Aladdin
Senzel Ahmady as Jasmine and Adi Roy as Aladdin. Aladdin North American Tour. Photo by Deen van Meer © Disney
When the Genie brought out a stuffed baby Yoda (Grogu, I’ve been told he is named) from one of the baggy pockets of his Harem pants, it was clear that this telling of “Aladdin” was, shall we say, an update. Of course, the Genie, as was the case in both the 1992 animated film and 2019 live action version, seems to live in two worlds simultaneously — the ancient Arabia occupied by Aladdin and the modern world occupied by, well, us. Robin Williams’ acclaimed take on the character, for instance, incorporated impressions of Jack Nicholson and Arsenio Hall. It’s a schtick, but it keeps things fresh and funny for the audience.
It’s admittedly been a couple of decades since I’ve watched the animated version of the story — a film that garnered two Academy Award wins, including Best Original Song for the Tim Rice and Alan Menken-penned, “A Whole New World.” But I do recall the general premise. A young petty thief (Aladdin) with a good heart meets and falls in love with a rebellious princess (Jasmine). He then subsequently gets wrapped up in a royal advisor’s (Jafar) attempts at gaining power through the retrieval of a magical lamp. Things go awry, and Aladdin winds up with the lamp, which, when rubbed, unleashes a gregarious Genie who grants him three wishes. Aladdin, hoping to woe the unattainable Princess Jasmine, uses his first wish to become a prince and vows to use his last to set the Genie free from his cramped living quarters.
The musical is a take on the Middle Eastern folktale first published in “One Thousand and One Nights” — an ancient work of metafiction whose framing device is a queen staving off certain death from her leery and paranoid husband by telling him a story each night without a conclusion, forcing the king to postpone her execution. The following night, upon finishing the tale, she would begin another — this would continue for one thousand and one nights. “Aladdin” is one of the tales.
Like the versions you see on film, the stage production includes all of the musical numbers one should expect. The first act’s phenomenal and climactic number, “Friend Like Me,” which had me worried about the Nichalas L. Parker's (Genie) ability to catch his breath, and the magic carpet ride of “A Whole New World,” performed admirably by Adi Roy (Aladdin) and Nicole Lamb (Jasmine), were obvious highlights.
But there were many changes/surprises, too. Notably, there’s no pet monkey, Abu — who has now been replaced splendidly by three friends: Babkak, Omar, and Kassim. And the trio get one of the second act’s standout numbers, “High Adventure,” a song originally written for the film but deleted from the theatrical release.
Elsewhere, the magic carpet, while making an appearance in one of the musical’s pivotal numbers, unfortunately lacks the hilarious personification it possesses in the film — it’s now just a carpet that happens to be magical. And Iago, Jafar’s loyal sidekick who, in the film, was a parrot voiced by Gilbert Godfrey, has now taken on human form. The human, played by Aaron Choi, also has impeccable comedic timing and managed to elicit the most laughs from the audience.
Like most Disney musicals that have gotten the Broadway treatment, there’s a lot to enjoy about “Aladdin” — no matter your age or when you were first introduced to the story. The beautiful set design and dozens of smoke-and-mirror costume changes are all jaw dropping, and the performances — while perhaps not reaching the comedic heights of Robin Williams — are commendable and no doubt entertaining. There’s a reason the standing ovation began before the final number even concluded.
The musical will be playing at Bass Performance Hall through this Sunday, Feb. 4. For best availability and ticket information, email [email protected] or call 817-212-4400.
