Aladdin JR

Disney’s Aladdin JR is based on the 1992 Academy Award-winning film and the 2014 hit Broadway show with music by Alan Mencken and Lyrics by Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Chad Beguelin who also wrote the Book. It tells the story of Aladdin, a kind but wily street urchin, who falls in love with Princess Jasmine but her father, The Sultan, has declared that Princess Jasmine must choose a husband by the next moon. Meanwhile, Aladdin is instructed to find a lamp and with the help of the Genie of the Lamp he introduces himself as a weathly suitor, Prince Ali of Ababwa. However, royal advisor Jafar also has his sights set on the kingdom and tries to convince the Sultan to force Jasmine to marry him. Will love conquer all? Perhaps - with a little help from a Genie!

Before the main event we were treated, and what a treat it was, to a selection of songs, both solo and ensemble items, which were all exquisitely sung by the very talented senior members of the group.

The opening number, ‘Arabian Nights’ was extremely well delivered by the brightly dressed ensemble and it introduced us to Aladdin and his penniless pals. It was so well sung and danced it really set the scene for what was to come. Aladdin was accused of stealing a loaf of bread causing the palace guards to chase after him and in ‘One Jump Ahead’ there really was a ‘jump’ as Aladdin and his pals literally leapt off the front of the stage and were hidden behind a screen of black boards - very realistic. As Aladdin, Dylan Ciceron was absolutely outstanding, what a talented young man he is. He has it all - he can superbly sing, act and dance and his moving rendition of ‘Proud of Your Boy’ was just sublime. I cannot praise him enough - what a terrific performance he gave. Cara Petrillo was delightful as Princess Jasmine she portrayed the feistiness of the character wonderfully, her singing was as expressive as was her acting and there was a lovely chemistry between the two of them. Another excellent portrayal came from Eddie Waller as the Genie. He is so charismatic, such a natural actor and has a great flair for comedy. His antics were just brilliant as was his singing of ‘Friend Like Me’ - he was just amazingly ‘magical’. What a cheeky chappie David Hunt seems to be and he quite wonderfully brought this side of his own character to the role of Jafar. He was loyal but at the same time very power-hungry and for someone in such a ‘grand’ position he managed to be so forcefully impressive, even though he was far from ‘grand’ in stature! Jafar’s ‘sidekick’, Iago, was perfectly and amusingly played by Star Keen and Antony Wood was convincing as the warm-hearted Sultan, father of Jasmine. Ruby Randle as Babkak, Olivia Thorne as Kassim and Leah Ringrose Wickes as Omar were the three loyal and playful pals of Aladdin and they were just that. They were a great trio and could both sing and act splendidly. Equally as good were Katy Ann Owens as Manal, Isabella Whitworth as Rajah and Madeleine Donovan as Isir, the devoted attendants to Princess Jasmine. Leighten Henden definitely commanded the stage as Razoul the head of the palace guards and good support came from Eve Hunt and Zara Ward as his two guards (they were also part of the Ensemble) and also from Josh Lewis as Prince Abdullah. The eighteen members of the Ensemble, some of which very young indeed, were all splendid as the citizens of Agrabah. They harmonised superbly and their involvement in the many chorus numbers was carried out with such enthusiasm and it was obvious that they had worked so hard with both the singing and in perfecting the many varied and stylised dance routines which were excellently choreographed and executed. 

The various settings were imaginatively and innovatively achieved by the use of several moveable ‘flats’, all magnificently painted, which indicated the different scene locations and with the addition of some excellent props we were transported to a Market Place, the chambers of the Sultan and the Princess and into, of course, the Cave of Wonders. We even had a ‘magic flying carpet’ that moved up and down and on which sat Aladdin and Jasmine as they both most beautifully sang ‘A Whole New World’. Well done to the hard working Stage Crew. The costumes were stunning and with great lighting effects, powerful voice-overs for the revealing of the whereabouts of the lamp and for inside the cave, good sets and props, together with an excellent cast, all added to make this a truly fun-filled evening of first-rate entertainment.

It is always a joy to see young talent performing and many congratulations must go to everyone involved but especially to Joshua Mason, Creative Director, to Matthew Szadura, Musical Director and to Emily Skill, Choreographer for the expertise they bring to enable these young actors to develop and showcase their amazing talents by being involved in musical theatre. I loved every minute of being in this ‘Wondrous Place’ even if it was only, for a short time. Thanks also to Joshua, as always, for his most warmest of welcomes and hospitality.

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