Aladdin Jr.

This production of Aladdin Jr was short and sweet, with one act, following Disney’s love story between Aladdin and Princess Jasmine. 

The show opened to a vibrant musical number by Isaac Warwick as Genie. Isaac brought sass and pizzaz to the role, interacting well with Ashley Masson as Aladdin. Ashley continues to build as a performer, taking on the titular role with ease. His version of “Proud of Your Boy” was beautifully understated with clear storytelling. Holly Wills as Jasmine worked well with Ashley. Her voice was stunning and effortless in musical numbers. Ettie-Mae York (Babkak), Dulcie A’Lee-Holt (Omar) and Olivia Pharréll (Kassim) were brilliant as Aladdin’s right-hand men, bringing comedic moments to life. Jafar, played by Millie Austin was suitably mean and manipulative, trying to trick Aladdin. Lucia Bovenzi as Iago, Jafar’s trusty sidekick, was comical, delivering the lines with dry humour and perfect timing. 

The supporting cast were confident in their individual roles and worked together well as a team. It looked as though they were having a great time and were fully committed to making their performance shine.   

The choreography, provided by Chloe Ellson, was fitting for the style of the musical numbers, in particular in “Friend Like Me”. The choreography appeared simpler for the cast this time and they were able to sing and dance at the same time with ease, which is such a challenge!  

As well as providing the choreography, Chloe co-directed with Alex McKenzie. They were able to bring the show to life with very little staging and props. There was good use of the space, encouraging the audience to use their imagination in scenes, such as when Aladdin and Jasmine are flying on the magic carpet and Aladdin was in the cave. The cast were focussed and well rehearsed, enabling them to give it their all on the night. 

Although the performers wore microphones, it was difficult to hear what they were saying from the back of the audience. However, there was a good use of sound effects when Aladdin was in the cave, creating the echoes of a large cavernous area.The lighting was simple, yet effective, bringing the audience’s focus to specific moments, such as the entrance of the cave and the genie’s lamp. 

All of the cast were in vibrant costumes, in keeping with the theme of the show, it was easy to distinguish between those working for the sultan and the poor townspeople. I particualarly liked the colourful costumes in "Friend Like Me", it brought sparkle and energy to the number.

Overall, it was an entertaining show, the young people looked like they were really enjoying themselves and brought lots of energy to their performance. Well done everyone and I look forward to seeing what’s next for the junior performers. 

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