Review: Disney's ALADDIN at the Paramount Grows Up and Rediscovers its Magic

Back in 2011 many of us here in Seattle were subjected to a very different version of "Disney's Aladdin" than what you might see currently playing at the Paramount Theatre. Also for many of us that previous version left a bad taste in our mouths for the property. A property that we loved in its original movie form 25 years ago (wow, was it that long ago). But this new version on tour now from the Broadway incarnation seems to have grown up from its shaky beginnings and now delivers a fun ride for kids and adults alike.

We all know the story. Street urchins, a princess, a genie, three wishes, blah, blah, blah. We don't need the rehash here. Let's spend our time more constructively and talk about the differences between then and now and see what happened during the three years from when it was here before and when it went on to Broadway. First off, the story is so much tighter and flows so much better. Gone are the incessant narration breaks from Aladdin's buddies Babkak, Omar, and Kassim (Zach Bencal, Philippe Arroyo, and Mike Longo) which only halted the action. Oh, the boys are still there but used much more wisely and the story is just allowed to tell itself. The songs have been restructured to wonderful effect. We actually get the chance to meet and understand our hero before we dive into any other characters (not the way it was before). We've even lost some songs like Jasmine's "Call Me a Princess" which, while still a fun song, had no business in this show with a character who's struggling to assert her brains and independence, even as a joke. It's replaced now by the much more fitting "These Palace Walls".

OK let's move onto the production elements, like the set. Disney Imagineers have long shown off their prowess on the stage shows whether it's transforming a Beast right in front of our eyes or making Bert the chimney sweep dance on the ceiling but in the original incarnation of "Aladdin" there was a decided lack of magic and a set that looked as if it might fall apart at any moment. Well that's grown up too. The Cave of Wonders is truly a wonder with tons of magic and hidden elements not to mention the pyrotechnics. And the cave is just the flashiest bit of a set by Bob Crowley that continued to wow all night long. And the new magic carpet? Let's just say so much better as it appears they may have gotten a real magic carpet. Adding into that Gregg Barnes' costumes not only evoke much of the iconic natures of the movie but also bring in a bunch of magic of their own. Especially one bit with Jafar that I still wasn't sure how they did it.

But story, songs, and sets aside, the original production even had some performance problems that I'm happy to say are no more. We've got the original Aladdin back with us, Adam Jacobs. He started with us and he has grown into the part beautifully. I recall I didn't feel he quite had a grasp on it before and now he's charming and lovable and totally invested and makes for a perfect hero. Isabelle McCalla makes for a perfect partner to keep him on his toes and I liked her Princess Jasmine better as now she's a bit smarter and more of a smart ass. Bencal, Arroyo, and Longo are wonderful as the best friends a guy could ever have and truly add to the story now. And Jonathan Weir as the malevolent Jafar and Don Darryl Rivera as the parroting Iago (the original Iago I might add from the previous production and Broadway) make for the perfect villains. They're so good at being bad making an evil kind of fun and making it easy for us to like it when they lose. Anthony Murphy was not our Genie before but he's my Genie now as he sold every moment of the role making him a delight. But then that's what worked with all of the ensemble, they sold every moment. From Jacobs to McCalla all the way to the ensemble dancers who've got to be exhausted every evening as they are playing an entire city constantly running off, changing costumes and running back on for yet another dance number. Kudos!

I was quite trepidatious going into this one having been burned so much before but this new and vastly improved production was just the salve I needed to put on those burns and make the pain fade away. And so, with my three-letter rating system, I give "Disney's Aladdin" at the Paramount a magical YAY. Don't let the memory of that other production deter you. This one is here to make it all better.

"Disney's Aladdin" performs at the Paramount through October 29th. For tickets or information visit Seattle Theatre Group online at www.STGPresents.org.

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