Aladdin on Broadway

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PatrickvD
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Post by PatrickvD »

I never cared that much for Humiliate the Boy... so I'm glad it's Why Me that found its way back into the production.

I hope the show is a hit and goes to Broadway, it's shaping up to be everything Little Mermaid and Tarzan weren't.
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ajmrowland
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Post by ajmrowland »

why do I get the feeling Act 2 is gonna only be 30 minutes long?
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tsom
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Post by tsom »

There are a couple of reviews on broadwayworld.com, plus I found a couple of reviews online:

http://happilyeverafterinseattle.blogsp ... l?spref=tw

http://blog.cherylplatz.com/?p=89
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totallyminnie86
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Aladdin musical premiere / I MET ALAN MENKEN

Post by totallyminnie86 »

Being a Seattlite, I was THRILLED to make it to the opening night world premiere of Aladdin: the new stage musical, last night at the 5th Avenue Theatre. I had a friend in the cast, and that made the night even more fun. I will post a more in depth review later. Some random thoughts off the bat:

-The costume design is STUNNING. Very true to the film, but with more elaborate embellishment. Lots of different textiles, prints and middle-eastern motifs. Gorgeous!

- It was such a treat to hear and see the cut songs being performed live! I particularly enjoyed "Proud of your Boy"

- Babkak, Omar, and Kassim were fun characters, and their presence helped fill the empty plot holes due to the lack of Abu and the Carpet in this version.

- James Monroe Inglehart is an AMAZING genie! Lots of flair, and a great actor who really did the character justice. (Super nice guy as well, I might add!)

- Jafar as Jafar? Epic. Enough said.

The sets were fairly simple, but I thought 'A whole new world' was handled well, with a beautiful multi-colored star drop.

Now, after the show I was waiting for my friend (a member of the ensemble) and I also had the pleasure of meeting a majority of the cast at the stage door. (pictures to follow!) after waiting for a bit, my fiance suggested we head back to our hotel, and I decided he was right.. thank God he did.. because as we were heading towards the street, we found ourselves stopped at a crosswalk a block or two from the theatre.

I stopped. I couldn't believe my eyes. Yes, I was sure. Alan Menken was standing in front of me. I am a HUGE Menken fan. I mean, I can (and did) refer to even his most obscure material. I said "yy.. you're.. Alan.. Menken.." (yeah I was kinda in shock). He turns and says, "yes, I am" and I introduced myself. He was with a couple friends and my fiance and I were the only other people there.

He shook my hand and gave me a hug, and I proceeded to tell him about how much I admired his work and how much I enjoyed the show, and what his music has meant to me throughout my life. He was so kind, and so friendly!!! I was really impressed. We talked for about 10 mins or so. And then, I started singing (Led by Alan!!) on the streetcorner. It was a dream come true. What really impressed me, was that once he reached the restaurant he was going to, his friends held the door for them, and he just waved them on and said 'hold on, I'll be there in a minute, I want to talk with them for a while' What a guy. So I got an autograph and some pictures, and then I said we'd be coming back again to see the show again, and that I had a friend in the cast, and he told me to 'stop by afterwards and say hi again' :D

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Me and the legendary ALAN MENKEN!

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With Courtney Reed, as Princess Jasmine
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With James Monroe Inglehart and Adam Jacobs (Genie and Aladdin) and my soon-to-be-hubby :)
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totallyminnie86
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Post by totallyminnie86 »

Act 2 was indeed shorter. The entire production ran 2 and half hours with one intermission of about 15 minutes.
PatrickvD
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Post by PatrickvD »

Awesome, you must have been in heaven! Alan sounds like a great guy. And great pictures.

I Hope the show lives on on Broadway and overseas, so I can see it someday.
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Post by ChrisLyne »

So glad you got to meet him and see the show!

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and the stage door pictures. I can't wait to hear your in depth review!
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disneyprincess11
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Post by disneyprincess11 »

AHHHHHHHHH! JEALOUSSSSSSSSSS! Esepecially that you met Alan!!!!

The pic is so cute btw!
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Miss Jo
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Post by Miss Jo »

Oh wow! That's amazing that you got to meet Alan Menken! I would have been a complete mess if I suddenly saw him standing in front of me! Lol.
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totallyminnie86
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Post by totallyminnie86 »

Hehe, I was pretty much in shock when I saw him literally standing in front of me, just randomly on the street like that. Then my brain caught up with me, and I was able to have a wonderful conversation with him :D

I will be going again soon, so I will have a full review up, and also note if they make any changes (as opening night usually differs to what the 'final' version of the show turns out to be)
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Jack Skellington
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Post by Jack Skellington »

I'm so happy for you Minnie, and I don't recall ever congragulating you on your engagement, so congrats ! :)
I hope they publish more pics of the show, that would be really awesome.
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Post by ChrisLyne »

5th Avenue have said on facebook that production pictures and video clips will be released (but not said how soon) and Alan Menken has tweeted that "Wedding Suite" is being replaced and the finale trimmed.

Really looking forward to your review Minnie! So jealous that you get to see the show! Alan Menken said it got even better on the 2nd night, so when you see it again it should be fabulous! I'm just saving up and hoping it comes to Broadway (with as much of this cast as possible)
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Elladorine
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Post by Elladorine »

What an amazing experience! :)
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ajmrowland
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Post by ajmrowland »

Oh, god! wish I were there!
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Sotiris
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Post by Sotiris »

That's so cool! You should have asked him about his upcoming work and get a scoop for us. :P
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Post by ChrisLyne »

That interview is all JMI, all I did was copy the link!

But if you want to know what they're doing next, James is going back to Memphis and Adam is going to play Simba on Broadway! Not sure about Courtney though, maybe back to In The Heights?
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Poody
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Post by Poody »

Awesome story! The guy who plays Aladdin is hot.... :P
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Super Aurora
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Post by Super Aurora »

Is it me or does Alan seems to start getting bald?
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Poody
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Post by Poody »

Wait, so no "To Be Free"? Weird! :P
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