WW Reviews

Aladdin follows the story of an orphan who is struggling to survive but is asked to collect a lamp from a mysterious cave. Upon retrieving the lamp Aladdin discovers a genie who will grant him three wishes. Aladdin battles to save the kingdom, from the evil Jafar who covets the power of the genie for himself, and win the heart of the Princess Jasmine.

Scenes such as the Genie appearing for the first time and singing ‘Friend Like Me’ will never fail to draw comparisons with the brilliant original Disney animated film but on stage it fell completely flat. Whilst I wasn’t expecting the animated scene a little more magic might have helped the scene not to feel like a let down.

The songs added for the stage again did not compare to the original score and did not improve the story in any way. The story was still the original plot which I enjoyed and the addition of friends for Aladdin was a really great way of exploring more of the city and people in Agrabah. Although it did weaken Aladdin’s character as that of a loner which in turn weakens his relationship with Jasmine. When Jasmine is the only person Aladdin has ever had a connection with it makes the relationship much stronger and more intense. On stage the relationship between Jasmine and Aladdin felt more sudden than it does in the film.

The real stand out of this performance was the dancing talent of the cast. It was a spectacle of athletic ability.

Overall, the sets; costumes and dancing stole the show whilst the characters and magic of the movie felt weak, but this is still a really good introduction for children to theatre outside of panto and is still a great night of theatre thanks mostly to the talents of the cast.

Photography by: Deen van Meer

Performance:
Wednesday 13th November 2024
Theatre Royal, Glasgow
19:30

Cast: