There's a little Disney magic in the Manchester air thanks to a sparkling production of Aladdin which has brought a whole new world to the Palace Theatre. After success on the West End and Broadway, Aladdin is currently taking flight on the show’s first UK tour. As Yeukayi Ushe’s Genie says, the production is a homage to the classic 1992 animated Disney film with a little tweak or two.
For those somehow unfamiliar, the narrative follows the unlikely romance between our central hero Aladdin, who grew up on the streets, and Agrabah’s Princess Jasmine. All aided by a wish-fulfilling magic Genie - played in scene-stealing splendour by Ushe. Read more: Popular family-friendly music festival less than an hour away from Manchester offering £15 tickets For many, the animated Aladdin is somewhat sacred but rest assured, much like Disney demonstrated with The Lion King , this property moves to the stage with great ease.
There’s that famous unapologetically Disney gloss and charm to the musical directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw. The early vibrant song and dance numbers, used to perfectly illustrate Aladdin’s place in the food chain, are done with panache and it is hard to resist smiling at the spectacle on stage. Aladdin has more backstory than we’d seen before and Gavin Adams, playing the title character, brings great emotion to the production’s original number Proud of Your Boy.
The love story of Aladdin and Jasmine features in the Palace Theatre production T.
