Laura and Samara spend their days as non-profit unicorns and fill every spare minute exploring the world of musical theatre as BFFs (that’s Broadway Friends Forever). Follow @bffs613 on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Broadway Across Canada is bringing audiences to Agrabah with the favourite Disney classic Aladdin on stage now at the National Arts Centre.
Most will be familiar with the tale popularized in the 1992 movie, but you’ll be in for a slightly updated tale of Aladdin, Jasmine, and friends with plenty of new songs in this musical adaptation.
Right off the bat, audiences are treated to beautiful and colourful costumes and plenty of laughs. Marcus M. Martin as the Genie steals the show, keeping the audience laughing continuously. Recent pop culture jokes made us wonder if the actors get to ad-lib the way Robin Williams did with the iconic original role. Either way, his incredible voice beautifully belted out show-stopping numbers, and his ability to deliver the humour of new and classic one-liners was on point.
Senzel Ahmady (Jasmine) and Adi Roy (Aladdin). Photo: Deenvan Meer/Disney.
Opening night saw some microphone/speaker issues mostly in the first half that seemed resolved at intermission. However, there was sometimes an imbalance between the orchestra’s sound levels versus the actors, so hopefully that gets resolved for the rest of the run.
As audiences continue through the tale, some might find the “fight” scenes a bit too playful, though well-choreographed, but this is a children’s story. The dance numbers make up for any hesitation, and this is definitely a show where the ensemble packs a powerful punch. Often, we take in the ensemble and don’t realize how many roles they play, stage pieces they set, and dances or movements they do, but here the ensemble members are incredibly talented cast members who helped Agrabah come to life with beauty, colour, and character in this production. We were especially able to pick out Tyler Johnson-Campion: stellar and very talented, and making his national tour debut!
You only have a short chance to experience this whole new world, so jump ahead and buy your tickets for Aladdin now!
Aladdin runs from March 21–26 at the National Arts Centre’s Southam Hall. Evening performances are at 8pm, except Sunday at 6:30pm. Matinees are on Saturday at 2pm and Sunday at 1:00 p.m. The show runs for two hours and thirty minutes, including intermission.
