28 September 2017

Aladdin


Review by: Paul Towers, 19/8/17
Disney’s Aladdin
Alan Menken, Howard  Ashman, Tim Rice and Chad Beguelin
Prince Edward Theatre, London

“magical Disney”

When you go to see a Disney show there are several things you can be sure of; every penny spent will be visible on the stage. Disney does not skimp! Only the very best talent will appear and it will be family friendly. Aladdin delivers all of this and more. On top of the outstanding acting, singing and dancing there are unbelievable sets and lashings of magic.
Aladdin is not a pantomime but there are elements of panto in the show. The Genie frequently addresses the audience (very panto) and there is a boo-able villain (again very panto). The story is quite simple, a poor village boy, Aladdin, dreams of escaping his life of poverty. One day he espies the princess and falls in love, as you do. He know she won’t notice him but he dreams on until one day he is offered a way t make all his dreams come true. A magic lamp containing a genie. He rubs the lamp, the genie resolves his troubles and Aladdin gets his princess.
Huge sets miraculously appear and disappear as we see rooftop chases, enchanted caves and the Sultan’s palace.
As well as the expected songs from the original movie (A Whole New World, Arabian Nights and A Friend Like Me amongst others) there are a whole slew of new numbers. When it came to creating the character of the Genie Disney wisely kept the spirit of Robin Williams’ cartoon version and we have a very camp, OTT, hyperactive genie, Trevor Dion Nicholas, who gets most of the laughs and all of the audience affection. In the role of the archetypal villain, Jafar, Don Callagher quickly elicits the requisite booing every time he appears.
Of course, when it comes to magic, Disney is the master and this show is not short of illusions, the most impressive of which is the flying carpet. Even after a backstage tour I am still non the wiser as to how it is done.
Aladdin continues to play in London’s Prince Edward theatre for the foreseeable future

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