As you approach Manchester’s Palace Theatre , giant posters of Yeukayi Ushe look down on you carrying the message ‘Magic Awaits’. So, no pressure there then! As the Genie in Disney’s Aladdin the Musical, currently enjoying a six week residency in the city, Yeukayi is fully aware of the levels of expectation from generations who have grown up with the animated adventure. Yeukayi Ushe as the Genie in Disney's Aladdin the Musical (Picture: Deen Van Meer) “If you come to a show like this as an actor, if you feel the responsibility I think that it would cripple you,” he said.
“Of course I’m aware that Robin Williams and Will Smith, these Hollywood powerhouses, have been the Genie. But I can’t let that affect me. “I’ve got the opportunity to inhabit that same space that they have inhabited and to just be free and have fun and play and tell the story.
At the end of the day, we are storytellers.” Based on the 1992 Disney animation, Aladdin the Musical has taken a cult classic and given it a whole new lease of life. The show features some new songs and the production is spectacular.
Yeukayi’s Genie is at the heart of the show. “Because the Genie is a magical character he gets to exist in the space between the story and the audience,” he said. “He is the narrator for the piece.
“Society has changed a great deal since the animation was made more than 30 years ago so there is a necessity for this character to exist now. But the Genie is also timeless. �.
