Review: ALADDIN at Dallas Summer Musicals

It's not a surprise that DFW is proud of their boys! Dallas is in for a pleasant surprise as ALADDIN makes dreams come true at Dallas Summer Musicals. ALADDIN is now onstage at the Music Hall at Fair Park from June 6 through June 23.

Based on the 1992 Academy Award-winning animated film ALADDIN is a thrilling new production filled with unforgettable beauty, magic, comedy, and breathtaking spectacle. It's an extraordinary theatrical event where one lamp and three wishes make the possibilities infinite. Disney's ALADDIN is Broadway's most beloved musical and follows Aladdin, a young street rat who stumbles upon a magical genie lamp.

Texas natives Clinton Greenspan (Aladdin) and Major Attaway (Genie) astonish audiences with dazzling performances in Agrabah. Greenspan was the physical embodiment of the 1992 cartoon we all know and love. He had me hooked from the moment he sang his first note! Greenspan's Aladdin was so heartfelt and thoughtful that you couldn't help but fall in love with him.

Paired with Major Attaway's #BigTex Genie the two were a joy to watch onstage together. Attaway's Genie was nothing short of magical. He was electrifying as the all-powerful Genie from the lamp and any time he was on stageo it was hard to keep your eyes on anyone else. Genie's song "Friend Like Me" tore the house down as Attaway caused a rippling standing ovation throughout the audience mid-song! Attaway had our hearts from the moment he opened the show and had stolen them by the end of the night.

The entire cast was absolutely sensational. Kaenaonalani Kekoa was the perfect Jasmine. She was witty, strong-willed, and spunky; as well as a loving daughter and a fierce woman. Kekoa's Jasmine was the perfect match to Greenspan's Aladdin. Together they led the audience on a magic carpet ride of love and adventure. Jonathan Weir as Jafar and Reggie De Leon as Iago were the ultimate villainous duo. Their comedic timing was on point and made the contrasting Aladdin, Jasmin, eand Genie seem so much more personable and real.

Alan Menken's music truly came alive and soared at the Music Hall. I was completely swept up in the magic of the orchestration. Unfortunately, there were a couple of technical sound issues that made actors difficult to hear but by the end of the first act, all microphone problems seemed to have been resolved.

Now is the perfect opportunity to grab a magic carpet ride down to Music Hall at Fair Park and watch these incredible performers make magic onstage. I guarantee that you'll be humming Friend Like Me for the next couple of days!

ALADDIN at Dallas Summer Musicals continues through June 23. Tickets and more information can be found at www.dallassummermusicals.org. ASL performances will be on June 15 and June 22.