10 July – 11 August
For those familiar with the 1992 Disney movie, and especially the late great Robin Williams’ performance as the genie, the question for many will be – can it make my wish come true?
Over fourteen million audience members have seen this production, which plays over the next five weeks in Bristol. At its simplest, it is a classic Arabian Night’s tale made into pantomime format. The eponymous hero, growing up in poverty, meets Agrabah’s Princess Jasmine and they fall in love, although before there can be a happy ending they must deal with the Sultan’s scheming vizier, Jafar.
To begin with, the casting is outstanding. Gavin Adams is a perfect Aladdin, fresh faced, boyish, slightly naïve charm personified.
Desmonda Cathabel as the Princess who knows what she wants in a husband, is not quite a fully formed feminist, but she wears the harem pants and ticks the boxes.
Added to that, we have a gloriously wicked Adam Strong’s Jafar and his delightful sidekick Angelo Paragoso playing the parrot Iago in human form. This double act shines throughout and all their jokes hit home. That is not always the case and too many gags sink without a trace. This is possibly due to timing, too frequent delivery or the age of the audience.
The show is clearly aimed at families, and contrasts with Disney’s other major asset, The Lion King, by having a less sophisticated storyline. Press night saw an abundance of young children, and families eager to bring their little ones have the option of three matinees a week, with earlier Sunday evening starting at 6pm. Just as with panto, this production may well be the first experience of live performance for many.
The opening features superbly arranged song and dance numbers, accompanied by a characteristic swagger of colour and spectacle, choreographed by Casey Nicholaw. These tell the backstory and introduce another adjustment for the stage show with the monkey Abu being replaced by a trio of street urchin friends of Aladdin, Nelson Bettencourt as Babkak, Adam Taylor as Omar and Nay-Nay as Kassim. They do much of the heavy lifting, both of the plot and the action routines numbers as the plot progresses, and they do it extremely well.
However, what elevates this production from the expected is the casting of Yeukayi Ushe as the Genie. Eschewing an impersonation of Williams’ creation, he sparkles and twinkles more magnificently than the Cave of Wonders in which he is first summoned. Ushe’s big production number ‘Friend Like Me’ is pure Broadway gold and the superb ensemble execute every twist, tap and shimmy flawlessly.
Alongside songs from the original movie there are new compositions from Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice and they certainly help flesh out the characters and plot.
A wondrous magic carpet ride is expertly executed, and the young audience were quite rightly left open mouthed at the magic of the theatre. Audiences will find that their wishes do come true and enjoy a genuine school holiday treat.
★★★☆☆ Bryan J Mason, 12 July 2024
