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Aladdin The Musical

Hi Guys


So this week I saw the Aladdin musical which has come to London’s West End taking up residence in the Prince Edward Theatre. I love Aladdin as a Disney film it has to be my favourite, the music is amazing. So it’s very intriguing how this was going to translate onto stage because it was either going to be very successful or very bad. I was apprehensive going into it because it is my favourite Disney film and sometimes directors change things and they don’t work or the actors are not to the standard of the characters. I can honestly say that this is the BEST show I have ever seen, it instantly became my favourite musical above the likes of Wicked and Les Miserables.

As soon as Arabian Nights started I wanted to cry with happiness because I was seeing my favourite Disney film on stage in front of me. There are many changes they have made from the film such as no animals so instead Aladdin and Jasmine get given three friends which works wonderfully. There’s a few additional songs in the show which were written by the guy who wrote all the original Aladdin music so they fitted into it all seamlessly. There is a slight story tweak during the musical but nothing that makes a drastic difference and there is a bit more of a story to it which there is not much of in the film.

I think all the main characters were really good, the star of the show was the Genie he was loud, dramatic and funny he’s played by Trevor Nelson who was Genie in the Broadway version of the show which just show how highly thought he is to be asked to make the trip across the pond. He cuts through the fourth wall and talks directly to the audience and goes on tangents. He can also sing and dance incredibly, his version of a Friend Like Me got a standing ovation which I have never seen happen for one individual song in a show before. Dean John Wilson who plays Aladdin was amazing his voice, dancing and acting was phenomenal he really suited the role of Aladdin and I hope he enjoys it. I do not know how he managed to keep a straight face during the scenes with the Genie and the amount of comedic value there was. However, I did notice the tiny hitch in One Jump Ahead (Sorry!) but it was fine and was rescued very well but I fell in love with him as Aladdin. Jade Ewan as Jasmine is beautiful she really the encompasses the character as Jasmine and her connection with Aladdin was lovely. Her singing and acting was also fantastic. The additional characters of Aladdin’s three best friends Babkak, Omar and Kasim really adds a comedy value and shows the real value friendship. Jafar was a good bad guy along with the guy who played Iago who was very funny and the relationship between Jafar and Iago was brilliant. There is less of the Sultan in this compared to the in the film but it worked well and the Sultan was portrayed perfectly.

As well as the acting there was the music which was just unbelievable, A Whole New World in particular was absolutely beautiful it made me cry and I have watched Les Mis which didn’t make me cry. It was magic on a stage and blew my mind, when it started there was an audible gasp from the audience in amazement, again something I have never experienced in a theatre. The set was stunning and there was always so much going on during the show the best ones in my opinion were for Cave of Wonders, A Whole New World and the finale. The costumes were works of art and the costume changes were phenomenal and exactly how you would picture each character to look. It was such a full on show always keeping you absorbed into what was happening on the stage. I would highly recommend seeing this show especially if you love Aladdin but do not go with presumptions that it is going to be a carbon copy of the film because it is not. It is an amazing portrayal of the film and seriously go and see it because you will not be disappointed. I hope on Tuesday night the cast realised how much of a good show they put on because it was truly phenomenal.

5/5 stars 100% I already want to go and see it again and I am very glad they extended the booking for it until February next year.
Hope you enjoyed reading this, until next time
Stacey

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