Just saw the stage musical of "
Aladdin" at the
Orpheum in San Francisco. I'm crazy for musicals, and I've seen quite a few, including "
Cabaret" (which I found quite shocking as a young teen) and "
Hello Dolly" with Carol Channing, too many years ago to count. Of course I have my faves: chief among them "
Wicked", the prehistory of Wizard of Oz, developed here on the left coast, and "
Jersey Boys", an all-around great musical. "
Book of Mormon", which I saw in New York, was cute, but not worth the ridiculous ticket prices it commanded. However, are over-the-top visuals are your thing? "Aladdin" is made for you. It's bling central.
If all extremely well-funded corporations spent money like
Disney, we'd be sending donations direct to them. No expense was spared for this production, with more than 300 people working on the costumes, nearly 9,000
Swarovski crystals in one costume alone (and there are dozens of them), and, yes, live fireworks. No need to worry, since this show premiered in New York a couple years ago, and they have the safety issues down.
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| Orpheum interior |
Speaking of New York, this is an excellent traveling cast and orchestra; Aladdin himself is played by the NY original who developed the role,
Adam Jacobs. I shouldn't call him a NY original, however, since by his own admission he was raised among the pumpkin patches in Half Moon Bay, and he learned his trade here, eventually exchanging squash for the big apple. The genie was played by
Korie Lee Blossey (a stand-in for regular Anthony Murphy), who worked his heart out to portray the high-energy - and very queenie - genie, with great success.
I had my doubts about a Disney musical, but I enjoyed it. Expect some corny one-liners, evil-but-entertaining villains, and a lightweight, transparent story line with, yes, a happy ending. As a triumph of musical theater, it's pretty meh, but all that means nothing as you bounce out of the theater with a light heart and dazzled eyes, humming the last few bars of the closing tune. You will have a great time, be thrilled by the intricately beautiful stage sets and special effects and those hard-working, incredibly talented singers/dancers/actors who fill the stage. And if your child is interested in theater, you can't go wrong with "Aladdin".
If all extremely well-funded corporations spent money like Disney, we'd be sending donations direct to them. No expense was spared for this production, with more than 300 people working on the costumes, nearly 9,000 Swarovski crystals in one costume alone (and there are dozens of them), and, yes, live fireworks. No need to worry, since this show premiered in New York a couple years ago, and they have the safety issues down.
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