somewhat goofy manner. It’s part of what made the film unique to the Disney collection when it was released in 1992. Several other films followed suit, most notably Hercules in 1997 and The Emperor’s New Groove in 2000.
In the stage version in 2018, the silly quips and cheesy puns are still in place and delightfully updated to suit the times. The cast even customizes a few lines to complement the geographic location of the performance. I enjoyed the silly references to Middle Eastern specialties (hummus, falafel, etc.) as well as the medley of popular tunes from other Disney films. Tons of other moments are designed to make you laugh. In fact, the dialogue is so full of smoothly delivered one liners I’m pretty sure some of them flew right over my head like Aladdin’s magic carpet.
Not that I mind. I caught enough of the jokes to keep me smiling and missed enough to consider downloading the soundtrack. (well played Disney marketing!)
Sets
Wow. Where to start with this one? There were so many different stage configurations I kind of wish I had kept count from the beginning. Were there fifteen? Twenty? Who knows? Any concerns I had about translating the animated classic into a believable live theater version were gone within the first few (seamless) transitions.
You’ll see a crowded marketplace, sprawling palace and flying carpet, of course. There are also deserts, dungeons and rooftop hideouts. My favorite was probably the scene in which Aladdin enters the magical Cave of Wonders to retreat the famous lamp. It was creative and impressive to put it mildly, and executed so effortlessly you weren’t even asked to suspend your belief for a moment while the stage crew worked their magic. The video screens were kept to a minimum too, which is a plus in my opinion.
Music – Old and New
I suppose it’s a given that the music should steal the show at, um.. a musical. Aladdin fulfills this expectation plus some. All of the original works from the animated version written by Alan Menkin, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice are still beautifully intact. Friend Like Me still shines like the original, although it’s elaborately expanded and carefully modified to suit the stage setting. The second act opens with a grand Prince Ali and a beautiful version of A Whole New World that will make your inner-child smile. (And possibly consider rigging some kind of flying carpet of your own when you get home?)
These classic songs are woven together with a significant number of new ones too. Three of the additional songs such as Proud of Your Boy are original works that were cut from the animated version in the early 1990s. It’s a beautiful tribute and rare treat to enjoy the thoughtful lyrics of Howard Ashman so many years after his untimely death. Proud of Your Boy is particularly sweet because it emphasizes letting go of past mistakes and striving for our full potential, whatever the circumstances.
Photo by Deen Van Meer from Aladdinthemusical.com
Storyline updates
The basic components of the story remain the same from the animated version. It’s not giving anything away to state that Aladdin finds a lamp, meets the Genie and uses his three wishes to help him win the heart of Princess Jasmine.
From there, the play takes some liberties. Jafar’s nasty side-kick parrot, named Iago, is now human. Jasmine’s pet tiger Rajah is also missing from the show in favor of three singing hand maidens. Aladdin’s loyal monkey, Abu, is replaced with three comical friends. These character updates are enough to make the storyline feel fresh, without upsetting the Disney loyal. In fact, replacing Abu with Babcock, Omar and Kasim actually reverses the decision to drop these characters from the original animated version. It also provided the opportunity to use Howard Ashman’s lyrics for a song entitled Babcock, Omar, Aladdin and Kasim that he wrote decades ago to support the original storyline.
I was a little surprised by the diminished size of Jafar’s role in the stage production. His climactic moment in the second act felt a little rushed to me, but perhaps I was just getting sad that the show was almost over. He’s still a villain, but not on the same devilish scale as the one portrayed in the film. He’s much more comical on the stage and therefore a treat to watch.
Genie
Speaking of a treat to watch, you can’t mention Aladdin without mentioning the Genie. As the Playbill design suggests above, the show is entitled “Aladdin” but it’s really the Genie that steals the show. For the traveling production of Aladdin, the Genie is charmingly portrayed by Michael James Scott, Korie Lee Blossey and Ellis C Dawson III. All of them deliver a big, bold over-the-top portrayal of the Genie that pays homage to Robin William’s version with an updated and expanded flair. It’s great fun and the perfect complement to the rest of the magical show. You can check out a sample of Friend Like Me at this link to the show’s website.
Whew. I promised five aspects, so I’ll stop there. I could easily go on for another five minutes on just the sparkly outfits alone, but I’ll practice my sophisticated theater restraint once more. In short, Disney’s Aladdin is a treat. If you get an opportunity to see it at a city near you I highly recommend doing so. You’ll smile, laugh and maybe even sing along a few bars (silently in your head of course…).
It’s a lovely way to add a little Disney magic to your (whole new) world.