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Anyone who has seen the stage versions of The Lion King or Beauty and the Beast will be aware that, against all the odds, it is possible to successfully recreate the magic and spectacle of a Disney movie live in a theatre. It is, in fact, arguable that such adaptations are actually more satisfying than the recent Disney trend of producing so-called live action big screen versions of beloved animated classics. And so it is with this expanded Aladdin musical which brings all the production values of a Hollywood blockbuster to bear on a theatrical presentation that is guaranteed to enchant, delight and thrill audiences of all ages.

READ MORE: Theatre review: Constellations at Theatr Clwyd in Mold Compelling two-hander unfolds in a multiverse of romance and drama READ MORE: Review: Kinky Boots at Storyhouse in Chester Another Storyhouse Original triumph brings award-winning musical to the Chester stage Absolutely key to its appeal is the way it does not slavishly copy the 1992 animated original nor the 2019 Guy Ritchie retread and updates the script memorably, even managing to throw in a Strictly Come Dancing sequence at one point! There are also ingenious reimaginings of the film’s animal characters with Jafar’s feathered friend Iago (Angelo Paragoso) becoming a human sidekick with bird-like affectations while Aladdin’s resourceful monkey Abu is split into three to form our hero’s gang of lovable street thieves Kassim (Nay-Nay), Babkak (Nelson Bettencourt) and Omar (Adam.

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