It’s a risky thing to take a beloved story and reinvent it in another form. Such is the case with Aladdin, the beloved animated movie starring the late Robin Williams, which is now a live musical Broadway show, Disney’s Aladdin. Currently playing at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, the show has a big lamp to fill.
Does the show manage to capture the fun, flavor and magic of the animated movie? Yes and no. When it doesn’t quite hit the mark, it’s still good but a little lacking. But when it makes the audience feel all of the wonder and joy of the movie, it’s over-the-top successful. Case in point, the Genie, played by Michael James Scott, who had a nearly impossible task – go up against the gold standard of Robin Frikkin-Williams as an actor and as an animated character who could morph into anything! How the heck do you do that? Apparently, you rely on your own big personality and presence and a flamboyant air and you make the audience love you. You also rely on creative, innovative and surely exhausting costume changes, lots of sequins, gold and glitz.
Familiar numbers are there in the Broadway show, plus some new ballads and catchy numbers that hold up to the original set without feeling like they were stuck in. The “A Whole New World” scene on a magic carpet that appears to be really flying around the stage against a starlit night is truly magical ( can someone tell me how they did that, please?)
The show’s biggest number, “Friend Like Me,” had to be the biggest challenge for the show. There’s a great article in the Applause magazine you’re given when you go that explains what went into it (numerous, swift costume changes and rapid-fire action) to try to compare to that unreal scene in the movie in which the Genie is riffing on one of Robin Williams’ classic flurries. Taking it for what it is, the scene is awesome and loads of fun. Be sure to read that article while you wait for the curtain to rise.
The only disappointment was the scene near the end in which Jafar reveals Aladdin for who he really is and becomes an all-powerful genie himself. In the movie, there was all that tension, fear, twistedness and bigger-than-life action. In this scene, unlike other scenes in the show, it just lacks something. It’s like they were running out of time and had to quickly find a way to run Jafar through all of his transformations. But you know, that’s a minor complaint compared to all of the gorgeous sets, delicious colors, great singing and dancing and energy from the cast.
So, how do you compare Aladdin the movie with Disney’s Aladdin? You don’t. You keep the movie you loved in the back of your mind but allow yourself to fully engage and be immersed in all that Aladdin the musical is giving you. And that’s a lot.
Disney’s Aladdin plays the Buell Theatre through April 28. Get tickets through www.denvercenter.org, the only legitimate ticketing agency.
InGoodTasteDenver.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Comments are closed.