Aladdin Previews- Page 3

[CoreyRyan3]

Posted: 2/26/14 at 10:47pm

"I wholeheartedly disagree that two reviews for one performance on an online message board will "save a show" let alone help their advance, but it's a nice thought :)"

I don't think he's really referencing the fact that reviewing the invited dress on BWW is going to help, but that positive tweets, facebook posts, etc, will help.

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 2/26/14 at 10:50pm

Ummmmmmm, a little off-topic, guys?

[Sauja]

Posted: 2/26/14 at 10:51pm

Sad to say I thought this was a dud. Ingleheart is magnificent, but he's not onstage enough to make it a memorable evening. They padded the story like crazy to make this a "full" show, but the additions add only cheap humor and convoluted story lines. Gone is any note of earnestness or sincerity. Gone is any romance. Instead we get bottom of the barrel puns and a badly inserted feminist approach to Jasmine's need to marry--right out of the current Cinderella's playbook. By the by, it's not that I disagree with the message, but...show a little grace in your writing.

One great performance does not a 2.5 hour, 30 person musical make. This was such a bummer.

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 2/26/14 at 10:51pm

I just found this on Twitter. Not good.

Maxwell Haddad ?@cinemaxwell 4m

"Aladdin on Broadway, that is. Some shows in previews deserve time to work. Some are clearly misguided disasters. Not salvageable."

[binau]

Posted: 2/26/14 at 10:59pm

I enjoyed it. Inglehart will win a Tony. I don't care much about Disney or the original material so what was presented was fine to me. I love the constant self-referential humour and shameless puns. I wish Jafar had an 11 o'clock number and that carpet was uglyyy, but surely this will be a crowd pleaser hit. I don't personally think this is a train wreck at all. I don't know what else I would have wanted out of DISNEY's ALADDIN on stage. This isn't FOLLIES.

Updated On: 2/26/14 at 10:59 PM

[Sauja]

Posted: 2/26/14 at 11:05pm

There's a long distance between "train wreck" and "good," though. It's not a disaster, but I found myself less and less entertained as the night wore on. And on. The self-referential humor drove me insane. Not every show needs to wink at you te whole way. But to put my opinion into perspective, I also disliked that about Peter and the Starcatcher (among others), and I know I'm in the minority on that one!

[PlayItAgain]

Posted: 2/26/14 at 11:09pm

."I don't know what else I would have wanted out of DISNEY's ALADDIN on stage. This isn't FOLLIES."

i hate when people say things like this, why cant it be FOLLIES? why cant it be highly intelligent, well written and well done?

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 2/26/14 at 11:17pm

I was at the first preview tonight and the good news is that it's leagues better than The Little Mermaid. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it had just been the Genie and Aladdin (ensemble too) in an All About Me me style concert, or they could just perform "Friend Like Me" for two hours and I'd be fine with that too

I was surprised by the tone of the piece, which was very Mel Brooks/Borscht Belt inducing groan after groan after groan, but I will say that the tone was consistent throughout. I get the Genie making jokes like that because Robin Williams was exactly "period" in the film, but when everyone is cracking wise it took a little getting used to. (Just a few examples: When Aladdin's friends are discussing methods of thievery one asks, "What was that Egyptian method? A pyramid scheme?"; "This is awful! This is awful!/Did somebody say falafel?")

There were also pop culture references galore, including a Dancing With The Scimitars sequence and the Genie shouting "Move That Bus!" to reveal Prince Ali in costume for the first time.

Needless to say, the book was my least favorite part of the evening. Well, the book and Jasmine...but let's get to some good stuff.

"Friend Like Me" was truly showstopping and will keep the show running for years alone. I think James Monroe Iglehart will probably be the only acting Tony nomination Aladdin receives, and it will be well-deserved. He's hilarious keeps the audience like putty in his hands.

Adam Jacobs is real find as Aladdin too. He's earnest, but not so much so that he's boring, and he's got good chemistry with his friends and Iglehart. (All five of them get to sing the only Positoovity number in the show, called "Somebody's Got Your Back." It has a lyric about "OMG they are BFFs" or something like that..."

I was worried the three friends were going to be like the Geek Chorus, but they actually were pretty fun. They carry the brunt of the groaners and are pretty game to throw them at the audience without much embarrassment.

Normally I would cut an actor slack at the first preview, but Courtney Reed was just not very good as Jasmine. Her first number sits in a weird break in her voice and she had trouble finding a few pitches. Her vocals in A Whole New World were lackluster and her acting wasn't in sync with everyone else. With everyone hamming it up her blandness was all the more accentuated.

Seeing Jonathan Freeman live will fulfill many dreams of those in love with the film; Don Darryl Rivera seemed to be a hit with the audience, but I found him to be a bit grating. He's like Timon and Pumbaa in The Lion King on Broadway- imitate your movie counterpart and you'll keep your job.

Technically the show is a marvel. Not a dime was spared on costumes or the set. Very impressive stuff pleasant to look at for a few hours.

Was it fine and fun? Yes. Did I love it? No, but maybe fine and fun is all it will need to succeed.

[Simon Damon]

Posted: 2/26/14 at 11:18pm

But Disney also produced the Lion King can't we have more good musicals instead of boring community style ones please

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 2/26/14 at 11:20pm

Ugh. I hated the "Aladdin geek chorus" and was hoping they would have cut them. I'm curious to know what changes were made from Toronto to Broadway if anyone sees it and knows.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 2/26/14 at 11:21pm

Sauja, I'm with you on the self-referential humor stuff here. (I loved it in Peter, but this was the most self-referential musical since [tos] and don't know why they went in that direction.)

[Simon Damon]

Posted: 2/26/14 at 11:25pm

The problem is that families may have money to see one show are they going to pick the one that's okay or The Lion King which in many eyes is the best musical of 1998 season

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 2/26/14 at 11:26pm

So do you guys think this has a chance of winning the Tony for best musical?

[brdway411]

Posted: 2/26/14 at 11:27pm

Well, it was what it was. As a whole I enjoyed it. It does need work. Jasmine does not have a good diva number. it does feel padded, The 3 friends number High Adventure goes on about 2 verses too long. I really disliked the Iago role. Most of the jokes were weak. The Genie number is over the top (will probably win him a Tony). The flying carpet scene was also well executed. As for the ending, it is weak. Needs an upbeat number to get the crowd back into it. If they can tighten it up and move the story along a little faster, they could have a major hit.

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 2/26/14 at 11:27pm

Normally I would cut an actor slack at the first preview, but Courtney Reed was just not very good as Jasmine. Her first number sits in a weird break in her voice and she had trouble finding a few pitches. Her vocals in A Whole New World were lackluster and her acting wasn't in sync with everyone else. With everyone hamming it up her blandness was all the more accentuated.

My husband said the same thing after seeing the show in Toronto. Surprised she wasn't replaced.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 2/26/14 at 11:30pm

bwayphreak, I don't know if you're being sarcastic, ha, but I don't think it will be nominated for Best Musical.

[Kad]

Posted: 2/26/14 at 11:31pm

To be fair about the self referential stuff- the movie is very self-referential, anachronistic, and anarchic (courtesy largely of Robin Williams, who in many ways made that film what it is). The characters were after all modeled on Hirschfeld's style.

[TheatreKid3]

Posted: 2/26/14 at 11:31pm

I think it is interesting to note that Disney has opted to go with PLAYBILLs for this show as opposed to the alcohol-free SHOWBILL variation they have longed-subscribed to at the New Amsterdam (though it is shown as a SHOWBILL on playbill vault.com, so that was odd).

[Simon Damon]

Posted: 2/26/14 at 11:32pm

kind of hoped this would be the next Lion King but its more likely for me to get hit by a car than it happening

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 2/26/14 at 11:32pm

"Better than THE LITTLE MERMAID."

By gum, we have our ticket-selling pull-quote!

[TheatreKid3]

Posted: 2/26/14 at 11:36pm

Regarding the Tonys, I think if this show gets mixed to positive notices, it will be nominated for Best Musical. The 5 I see getting the noms are: BULLETS OVER BROADWAY, IF/THEN, ALADDIN, BEAUTIFUL: the Carole King Musical, and AFTER MIDNIGHT. I say this knowing full-well that two of these shows haven't even started previews, but I think those are a good group. GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE is the big spoiler for someone I think.

But as fun and annoying as speculation is, the Tonys are really a mute point at the moment. Updated On: 2/26/14 at 11:36 PM

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 2/26/14 at 11:37pm

Kad, I get that, and would be totally fine if it was only the Genie making those jokes. It's all the other characters, especially the three friends, who threw me for a loop.

[PlayItAgain]

Posted: 2/26/14 at 11:40pm

im still waiting for an explanation about why they go into outer space during Whole New World.

[Trish2]

Posted: 2/26/14 at 11:40pm

Considering the musical is titled, ALADDIN, why has no one mentioned Adam Jacobs' performance? Does he not have any major number of his own? Having not seen the movie, is this just the typical Disney "Prince type" role? Just curious.

[TheatreKid3]

Posted: 2/26/14 at 11:41pm

Sorry, I was going through twitter and found this gem that just begged to be shared:

"I wanna see Aladdin the musical tonight for its first performance! But there's one problem....it's in New Amsterdam "

And they are not referring to the theatre itself, I assure you. I lol'd.

Updated On: 2/26/14 at 11:41 PM