Book: Chad Beguelin
Music: Alan Menken
Lyrics: Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Chad Beguelin
Director: Casey Nicholaw
Escape to a whole new world at the Birmingham Hippodrome, which is marking its 125th anniversary with 
another bumper year of productions – and few of them come bigger or more spectacular than Disney’s Aladdin. This sparkling production has got everything you could want – an evil villain, a young hero, a magic genie and a flying carpet, with familiar music, colourful costumes and stunning sets as well.
It’s not an early Hippodrome panto – that’ll be along later in the year – but there’s often a big overlap in feel between the two genres, and if you wanted something that’s familiar but different this could be a good alternative to the traditional Christmas offering.
Aladdin has got everything you’d expect from a big West End show on tour, and it’s as big and magical as ever. Bob Crowley has created a set fit for a Sultan, with a good mixture of easily moved trucked pieces and big, spectacular set pieces letting the show move slickly from start to finish, enhanced by excellent lighting from Natasha Katz. The script is funny – although it broadly follows the 1992 movie it’s been rewritten for the stage – and the music, including many new songs, is catchy and always appropriate for each moment in the show. Costumes (Gregg Barnes) are colourful while mirroring the clothes people expect to see from the movie.
As you’d expect there’s a strong – and large – cast too. Gavin Adams, making his professional debut on this tour, gives us a personable Aladdin, with good movement skills and an excellent voice, delivering the familiar songs with aplomb. He looks every inch the young street urchin turned hero that you’d expect him to be, and he owns the stage as though he’s been doing this for a lifetime. Alongside him, we get a well-judged Jasmine from Desmonda Cathabel, in equally good voice. This is a character who’s prepared to fight for what she wants. Though she doesn’t get a huge amount of stage time compared to some of the other characters Cathabel makes every moment of her time count in her performance.
Adam Strong is a suitably evil Jafar, superficially obsequious to the Sultan (Jo Servi) while plotting to take charge himself. This is the archetypal baddie role, and Strong clearly relishes it. Alongside Jafar is his sidekick, and here Angelo Paragoso gives us a wonderfully funny Iago. Iago is a man who strives to be as evil as his boss, but never seems quite to get there and in the process creates some laugh-out-loud moments. In this version, Aladdin gets some sidekicks too, with Kassim (Nay-Nay), Omar (Adam Taylor) and Babkak (Nelson Bettencourt) adding their own brand of comedy and excellent vocal skills to the mix.
Stealing the show, though, is everyone’s favourite Genie, played here by Yeukayi Ushe with superb vocal and comedy skills. His big production number Friend Like Me is a much anticipated moment, and when it comes along it certainly delivers everything you might have anticipated. He seems born for the role and delivers everything you might need – a loveable character, sounding perfect and looking every inch the part.
It’s 22 years since the Hippodrome first staged a Disney show and several productions later it’s unlikely that Aladdin will be the last. They’re determined not to rely on work done by others and brought here on tour, though, and it’s good to see the first National Centre for Musical Theatre being set up here at the Hippodrome showing an eye for the future of musical theatre.
Meanwhile, though, we have Aladdin – a shining, shimmering, splendid show with some wonderful performances, colourful settings and familiar music: it’s bound to leave you going home with a smile on your face.
Runs until 3 November 2024 and on tour
The Reviews Hub Score
Shining, shimmering, splendid
