I DREAM OF GENIE
Ready to spend a little time in the ancient Arabian town of Agrabah? It’s the classic story with Aladdin (Adi Roy), Jasmine (Senzel Ahmady), and of course the genie (Marcus M. Martin). Disney’s 1992 hit animated musical movie became an instant classic, in part because of Robin Williams’ unforgettable voicing of the genie. So how does it translate to the stage? Pretty well, actually, as I found out last night when the national tour stopped at The Civic Theatre.
Marcus M Martin as Genie with Company
As expected in a Disney musical, we start with a big opening number called “Arabian Nights,” making sure we completely get where and when we will be for the next two-and-a-half hours. Bright colored baggy clothing, lots of veils, and legs leaping everywhere. We meet young, orphaned street urchin Aladdin and his band of friends, establishing them all as sweet, goodhearted thieves, just trying to get by. Cut to the castle where Princess Jasmine and her father, the Sultan (Sorab Wadia) struggle with the fact that she’s turned away numerous prince suitors because they are all looking for a passive wife, not an equal partner in marriage. Jasmine escapes to the streets to see what real life is like, getting caught up in a delightful dance in the exotic marketplace where she meets Aladdin. Sparks fly between the two opposites, but once her true identity is revealed, she must return to the castle, never to meet again. Except that this is Disney, so of course they will.
Adi Roy as Aladdin
Brace yourself: the Sultan has an evil and power-hungry assistant, Jafar (Anand Nagraj). Hard to believe, because…well…that never happens in these stories, right? Jafar tricks Aladdin into going to a magical cave where a lamp holds a genie that Jafar wants to control. But Aladdin releases the genie by accident, yielding himself three wishes, and from there, the real fun gets started.
Senzel Ahmady as Jasmine and Adi Roy Aladdin
Actually, from an audience point of view, the best fun literally does start there. The first half of Act I is all done quite enjoyably, with sharp performances executing Casey Nicholaw’s choreography and direction, but nothing is truly memorable until Aladdin rubs that lamp. Immediately, things go from good to great, starting with spectacular lighting (Natasha Katz), sparkly scenic design (Bob Crowley), and special effects (Jeremy Chernick) that give the feeling of something coming out of that lamp, flying about that stage, and landing with Aladdin. And land he does. Mr. Martin takes the stage over for about twelve delightful minutes (including his medley of about a half-dozen songs from other Disney musicals), making it clear – almost demanding − who we’re really going to be paying attention to. Funny, larger-than-life, throwing his big, fabulous self into everything he does, Mr. Martin both lives up to the joy of Robin Williams and makes the role his own as well.
Anand Nagraj as Jafar and Aaron Choi as Iago
Mr. Roy looks like he won a contest for “Who Looks the Most Like Aladdin in the Cartoon?” Thankfully, he didn’t get the role just for his looks, coming across jovial, amiable, and having the singing and dancing chops for the role. In a much smaller role as Aladdin’s close friend Kassim, Colt Prattes, who sings second tenor for most of the show, opens Act II with a rich, operatic bass voice that thoroughly captured the large house; it was so surprising that the audience sat in stunned silence until he was done. Also terrific is Mr. Wadia as Jafar, flourishing in evil laughter, and his sidekick Iago (Aaron Choi). Rather than try to recreate the notion that Iago is a parrot, like in the film, the diminutive Mr. Choi is a joyfully greedy clown in full support of Jafar, providing a gleeful balance between the two.
Adi Roy as Aladdin
Howard Ashman, Tim Rice, and Chad Beguelin’s lyrics put to Alan Menken’s music give a lively background to the show but, beyond “A Whole New World,” there aren’t a lot of songs in that stick in one’s head. Still, songs like “Prince Ali” and “Somebody’s Got Your Back” are fully entertaining in the moment.
Marcus M Martin, Adi Roy and Company
Oh, and if you’re concerned that you aren’t going to get to see a flying carpet for “A Whole New World” like in the movie, guess again…and how they pulled it off is the stuff of theater magic.
photos by Deen van Meer
Aladdin
national tour
reviewed at the San Diego Civic Theater, 1100 Third Avenue
ends on April 7, 2024
for tickets (beginning at $44), visit BroadwaySD
for dates and cities, visit Aladdin the Musical
