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Most people are probably familiar with Disney’s animated classic Aladdin, probably due to the bravura voice performance of Robin Williams as the Genie. Of course, 2019 also saw the release of a live-action version of the film with Will Smith as Genie. And even more people may know that Disney brought Aladdin to the Broadway stage in 2011 and was nominated for five Tony Awards, winning one for Kames Monroe Iglehart’s performance as Genie (he also won the Drama Desk Award in the same Featured Actor in a Musical category). In 2017, a nation tour began with a three-month run in Chicago. As the tour continues, Aladdin has made a stop at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre through December 1.
The story is the same as the movie: street urchin Aladdin bumps into a beautiful woman in the market and learns she’s the princess of Agrabah. Princess Jasmine wants nothing more than to be an independent woman and not just a daughter forced into a marriage by her sultan father but, by law, she must marry a prince so that leaves Aladdin out of the equation no matter how much they like each other. Enter the sultan’s vizier Jafar, a schemer who sees himself next in line to the throne. Needing a magic lamp from a cave that only the ‘Diamond in the Rough’ can enter, Jafar learns Aladdin is the diamond and enlists his services. He finds the lamp but touches a necklace which seals the cave as he was told to touch nothing else. Trying to read something on the lamp, Aladdin rubs it and out pops the Genie, ready to grant him three wishes. After tricking Genie into getting them out of the cave, Aladdin wishes to be a prince so he can marry Jasmine but you should always be careful what you wish for.
I don’t have words adequate to describe the pure spectacle that is Aladdin. If I had a genie who could give me three wishes for what I want in a Broadway musical, I’d wish for massive sets, many colorful costumes, and a cast that is truly enjoying what they do. All three of those wishes have been granted with Aladdin. The scenic design by Bob Crowley is amazing, from the busy marketplace to Aladdin’s rooftop hideout, to the palace to the golden cave. Each new set has its own wow factor but the cave is pretty amazing, all golden and shiny. And the equally spectacular lighting design by Natasha Katz also augments the sets with 111 moving lights and 173 conventional lights. If you want a show with a real wow factor, this is it.
And speaking of wow, the costumes designed by Gregg Barnes are sumptuous with 337 costumes based on 161 designs and 161 custom made shoes. The costumes feature 2,039 fabrics and trims from Morocco, Turkey, India, Uzbekistan, China, Japan, Mexico, England and more and they all look expensive and well-made. Disney did not let the production skimp on the costumes, or the sets, or the lights, or the sound design which is also perfection. This is one of the most technically perfect shows I’ve ever seen and being able to see everything from the fourth row made it all the more impressive. Nothing looked like a cheap costume with the heavy brocades and bejeweled garments, headdresses and jewelry. No expense was spared.
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And the cast, the wonderful cast. The show opens right off the bat with Korie Lee Blossey’s Genie breaking the fourth wall to directly address the audience and assuring us we’ll see him again. Of course we will. And when Aladdin releases Genie from the lamp, Blossey makes an entrance, that’s all I can say. Blossey has a great voice and even better comic timing and, even though the show has been around now for eight years, Genie is able to make plenty of references for today’s audiences. He just oozes with ebullience and has a great time with every joke and every song he gets to perform, including the classic ‘Friend Like Me’.
Jonah Ho’Okano is a lovable Aladdin. The character is a street rat but he’s got a heart of gold, always wanting to do his parents proud (as with a lot of Disney characters, Aladdin’s parents seem to be dead). Ho’Okano has a fantastic voice that is beautifully displayed in the ‘Proud of Your Boy’ number and he sings it from the heart. It’s not hard to see why Jasmine falls for this kid even though she’s way out of his league. Of course, it’s easy to see why Aladdin falls for Jasmine too. Kaenaonālani Kekoa, who bears a striking resemblance to Constance Wu, is simply lovely and she is a modern Disney princess who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to say so. And that included turning away all of the suitors her father has lined up for her. And when she and Ho’Okano sing the classic ‘A Whole New World’ it’s just pure magic.
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Now if you know the movies, you know Aladdin has a monkey friend named Abu. Director Casey Nicholaw said he would do the show only if he didn’t have to have puppets, meaning Abu and the tiger Rajah are not in the show. But, Abu was actually a late addition to the movie, replacing Aladdin’s three human friends: Kassim, Omar and Babkak, here played by Colt Prattes, Ben Chavez and Zach Bencal respectively. And you know what? I didn’t miss Abu (but there is a visual reference to the little guy at one point). Each of the actors gives their character a personality of their own with Kassim the more level-headed leader of the group, Omar the neurotic one, and Babkak the one who delivers all the droll one-liners … and always hears food being mentioned. One of the jokes had someone say something about ‘hum us a song’ and Babkak’s reply is ‘did someone say hummus?’ There were many jokes like that and Bencal sold every single one of them. Prattes is very dashing, very physical and has a great voice (and in person he’s a really, really cool guy … be sure to check out our interview with Prattes). Nicholaw wisely incorporated these characters back into the show and puts them all to good use.
Patrick R. Brown is appropriately evil as Jafar, but not so bad that you hate him. He brought a lot of a Vincent Price vibe to the role and I really enjoyed his performance. And he has to be a strong presence onstage as he’s always accompanied by his sidekick Iago (who was a parrot in the movie). Reggie De Leon steals every scene he’s in and makes the most of reminding us that he’s playing a human version of a parrot. He really is hysterical and as far as scene stealing goes, put him and Bencal together and it would be a fight to the death to see who could run away with all the scenery. But their performances are enhanced by the witty writing which follows the Disney movie but is full of jokes, one-liners and more puns than you can shake a stick at. If you don’t smile through this entire show, you must be dead.
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When I see a musical, I always like to watch the ensemble as well as the main cast because if they just appear to be going through the motions, it can bring down the whole show. Aladdin‘s ensemble is not phoning it in. Everyone always has a smile, everyone always has some business to do whether interacting with others (although on occasion I could here some of them speaking in the market scene even without microphones on that was a tiny bit distracting) or just moving themselves or props around the stage. Everyone is engaged completely and there really isn’t a way they could not be considering all of the costume changes they go through from scene to scene. And that included the Act II opening number ‘Prince Ali’ which is depicting a parade of people leading the disguised Aladdin into Agrabah. I don’t know how many times the ensemble changed costume during the number but it was mind-blowing how one group would exit as another entered and only a few moments later would enter again as the next group left but in completely different costumes. This is some real Disney magic at work (and Aladdin has a costume change onstage but out of sight, and Jafar’s black robes and turban changes to different colors two times right before our eyes. It is amazing.
And I can’t speak of amazing without mentioning the magic carpet. Yeah, there are no monkeys or tigers or parrots, oh my, but there is a flying carpet and the effect is just mind-boggling as Aladdin and Jasmine fly around the stage in the starry night sky with a giant full moon behind them. Back and forth, up and down, spinning around … if you want pure stage magic, this is it right here. And you might thing, oh they’re flying around against a dark background to hide something. Well, there’s nothing below them because the stars are never blocked. So it must be wires. Okay, then explain how the carpet flies away at the end of the show in full daylight. To paraphrase the old Superman: The Movie tagline: ‘You will believe a carpet can fly.’ There are a lot of magical illusions that occur onstage, but this is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen before my very eyes. And I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.
So, as you can tell, I really didn’t like Aladdin. JK. Aladdin is one of the most entertaining, eye-popping, extravagant, amazing and happiest shows I’ve ever seen, and if the Genie would grant me one more wish, it would to see the show again. And again. I don’t think I’d ever get tired of seeing Aladdin. So don’t miss the opportunity if the show comes to your town!
Aladdin runs through December 1 at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre. Other cities on the schedule include East Lansing MI, Tampa FL, Fort Lauderdale FL, Orlando FL, Greenville SC, Memphis TN, Austin TX, San Antonio TX and Kansas City MO, with more to come. Visit the official Aladdin website for more information.
Aladdin on tour
Disney Theatrical Productions
Check our Ticketmaster link for ticket availability.
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