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    Review: Aladdin on Broadway

     (Seen April 12, 2014 at 2 p.m.)

By Christine Petralia

Image courtesy of Broadway.com

 

Aladdin On Broadway

(Seen April 12, 2014 at 2pm)

 

April 18, 2014

 

Fair warning, when you see Aladdin on Broadway, leave behind all that you know about the film…because while the story is the same, it’s actually quite different and pretty awesome.

 

Once you enter the New Amsterdam Theatre you are taken to the streets of Agrabah, with merchandise stands on carts with everything from towels and Aladdin dolls to jewelry and a magic lamp ornament. Music from the show could be pre-ordered, as the cast is still recording it.

 

The theatre itself, which was once home to Mary Poppins, is pretty small, as is the stage. But once the lights go down and the Genie (James Monroe Iglehart) comes out and welcomes you to Agrabah, you forget just how small it is and are taken to that far off land with Aladdin (Adam Jacobs) and his street-rat friends. Gone are Abu and Raja, but instead Aladdin has three best friends Babkak, Omar and Kassim (Brian Gonzales, Jonathan Schwartz and Brandon O’Neill, respectively), and Jasmine (Courtney Reed) has three attendants. And Iago (Don Darryl Riveria) is not a parrot but rather Jafar’s (Jonathan Freeman) smaller sidekick.

 

The play features some new songs, which are a lot of fun and add depth to the show. One of my personal favorites was “Babkak, Omar, Aladdin and Kassim” in the marketplace. What impressed me the most, besides the magical flying carpet, was the sets themselves, and the costumes. The entire scene in the Cave of Wonders during “A Friend Like Me” was just fantastic. It really made you wonder how everyone fit up there. But they did, and they danced amazingly. You also really have no clue how that carpet flies, as the lights completely dim and the stars come out for Aladdin and Jasmine to fly during “A Whole New World.”

 

You can tell this cast is new, but they are having a lot of fun up there. The entire show is fun and entertaining and great for the entire family. Jacobs plays a really great Aladdin, and after a while I was convinced Reed was a good Jasmine. Clifton Davis, of Amen, plays the Sultan and is pretty good too. Freeman, who plays the voice of Jafar in the 1992 Disney classic, is also great reprising his role on stage. But my favorite (sorry Aladdin) had to be Iglehart as the Genie. Anyone who knows Aladdin as much as I do knows that it’s really a story about the Genie. He narrates the film, he makes Aladdin into a prince and all he wants is his freedom, which Aladdin grants him at the end. Iglehart added character and pizazz to Genie, with his own personal charm. He also nails every song. Again, “A Friend Like Me” was expertly executed and probably my favorite of the whole show.

 

I hope that Aladdin stays on Broadway for a while. And I can’t wait to go back again, and again, and again!

The 20/20 Experience is just as fantastic and high-energy as JT’s earlier tours. After postponing the 02/19 concert, Justin came out and brought it with songs from his new album and older classics. Seen Feb. 21, 2014 at Madison Square Garden.

Want more raves and rants? I have lots more to say!

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