Aladin on broadway review8/15/2023 ![]() World premiere Aladdin lands at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre Seattle’s daily paper, The Seattle Times, the city weekly The Stranger, and the industry newspaper Variety have all published reviews.Īmong the critics’ thoughts on the show are: The production team includes set designer Anna Louizos, costume designer Gregg Barnes, lighting designer Natasha Katz, dance arranger Glen Kelly, and musical supervisor Michael Kosarin. In addition, the show restores a trio of characters originally conceived by the film’s creators: Omar, Babkak, and Kassim, played by Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Brian Gonzales, and Brandon O’Neill, respectively. Griffin as the Sultan, and Don Darryl Rivera as Iago. The company features Tony Award nominee Jonathan Freeman, who voiced the character of the evil royal vizier Jafar in the film, in the same role on stage, as well as Adam Jacobs as Aladdin, Courtney Reed as Jasmine, James Monroe Iglehart as the Genie, Seán G. It tells the story of a resourceful young man who dares to woo a princess with the help of an all-powerful Genie. Directed by Casey Nicholaw, the production will continue through July 31.Īladdin, inspired by Arabian folktales and the famous One Thousand and One Nights, has a score by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and book and additional lyrics by Chad Begulin. Tickets: $45-$241 (subject to change) 88, new live stage musical version of Aladdin has officially opened at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre. Running time: Two hours and 30 minutes, one intermission Where: Orpheum Theatre, 1192 Market St., San Francisco It may be bad form to expect depth from a fairy tale but a little more texture in the score and the book might have made “Aladdin” glow on the inside as well as the outside.īy Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Chad Beguelin, based on the Disney film, presented by Disney Theatrical Productions and SHN When you hear nods to “Beauty” it reminds you how much catchier those tunes were. Only “A Whole New World” is at all memorable. ![]() Get it from the Apple app store or the Google Play store.Īs in “Something’s Rotten!,” Nicholaw has a knack for in-jokes that wink and nod to everything from “Beauty and the Beast” to “The Price is Right.” These kitschy asides keep spirits bright through some saggy patches, including the endless entourage antics, the cliche evil villain sequences and an unnecessary detour into “Dancing with the Scimitar.”Īnd yet, the first act stretches on too long, given the thinness of the score (music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Beguelin). Reading this on your phone? Stay up to date with our free mobile app. Along the way there’s a Vegas headliner-style Genie (the shamelessly hammy Anthony Murphy), a desperate to suck-up minion named Iago (Reggie De Leon) and a treasure chest full of gorgeous harem haute couture (designed by Gregg Barnes). And it’s a nicely orchestrated rug ride amid a star-filled night sky at that. Together these crazy kids battle the plans of the dastardly Jafar (Jonathan Weir, coming across as a snide sort of Uncle Scar in human form), match wits with supernatural forces and ride the magic carpet to a happy ending. If this critic had three wishes, one would be that they’d paid as much attention to detail with the characters (book by Chad Beguelin) as with the sets and costumes. ![]() ![]() But despite the genuine charisma between these two actors, the unfolding of their romance feels a bit pat. The actor, who originated the role on Broadway, makes a suitably dashing Aladdin (his BFFs call him Ali), the bare-chested street urchin destined for greatness, and Isabelle McCalla makes the pampered Princess Jasmine appropriately sweet and sassy. Like our Facebook page for more conversation and news coverage from San Jose, the Bay Area and beyond.īob Crowley’s richly adorned set design, from the sun-drenched marketplace to the bedazzling cave of wonders, often upstages the performers such, including the fresh-faced Bay Area native Adam Jacobs in the title role. But it’s hard to lure the genie from the bottle with this cookie-cutter fable and its formulaic plot - based on the hit animated film - an amiable but forgettable score and generic performances. Make no mistake, this is a visually ravishing feast of swirling silks, shining sequins and high-flying knife-eaters, choreographed within an inch of its life by Casey Nicholaw (“The Book of Mormon”) who also directs. ![]() Disney really put the magic touches on the eye-popping “The Lion King” but it can’t quite recapture that enchantment in the far less mesmerizing “Aladdin.” ![]()
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