“ALADDIN” AND HIS MAGIC CARPET GLIDE INTO CIVIC WITH FLAIR

With all the glitz Broadway and Las Vegas can muster, “Aladdin” glides on his magic carpet to the Civic as effortlessly as Genie (Marcus M. Martin) holds us in his grips the moment he’s let out of his magic lamp. (“Friend Like Me”).

Marcus M. Martin (center)

And while the star is the wayward street urchin, Aladdin (Adi Roy with his three besties, Kassim (Colt Prattes), Omar (Nathan Levy), and Babkak (Jake Letts),  and their senseless antics,) tries to woo princess Jasmine, the beautiful but kickass Senzel Ahmad,  no one in the musical entertains and holds us hostage as Martin aka Genie does. 

Marcus M. Martin 

The 1992 Disney animated film of the same name is based on the Arabic folklore “One Thousand and One Nights” as it follows Aladdin’s trail finding the magic lamp with Genie in it. At the time the film was  released, it was the highest grossing film that year.

Adi Roy as Aladdin

As the story goes, Aladdin is broke and needs some kind of something to get money to live. Petty pick pocketing and stealing won’t do the trick. After he finds the magic lamp and releases Genie, he gets three wishes. He is totally smitten with the Sultan's daughter. He disguises himself as a wealthy prince hoping to impress the Sultan’s (Sorab Wadia) daughter and eventually ask for her hand in marriage. 

Aladdin and his three besties 

Any resemblance to the film will have to be gleaned from the movie and the songs, (20 or so) with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Chad Beguelin and book by Chad Beguelin, not from the glitz seen from top to bottom and side to side with Bob Crowley scenic design package, Ken Travis’ sound design, native San Diegan Gregg Barnes costumes are elegant looking, lavish,  beautiful and colorful  and period perfect, Natasha Katz’ lighting, and direction and the never ending (everything from ‘Chorus Line’ swanky, glimmering dancing, to belly dancing, (to what almost looked like bottle dancing) choreography by our own born and raised Casey Nicholaw.

This tour (it was here 10 years ago on its first national tour) is pure entertainment from the busy streets of Agrabah to the palace gates. The cast is one of the ‘There is so much going on that’s it difficult focusing on Aladdin’s pals (named above) who are always at the ready for Aladdin to either break away from some sinister plots by the sorcerer Jafar (Anand Nagraj) and his side -kick  Iago, ( Aaron Choi) both humorously effective and pretty bumbling and sinister. Both are Jasmine's nemesis.

Senzel Ahmady and Adi Roy

The fast paced plot with an overabundance of talented ensemble members slows down a bit when the two lovers (“A Whole New World” ) manage to finally come together and it looks like the real deal when they magically fly above the city on their magic carpet; it is truly the stuff of fairy-tales, and the chemistry is convincing.  

Danny Troob’s orchestrations along with musical director James Dodgson rich sounds coming from the pit puts this production in the must see column.

Billed as a family show, and with several cuts from the original book /story this wonderfully entertaining production is well worth the trip downtown for the whole family.

Company

Enjoy.

See you at the theatre.

When: 7 p.m. Wednesday ; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Thursday ; 7:30 p.m. April 5; 2 and 7:30 p.m. April 6; 1 and 7:30 p.m. April 7

Where: San Diego Civic Theatre, 110 Third Ave., Downtown

Tickets: $34 and up

Photo: Deen van Meer

Online: broadwaysd.com