Aladdin, the musical is currently showing at the Hyperion Theater at Disney's California Adventure . I have now had the pleasure of seeing this extravagant presentation twice, on two different trips almost 1 year apart.
I found this show to be very true to the movie, following the storyline very nicely, yet quickly. Before seeing Aladdin for the first time, there were a few doubts in my mind. After all, how could a stage show have the cave of wonders, the magic carpet ride that Aladdin and Jasmine took, and the wonderful parade, my favorite part of the movie? Amazingly enough, I found that the stage show handled each of those examples very nicely and I was pleasantly surprised and thoroughly enjoyed how they fit each of the delicate situations into this stage show.
The Genie was another concern, after all, the movie had Robin Williams as the Genie and in my mind, nobody could compare. Once again I was surprised by this production. The Genie is a character that is wonderfully portrayed. It is especially funny for the Genie to bring up things that are currently happening in the news. The Genie does do a great job, and generates many laughs from the crowd as he says his lines in this show.
Aladdin the musical is full of energy, wonderful musical and delightful scenes. The Hyperion Theater is a beautiful venue for Disney's Broadway caliber productions. The parade, my favorite part of the movie, is also my favorite part of the show. It is very well done.
My 4 year old saw this show for the first time on our last trip. He loves the movie, especially Abu, so was immediately upset that Abu is not in the stage show. He did know that ahead of time, and was prepared. His other love, the magic carpet, thrilled him in the show. He did enjoy the show, but was ready to go about 35 minutes after it started.
Rumor has it that Aladdin the musical will be leaving California Adventure soon. I highly recommend that you see it before the final performance.