Aladdin Jr

Youthful exuberance ruled the stage in Watlington Young Players’ July production of Disney’s Aladdin Jr., with a cast aged 7 to 16 whisking sold-out houses back to the fabled city of Agrabah for 90 minutes of song, dance and heroes and villains.

Directed by Andy Prior, with musical direction by Mike Cooke, Aladdin Jr. was cast and put together over seven months, with the cast rehearsing once a week, and the results of the lengthy rehearsal period were clear in how the script and dance numbers were ingrained in the young performers’ memories.

It’s the story of Aladdin, a mischievous young man of the street with good instinct but the occasional bad behaviour who falls in love with the Princess Jasmine when the two have an encounter in the marketplace. Aladdin wants to make his late parents proud; the princess wants to make her own choices in life without help from her father, the Sultan.

Complicating the situation is Aladdin’s possession of a mysterious lamp, home of a genie, and the villain Jafar who wants the lamp for himself.

At the end, this being a fairy tale, Aladdin and Jasmine marry, the genie is set free from the lamp, and evil Jafar is imprisoned in the lamp.

Adding to the colourful action onstage were parades of characters through the audience and little side vignettes set against the primary scenes including sword play and a market transaction between two ensemble characters. There was a lot to watch, with all activity complementary to each other.

Within a seeming cast of thousands, a number of the youthful performers demonstrated skill and stage sense beyond their young years. Big, brassy and blue, Greg Aviss was an impressive Genie, confidently and tunefully belting his songs with panache and swagger, dancing with aplomb and firing off his one-liners with great comic timing. A solemn Jayden Cole exuded sinister charisma as Jafar, with Eleanor Chilvers his elfish assistant.

Philly Macfarlane was a bright-eyed, sympathetic Aladdin to Erin Elflett’s feisty Princess Jasmine, and the pair made the most of their musical numbers. They were supported well by the princess’s tuneful trio of attendants (Harriet Pooley, Anajulia Silva and Dulcie Garton) and Aladdin’s posse (Hannah Futter, Ellie Marshall and Madison Cole), all were fun to watch and hear. Played by Keira Leadbetter, the Sultan was an authoritative vision in orange.

The ensemble, all playing market sellers and vendors, beggars, guards and more, contributed deftly to the action, with some being quite skilled dancers. A woeful camel, uncredited in the programme, was a cute addition. And as Razoul, a sword-swinging lead guard, tiny Dylan Whiting was the fiercest of the fierce, certainly putting the fear of a scimitar in the heart of anyone he was pursuing.

Costumed beautifully and with seemingly rich fabrics suitable to the period and setting, the show also benefitted from some great props – a particular favourite was Jafar’s cobra-headed staff. The scenic team of Hugh Pearce and Richard Bennett added beautifully effective touches to the locations, with both set pieces onstage and wall projections that carefully crafted a sense of place.

Another nice touch that can’t go unmentioned: on the backs of the seats were posted coloured drawings of characters from the show and messages (such as “Enjoy the show”) that had been created by the youngest cast members under the guidance of Chris Lawrence. Apparently, she leads the little ones in activities while they’re waiting to rehearse so that boredom doesn’t set in. Every company that does shows with children needs a Chris Lawrence!

Congratulations to Watlington Young Players for a wonderful ‘whole new world’ of a production!

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