Aladdin the Musical Review

Flying away with Aladdin the musical’s carpet

Dreams of flying on magical carpets have been rooted in my mind ever since I saw Aladdin as a cartoon years ago. Aladdin the musical though is a unique form of West End musicals. It’s been playing since 2016 in London’s Prince Edward Theatre.

The play is based on a Disney film of the same name that was released in 1992. What makes Aladdin so unique to audiences is, in my opinion, that it has mystic and magical Middle Eastern origins. That being said, I’m not that pleased the Middle East was shown in that manner.

Anyways, as a child, I too was fascinated by the magical flying carpet in the Aladdin cartoons from TV, and always wanted to see it and solve the magic behind it.

With this childhood dream in mind, I went to see the musical at London’s Prince Edwards Theatre. When the moment came, the carpet took off and started to fly smoothly, I was full of hope that, at last, I would be able to see the magic behind it all. I watched the carpet fly for as long as I could. Even though I kept my eyes wide open, it still didn’t give me a clue about its secret. I was disappointed and very annoyed, I might say. I was expecting to solve the magical mystery that I couldn’t throughout my childhood.

The professionalism of the crew didn’t give away how the carpet floated. Maybe it is better if I didn’t solve it, for the sake of the mystic and magical Middle Eastern theme. 

The moment you see the carpet flying, you somehow are forced to get rid of the idea of solving the magic, or you get tired of not being able to, and you let it fascinate you by its mystery.

Muhammed Tas, whom I had the chance to talk to, showed me that I was not alone to be impressed by the carpet. He said that he was amazed by the technology and the cozy environment inside the theatre rather than the story itself. He said: “I wasn’t expecting to be awestruck this much, because I knew the story of Aladdin, I was raised with it. But the technology made the way I see the story different. I felt like I was watching a 3D movie.“ Before seeing the show he thought Aladdin was for children, then he said: “I enjoyed the show more than my son. He was sleeping at the end.”

Aladdin and Jasmine are the main characters of the show. I think Jasmin the princess was as suprising to me as the magical carpet, if not more. By falling in love with Aladdin who is a ‘street rat’ and a poor young man, Jasmin proved that true love is not confined to material things like wealth or reputation which Aladdin lacks. Yet, I’m not going to say that it is impossible to see someone like Jasmine in the world we live in today. No. People who are not in love with wealth and reputation have always existed and will hopefully continue to do so. They are always in the minority, though. That’s why it was suprising and magical to see Jasmine falling in love with that poor man.

And the Genie…

Trevor Dion Nicholas as the Genie, could by itself be the only reason for someone to go and buy a ticket. He played the part with incredible energy, which inevitably seemed like a part of his personal self. The way he spoke to the audience, the way he came out from the lamp, these instances had me in awe of his talent. There wasn’t a moment where my eyes weren’t fixed on the play thanks to him.

About his character, the Genie was less intelligent than I expected. It’s a detail I actually didn’t remember when I was watching the cartoon as a child. Especially in the part that Aladdin deceives the Genie for the third wish was vital for the play’s namesake. The way the Genie respected his master, Aladdin, felt desperate to me. Him being both free, original in his speeches and being obedient to his master Aladdin was a bit contradictory or childish and yet cute, I’d say.

The colours, the costumes, and the decorations, they don’t let you even turn your head for a second. The environments I have experienced at West End theatres literally dazzle me every single time, just like they did to other audiences like Kieran. He said: “It was a riot of colours. There is no colour scale like this.”

As someone who has only seen a handful of shows, I might be overreacting to it just a bit. But I’m being honest. I saw those sparkling clothes and different shades of purple in my dreams.

Another audience Semanur said: “You find the three things that you cannot find in cinema. Sound, light, and stage. Cinema pales beside the theatre. The debate ends.”

So, every penny I spent for the show was well-worth it. Even though the secret remains unsolvable for me, not for so long hopefully, I would go and deceive myself again. And again. And again. Each time it’ll be ‘A whole new world’.

Buy tickets at https://aladdinthemusical.co.uk/ or visit Prince Edward theatre.