Review of Disney's Aladdin at Milton Keynes Theatre

Back in 1992, Disney took the age-old tale of Aladdin and did their classic Disneyfying of the story and with the genius of Robin Williams in the role of the Genie, the film remains an immensely popular one to this day. Forward to 2011 and Disney took the show to the stage for the first time and with it the classic songs from Alan Menken with lyrics by Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Chad Beguelin with a few additions. Since then it has continued to have huge success across the world. Having now arrived at Milton Keynes Theatre on a new tour of the UK & Ireland, it is easy to see why that success continues.

This is a truly epic and spectacular show, perhaps the largest that you could find outside of the streets and avenues of the West End. From the opening number as the Genie welcomes us to the streets of the fictional Arabian city of Agrabah, the show simply oozes quality.

Performances are top-notch with a large cast of leads and an ensemble at the top of their game. As Aladdin, Gavin Adams is charm personified and brings the sure of himself character to the stage vividly and confidently. Talking of confidence, Yeukayi Ushe could never be accussed of lacking in that department in his role as the Genie. His ease and confidence are tremendous in a role that switches at times from a main story character to breaking the fourth wall and addressing the audience directly, but never straying to the dreaded pantomime vibe. His scenes are tremendous in particular the cave scene where he simply does a show-stopper routine. He also smoothly performs that big number we all know, Friend Like Me, during this sequence, and make it very much his own.

Elsewhere the superb characterisation continues with a delightful, and confident Desmonda Cathabel as Princess Jasmine. She means business and won't be controlled and cojoled by her father and respect for needing to toe the line of history and take who she is told as her husband. There is also excellent support by Nelson Bettencourt (Barbak), Adam Taylor (Omar) and Nay-Nay (Kassim) as Aladdin's thieving friends and the sequence in the second act where they storm the palace is one of the best put-together of the show.

The baddies of the piece are superb also, with Adam Strong a generally deadpan Jafar, except his collapses into evil laughs alongside his assistant Iago. As Iago, Angelo Paragoso is a complete scene stealer with impeccable comic timing making the character one of the best in the show.

The scenic design from Bob Crowley is a visual feast of colour and respects the culture, and as publicity around the show makes proud, so do the stunning costumes from Gregg Barnes, with a high emphasis on making it true to the world depicted and created very much in and with the resources of many countries across the Middle East. Lighting from Natasha Katz cleverly evokes the splendour of the palace and the desert brightness of the region depicted and brings further vibrance to the set and flats.

The music comes to life from Dave Rose's relatively small but talented

orchestra and the numbers are performed by the cast stunningly with highlights including Proud of Your Boy, A Million Miles Away, and of course the other classic from the show A Whole New World, which itself occurs during a smoothly created magic carpet ride.

It is without question that Disney's Aladdin is an incredible show, benefitting from great investment in the design and getting the very best of performers. The show itself, due to its scale is not travelling to many venues, but if this comes near you on its journey, it is very much a must see.

The most spectacular, entertaining and visually stunning show outside of the West End.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Performance reviewed: Thursday 25th April 2024 at the Milton Keynes Theatre.

Disney's Aladdin runs at Milton Keynes Theatre until Sunday 19th May 2024.

For further details about Milton Keynes see their website at http://www.atgtickets.com/venues/milton-keynes-theatre/

Production photos: Deen Van Meer

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A Small Mind At The Theatre

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