A musical adaptation of the beloved 1992 Disney film, Aladdin, is set to become a Broadway production. The new musical promises some of our favorite songs from the original film, such as Friend Like Me, along with some upbeat new numbers added to the mix.
It’s no real surprise Aladdin wound up on Broadway. The animated film version received two Academy Awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song, A Whole New World. As seen in the NY Times, the stage version has music by original Aladdin musical geniuses, Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice.
The magical adventure will be opening in the New Amsterdam theatre in the spring of 2014. Another Disney money making musical, Mary Poppins, currently calls New Amsterdam its home. Poppins will close in March 2013 after completing about 2,600 performances.
Aladdin opened to mixed reviews in Seattle in 2011, however received better reviews in St. Louis this past summer. Hopefully by the time the new show actually hits the big Broadway stage all the kinks will have been figured out. Initally, the idea of an Aladdin musical seemed brilaint and I wondered why it took more than 10 years to get together. However, after watching the presumable ‘highlights’ of the St. Louis performance (below), I think the show needs a lot of tweaking before it’s Broadway ready. While I’m no expert, the performance seemed more like a high school theatre production than a potential Tony award winner. The group numbers looked awkward and out of sync and there was no sign of any awe inspiring musical talent from any of the featured solo artists. Perhaps poor video quality and editing can be to blame for the disappointing clip, however I’m still skeptical about the new show.
Do you think Aladdin will be a Broadway sensation comparable to Beauty and the Beast, or a Broadway bust, alongside the likes of Tarzan and The Little Mermaid?
[jwplayer mediaid=”28594″]
