Disneys Aladdin Theater Review Hollywood Reporter. NEW YORK Its exotic Middle Eastern setting and multiethnic cast aside, Aladdin offers less A Whole New World to quote its signature song than a traditional Disney fairy tale realm its perhaps the most old school of the companys screen to stage adaptations since Beauty and the Beast. Valiant Theater Movie' title='Valiant Theater Movie' />Not all actors are as squeaky clean as theyd have you believe. In fact, a fair number of them have dipped their, erm, appendages, into other films. The Ultimate List of Badass Warriors from History and Mythology. There Are Other Worlds Than These Reflections on the Dark Tower Movie August 2nd, 2017 101919 pm by Robin Furth. At 419 pm on a hot August afternoon, I climbed. But that shouldnt deter audiences from making this splashy Arabian Nights wish fulfillment fantasy into a family friendly hit. Directed and choreographed by musical comedy specialist Casey Nicholaw with loads of retro showmanship, an unapologetic embrace of casbah kitsch and a heavy accent on shtick, this is sweet, silly fun. Its not the most sophisticated entertainment, but the target demographic wont mind at all. The 1. 99. 2 release followed The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast in Disneys renaissance of the animated feature musical, heralding the valiant final resurgence of hand drawn toon artistry before computer animation took hold. The film was notable for its shift beyond the princess focus to a more boy centric story, and for being among the first cases of major celebrity voice casting becoming central to the productions marketing, via Robin Williams role as the motormouth Genie. It was also the final collaboration between composer Alan Menken and lyricist Howard Ashman before the latters death due to AIDS complications in 1. The team completed eleven songs for Aladdin, only a handful of which made it into the movie several of the others have found an afterlife here. Tim Rice stepped in to complete work on the films score with Menken, while Chad Beguelin The Wedding Singer, Elf, the book writer on this stage adaptation, contributes additional lyrics. Irrespective of who wrote what, the songs are tuneful, if not quite top drawer. Nicholaw won a 2. Tony Award as co director with Trey Parker of The Book of Mormon. But the most indicative precursor of his work here was his staging of Show Off, the hilariously insincere disavowal of a Broadway stars natural spotlight seeking tendencies, performed with brio by Sutton Foster in The Drowsy Chaperone. My Little Pony the Movie Tempest Shadow Soft Plush Hasbro My Little Pony Plush An outcast and the Storm Kings secondincommand, Tempest Shadow isnt what. That same more is more, irrepressibly over the top shamelessness defines the twin showstoppers that bookend intermission in Aladdin. The first is Friend Like Me, in which the Genie James Monroe Iglehart, freshly uncorked from his lamp, previews the infinite gifts available to his astonished new master, Aladdin Adam Jacobs. Starting with Iglehart doing a Cab Calloway esque scat, Nicholaw builds the song into a mammoth production number, with a chorus of whirling valets and showgirls, a Dancing with the Scimitars ballroom break, a step or two of hoedown, a game show interlude, a mini medley of Disney tunes from other musicals, an exuberant tap routine and a finale with canes and a kickline. While Williams vocal performance in the movie was quite large, Igleharts high energy turn is perhaps even larger, whether hes dropping in winking pop cultural anachronisms he quotes Sweet Brown at one point or firing off hoary one liners like a Catskills comic. Hes a delight. The follow up song, again led by the indefatigable Iglehart, is Prince Ali, a royal procession that makes Elizabeth Taylors Cleopatra entrance look like a casual stroll. Replete with Vegas style fan dancers, peacocks and the now regulation streamer explosion, this takes place after the Genie has transformed Aladdin from street scruff into a regal suitor worthy of Princess Jasmine Courtney Reed, the feisty Sultans daughter feeling cramped inside the palace walls. Beguelins book is larded with gags but sticks more or less to the movie. The main addition is a trio of vaudevillian comic sidekicks for Aladdin, Brandon ONeill, Jonathan Schwartz and Brian Gonzalez, replacing his kleptomaniac monkey onscreen. Jasmines tiger has also been nixed. These guys were part of Ashmans concept for the film, and their jaunty songs are enjoyable, particularly High Adventure, even if they sometimes outstay their welcome. The opening number, Arabian Nights, is a busy riot of marketplace scene setting and souk chic fashion, in which the Genie reminds us that, Even our poor people look faaabulous That goes double for buff Aladdin, in his artfully patched Hammer time pants. Beaming like a toothpaste commercial model, Jacobs packs plenty of charm into the role, and is an ideal incarnation of the handsome Disney cartoon hero now with lifelike nipples and body hair He also brings tenderness to his warm rendition of Proud of Your Boy, in which the orphaned urchin dreams of becoming more than a street thief. But the romantic pulse of Aladdin is a little faint. Longtime Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy has some kind words for Ben Afflecks DC Extended Universe version of the Caped Crusader. Jasmine is a less captivating version of Belle and Ariel before her, spouting generic female empowerment refrains but never acquiring much dimension as a character. Her magic carpet flight with Aladdin during A Whole New World is a technological marvel no visible trace of cables or lift mechanisms, set against the star strewn velvet of lighting designer Natasha Katzs night sky. But the scene lacks enchantment because the chemistry between Aladdin and Jasmine isnt quite there. While Reed sings sweetly, shes more like a curvy Kardashian than a Disney princess, and her trio of fly girl attendants could sub for Destinys Child. I swear, I kept listening for the opening guitar lick from Bootylicious, waiting for someone to ask, Kelly, can you handle thisBeguelin looks for the true heart of the musical in the intertwined quests of Aladdin to be an honorable man and the Genie to be a free one. But while both actors are winning presences, their storylines bump along with the jokey buddy dynamic of a Bob Hope Bing Crosby movie think Road to Morocco, limiting the emotional pull. In leaning so heavily on the campy humor yes, there are Walk Like an Egyptian dance moves aplenty the creative team has slightly shortchanged the show on earnest sentimentality, which for better or worse is an essential Disney ingredient. That makes Aladdins appeal somewhat juvenile, though plenty of adults with a taste for broad comedy will eagerly get on board. The cartoonish aspect is enhanced by the mugging villains Jafar Jonathan Freeman, reprising the vizier role he voiced in the film, and his diminutive henchman, Iago, no longer a parrot but a sneering human sycophant who, in Don Darryl Riveras amusing performance, seems spliced from the DNA of Danny De. Vito and Matt Lucas. Bob Crowleys pretty sets appear lifted from storybook illustrations and classic animation backgrounds, but the most lavish design element by far is Gregg Barnes endless parade of costumes. Their rich textures and vibrant colors are frequently embellished with beads, brocades, tassels and trinkets, accessories that are available in more modest versions at the lobby merchandise stand. Ka ching Venue New Amsterdam Theatre, New York runs indefinitelyCast Adam Jacobs, James Monroe Iglehart, Courtney Reed, Jonathan Freeman, Brian Gonzales, Brandon ONeill, Jonathan Schwartz, Clifton Davis, Don Darryl Rivera, Tia Altinay, Andrew Cao, Joshua Dela Cruz, Yurel Echezarreta, Daisy Hobbs, Donald Jones Jr., Adam Kaokept, Nikki Long, Stanley Martin, Brandt Martinez, Rhea Patterson, Bobby Pestka, Khori Michelle Petinaud, Ariel Reid, Trent Saunders, Jaz Sealey, Dennis Stowe, Marisha Wallace, Bud Weber. Director choreographer Casey Nicholaw. Book additional lyrics Chad Beguelin, based on the Disney film written by Ron Clements, John Musker, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, directed and produced by Musker and Clements. Music Alan Menken. Lyrics Howard Ashman, Tim Rice. Set designer Bob Crowley. Lighting designer Natasha Katz. Costume designer Gregg Barnes. Download Glitch In The Grid Movie. Sound designer Ken Travis. Illusion designer Jim Steinmeyer. Orchestrations Danny Troob. Music supervisor, incidental music vocal arrangements Michael Kosarin.