Disney's Aladdin Takes Us to a Whole New World

 

Last night, Disney's touring production of Aladdin made its opening debut at The Fox Theatre in Atlanta.  It was everything we expected it to be and so much more.

The touring, musical production of Aladdin contains fabulous music, comedy bits, endearing characters, incredible talent, and that special sprinkling of Disney's famous Pixie Dust to top off the evening.

The musical production of Aladdin stays true to the animated theatrical release.  You will sing along with all the songs you know - Arabian Nights, One Jump Ahead, and the always favorite - A Whole New World.  Plus, as usual, Disney has included new songs that flow flawlessly with the production.

Marcus Martin, playing the part of Genie, opens the show with all the fantastical fanfare, fun, and glitz and glamour you have come to love from this character and every actor that has portrayed him through the years.  Martin is funny and extremely talented, engaging the audience throughout the show.

Our show appeared to be sold out, and the audience was extremely engaging as they interacted with Martin, answering his calls for more applause or cheering him on loudly after every dance number and song.  It was great!

Aladdin is a show for all ages.  We saw young and old people and everyone from all walks of life.  Tickets have been on sale since the Fall, so if you are interested in seeing Aladdin this week at The Fox Theatre, make sure you check the information below to get your tickets as soon as possible.

There are so many actors to call out for explementary performances in this production, but here are just a few right off the top of my head:

• Adi Roy as Aladdin - Fresh and on spot.  Energetic and totally believable as Aladdin.  Amazing talent.
  
  
  
  
  
• Senzel Ahmady as Jasmine - This is Senzel's national tour debut.  The first thing I said after her song "These Palace Walls" was, "She has the perfect Disney Princess voice and demeanor."  They could not have picked a more perfect actress to epitomize a Disney princess.  It was truly a joy to watch her.
  
  
• Jake Letts, Nathan Levy, and Colt Prattes - I really hate to group these three together as they are each so talented in their own rights.  These three actors take over the part of animated Aladdin's counterpart and pet monkey, Abu.  They play Aladdin's buddies (fellow street rats so to speak) - Babkak, Omar, and Kassim.  They are really funny, and the audience loved them (especially the kids).  I thought it was a great replacement to Abu.  I hardly even missed the little monkey!

If you have littles or you are a huge Disney fan, like myself, this is a great show to attend.  The production numbers are fantastic; the choreography is spectacular; and like I said above, all the Disney magic is there to enjoy without going to a single theme park and fighting the crowds or long lines.

We absolutely loved our evening in Agrabah.  I can't wait to visit again.

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Aladdin will play Atlanta's The Fox Theatre tonight through Thursday at 7:30p.m., Friday night at 8:00p.m., Saturday at both 2:00p.m. and 8:00p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m.

Tickets will be available at the Fox Theatre Box Office at 660 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA 30308 and online at foxtheatre.org/aladdin. Orders for groups of 10 or more may be placed by contacting sales@foxtheatre.org.  (There is also a special offer for college students.)

More About Aladdin

Aladdin, the hit musical based on the Academy Award®-winning animated film, opened on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theatre to critical acclaim on March 20, 2014 and quickly established itself as one of the biggest new blockbusters in recent years. Having played over 3,000 performances, the New York production is among the Top 20 longest runs in Broadway history.

Hailed by The New York Times as “fabulous and extravagant,” the Broadway production has broken 16 New Amsterdam Theatre house records and spawned nine additional productions on four continents. Worldwide it has welcomed more than 16 million people and can be seen currently on Broadway and on tour across North America, as well as in Japan and Spain, with a UK tour opening shortly.

Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions, Aladdin features music by Tony Award and eight-time Oscar® winner Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Newsies, Sister Act), lyrics by two-time Oscar winner Howard Ashman (Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid), three-time Tony Award and three-time Oscar winner Tim Rice (Evita, Aida), and six-time Tony Award nominee Chad Beguelin (The Prom, The Wedding Singer), with a book by Beguelin, and is directed and choreographed by two-time Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon).

Aladdin, adapted from the animated Disney film and centuries-old folktales including “One Thousand and One Nights,” is brought to fresh theatrical life in this bold new musical. Aladdin’s journey sweeps audiences into an exciting world of daring adventure, classic comedy, and timeless romance. This new production features a full score, including the five cherished songs from the Academy Award-winning soundtrack and more written especially for the stage.

The animated film Aladdin was released by Disney in 1992 and was a critical and box office smash, becoming the highest-grossing film of the year. The film won the Oscar for Best Original Score and introduced the hit song “A Whole New World,” which won the second of the film’s two Academy Awards as Best Original Song. The Peabo Bryson/Regina Belle recording of the tune soared to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Aladdin is designed by seven-time Tony-winning scenic designer Bob Crowley, eight-time Tony-winning lighting designer Natasha Katz, three-time Tony-winning costume designer Gregg Barnes, and sound designer Ken Travis.

The production team also includes illusion designers Jim Steinmeyer and Rob Lake, hair designer Josh Marquette, and makeup designer Milagros Medina-Cerdeira. The music team is headed by music supervisor and music director Michael Kosarin, who also created the vocal and incidental music arrangements, joined by orchestrator Danny Troob, and dance music arranger Glen Kelly. John MacInnis is the associate choreographer, Jason Trubitt is the production supervisor, and Myriah Bash is the general manager. Anne Quart serves as executive producer.

The current North American tour has played in over 40 cities to more than a half million people since launching in October 2022. A previous tour played to an additional nearly 3 million patrons.

For more information, visit AladdinTheMusical.com/tour, Instagram, and Facebook

Disclaimer: We were provided with two tickets to opening night of Aladdin in exchange for promotion purposes.  All opinions expressed in this post are my own.