Disney’s Aladdin, a new musical comedy based on the classic Academy Award-winning animated film, is set to dazzle Sydney in its Australian premiere at the Capitol Theatre tomorrow evening (Thursday 11 August 2016).
Aladdin‘s principal cast Features Michael James Scott in the role of the Genie, Ainsley Melham as Aladdin, Arielle Jacobs as Jasmine, Adam Murphy as Jafar, Aljin Abella as Iago, George Henare as the Sultan, Adam Jon Fiorentino as Kassim, Troy Sussman as Babkak and Robert Tripolino as Omar, they are supported by an outstanding ensemble of some of Australia’s established and emerging talent.
Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions (The Lion King, Mary Poppins in Australia), directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon, Something Rotten!), Aladdin features music by Tony Award and eight-time Oscar winner Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Newsies, Sister Act, Little Shop of Horrors), lyrics by two-time Oscar winner Howard Ashman (Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid), three-time Tony Award and three-time Oscar winner Tim Rice (Evita, Aida) and four time Tony Award nominee Chad Beguelin (The Wedding Singer), with a book by Beguelin.
Aladdin is designed by seven-time Tony-winning scenic designer Bob Crowley, six time Tony-winning lighting designer Natasha Katz, two-time Tony-winning costume designer Gregg Barnes and sound designer Ken Travis. The production team also includes illusion designer Jim Steinmeyer, hair designer Josh Marquette and makeup designer Milagros Medina-Cerdeira. The music team is headed by music supervisor and music director Michael Kosarin, who also created the vocal and incidental music arrangements, joined by orchestrator Danny Troob and dance music arranger Glen Kelly.
Aladdin is considered one of the largest productions ever mounted in Australia with a total cast of 37, a staggering 337 costumes and 70 tonnes of scenery and automation in an unforgettable theatrical event. An unprecedented 1,225 different fabrics, 712 different styles of beads, almost 500,000 Swarovski crystals and 161 pairs of custom-made shoes have been used to make the glittering costumes, predominantly handcrafted in Sydney.
Thirty tonnes of exotic flying scenery and 40 tonnes of automation and staging have been built to recreate the fantasy city of Agrabah including the colourful marketplace, the lush palace of The Sultan and his princess daughter Jasmine and the legendary Cave of Wonders.
“We are hugely proud of this Australian production from Casey Nicholaw, his creative team and the Australian cast and crew,” said President and Producer Disney Theatrical Productions, Thomas Schumacher. “The more we work here, the more we are impressed by a deep pool of musical theatre talent that only continues to grow. This company represents the very best of the best from here in Australia and around the world.”
Adapted from the Disney film and centuries-old folktales including One Thousand and One Nights – Aladdin is brought to fresh theatrical life in this bold new musical. Aladdin’s journey sweeps audiences into an exotic world of daring adventure, classic comedy and timeless romance. This new production features a full score, including the five cherished songs from the Academy Award-winning soundtrack and more written especially for the stage.
Aladdin opened on Broadway to critical acclaim on March 20th, 2014 and quickly established itself as one of the biggest new blockbusters in recent years, breaking 11 New Amsterdam Theatre house records and welcoming over 2.5 million people worldwide. Its global footprint has expanded to include productions in Tokyo, Hamburg, London and now Sydney with a North American tour to launch in 2017.
The animated film, Aladdin was released by Disney in 1992, and was a critical and box office smash, grossing over $500 million worldwide (not adjusted for inflation) and becoming the highest-grossing film of the year. The film won an Oscar for Best Original Score and a second for Best Original Song with A Whole New World – which also won a Grammy Award for Song of the Year.
Aladdin
Capitol Theatre, 13 Campbell Street, Haymarket (Sydney)
Season: 11 August – 13 November 2016
Bookings: www.ticketmaster.com.au
For more information, visit: www.aladdinthemusical.com.au for details.
Image: Ainsley Melham as Aladdin with the Lamp – photo By Deen van Meer