Price Edward Theatre, London.
The stage musical adaptation of the beloved Disney film, the West End transfer of the Broadway smash. The songs you know and love. And the songs you don't know, or love, when the movie songbook oasis runs dry.
Ladies first: Princess Jasmine is played by Jade Ewan, famous for replacing the last remaining original member of The Sugababes (thereby completing their Trigger's Brooming), and she does a cracking job as the Princess longing to break free from the shackles of tradition by outbreeding the royal bloodline. Jasmine also has the best non-movie song in 'These Palace Walls', nailing its multi-layered harmonies with some help from her gal-pals.
Jasmine can sing, no question; but the strongest female voice is that of Michelle Chantelle Hopewell, as Jasmine's BFF/Marketplace Fortune-teller/"still, I think he's rather tasty" interjecter; the needle on my sassometer nudged dangerously into the red whenever the spotlight was on her, before pinging off entirely during a solo. Hopewell is a-star-is-borning all over the West End stage. You can foresee her carrying 'most any top tier musical on her shoulders, including this one: I dream of (female) Genie, anyone?
Still, while the star of Hopewell is in the ascendency, the charismatic supernova of Trevor Dion Nicholas explodes from the stage like PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWER bursting forth from an itty-bitty lamp.
As the Broadway stand-in Genie, Nicholas is a veteran of 70 plus performances and he. is. transcending. He has some big, curly shoes to fill in Broadway Genie - Tony award winning, James Monroe Iglehart, but West End debutant Nicholas is little short of phenomenal.
You go, Trevor Dion Nicholas.
But, let's get to the big problem with Aladdin: Aladdin.
The big solo-number for Al is the insipid 'Proud of your boy', where our hero seeks approval from his dead mother. Are we not already rooting for the underdog street rat here?
All Aladdin really has to do is keep up with the dancing, flash toothy grins, and look constantly amazed at the constantly amazing things happening around him. But poor Dean John-Wilson is out of his depth.
John-Wilson better wish for three more wishes, because once timing, technique and posture are magically fixed; we still have a lot of polishing to do on this rough diamond.
Still, even though he is the title character, he is not the main character; you are here to see Genie, and Genie rubs me the right way.
If the show was Trevor Dion Nicholas, just standing there and singing, it would still be worth spending the cost of admission; but add the sets, the choreography, the razzle-dazzle, the orchestra; and a flying carpet that I couldn't actually see the strings on, and it is damn-near worth spending a wish on a ticket.
Everything about Aladdin is sensational (except for Aladdin). 4 stars.
Bonus minor gripes:
Jafar is a bit pantomime. Sultan is a bit too statesman-like (how is this benevolent leader being fooled by panto Jafar?) The pacing is a bit wobbly in the second act, we blow through both 'Prince Ali' and 'A Whole New World' straight after the intermission; leaving Aladdin's three-amigo monkey-substitutes, cowardly Omar, tubby Babkak, and 'hey, I should be playing Aladdin' leader of the group Kassim to fill time with another non-movie song (urgh) until the big finale. Speaking of the big finale, Jafar only has 2 seconds as an all-powerful Genie; the audience didn't even have time to realise that peril was happening before it was all resolved.
Also, when Aladdin's bros and Jasmine's squad pair off, the stunning Michelle Chantelle Hopewell is lumbered with the comedy fat bro; despite obviously being the Alpha BFF, just because she ain't no size two?
Notes: 'The Sugababes, the Trigger's Broom of girl bands' is a joke I stole from a The Guide (Saturday Guardian) from about 8 years ago. It is never too late to steal a joke.
The staging is absolutely wonderful; the Cave of Wonders especially. Heh, they should call it The Cave of Won... No, wait, it is already called the right thing.
Sound design supremo Ken Travis was in the row behind us with a notebook, looking grumpy; possibly because of the noises coming out of Dean John-Wilsons mouth?
Aladdin bro, Cowardly Omar (Rachid Sabitri) has his own stage weapon combat school; watch him buckle some swash in the fight scenes.
If you what to cry like a bairn, read up on lyricist Howard Ashman's life story ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜
