Aladdin the Musical Flies Into Sydney

Friend Like Me

Much to the delight of capacity audiences Aladdin the Musical has opened in Sydney.

This is the 2014 Disney Broadway production based on the 1992 animated Disney Aladdin movie that featured the voice of Robin Williams as the Genie. This is a spectacular musical comedy suitable for all ages. It is full of adventure, comedy, romance, illusion, song and dance.

The standout star of the show isn't one of the lead or minor characters, but the magical flying carpet that makes two amazing appearances. The first time it appears on a star-studded evening scene. The second time the stage is fully lit. This is very clever stagecraft, as on both occasions I couldn't work out how the carpet appeared to fly midair. (Someone more clueier than me can contact me and let me know how it is done!)

All the members of the cast for Aladdin are wonderful. The larger than life Genie is played in spectacular fashion by Michael James Scott, who also played the Genie in the original Broadway production. He isn't blue, but his costumes are in keeping with the blueness of the movie Genie.

Aladdin and Jasmine Together

The commoner Aladdin is played charmingly by Ainsley Melham. His three mates Kasmin, Babkak and Omar get up to all sorts of mischief and are played by Adam-Jon Fiorentino, Troy Sussman and Robert Tripolino.

The Princess Jasmine is played by the delightful Arielle Jacobs. Her father, the well meaning but stickler to rules Sultan, is played by George Henare.

The baddy Afar, played by Adam Murphy, is aided by the comical Iago, played by Ajin Abella. The contrasting characters bounce their lines off each other well.

The ensemble are a group of 25 very talented singers and dancers who take on various roles throughout the musical. They are very enthusiast and vibrant during their many stage appearances and are the masters of quick costume changes.

Apart from all the actors who appear on the stage, the creative team who bring the production alive on stage deserve a special mention. There are a whole host of talented people working away from the spotlights on stage, to make Aladdin the entertaining musical comedy success it is.

Alan Menkin provided the music, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice the lyrics, Chad Beguelin the book and Lyrics.

Aladdin has all the well known songs from the movie, plus an additional seven new ones included to enrich the story. The spot-on singing is accompanied by a live orchestra hidden under the stage, with just the head of the conductor popping up in view.

The choreographer and director of Aladdin is Casey Nicholaw. The various forms of dancing, including chorus line tap dancing, liven up each of the scenes in Aladdin. The cast members must be exhausted after each show with all the energy given out.

Arabian Nights

The more than 300 incredibly colourful costumes used in the show were made in Australia. Designed by Greg Barnes, they are stunning, using lots of shimmering and sequinned material. They will be surely nominated for next years Helpmann Award for the best costumes in a theatre production. The Australian costume supervisor, Janet Hine, and her wardrobe assistants, millinery team and dressers are to be congratulated for the colourful creations. Then there are the make-up and hair designers who work their magic on the cast.

The sets for each of the scenes in Aladdin, designed by Bob Crowley, are spectacular, especially the golden glistening Aladdin's cave. The sand dunes and Agrabah are brought to life as an exotic place in a far far away mystical Middle Eastern land. Elaborate geometrical patterns are used in the set based on Middle eastern tiles, rugs, textiles, plants and architecture. They are the perfect backdrop for all the acting and dancing in Aladdin.

The spectacular lighting, designed by Natasha Katz and Gavan Smith, uses lots of hot tropical shades of lights on the colourful sets. The heat of the midday desert sun and the coolness of the evening help create the mood of the different scenes. The back-lit silk drops, pendant votive lights, strobe lights and other special lighting effects make Aladdin a dazzling delight to see.

Aladdin and the Lamp

Jim Steinmeyer and Jeremy Chernick are responsible for designing the many illusions and special effects used in Aladdin. These included magic tricks and pyrotechnics used throughout Aladdin to make every minute of the show so special that you do not want to blink in case you miss out on something magical.

Aladdin the Musical is a magical 2 hours 35 minutes piece of theatre to see. The singing, dancing and comedy make it a pure delight to experience. It is a fun show full of joy and magic. The movie Aladdin is good, but Aladdin the Musical live on stage is even better. Make sure you get along to see one of the matinee or evening performances before Aladdin's magic carpet flies away for the last time.

Aladdin the Musical -  Now Playing In Sydney!

Venue: Capitol Theatre, 17 Campbell Street, Sydney
BOOK IN PERSON: Tickets can be purchased in person at the Capitol Theatre Box Office, Monday to Friday 9:00am to 5:00pm
BOOK ONLINE: Tickets can be made online through Ticketmaster or by calling 1300 558 878
VISIT TICKETMASTER
GROUP BOOKINGS: available to groups of 20 or more. Discounts apply to selected performances. Call (02) 8240 2290 or email.