Category: Uncategorized

CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR

THE UK PREMIERE OF

WRITTEN BY CRAIG WRIGHT
DIRECTED BY IYA PATARKATSISHVILI

RUNNING AT RIVERSIDE STUDIOS
FROM 15 NOVEMBER – 14 DECEMBER 2024

Casting is now complete for the London debut of Craig Wright’s gripping play, The Unseen which will open at Riverside Studios next month.

The cast features BAFTA Cymru Award-winning actor Richard Harrington (Fisherman’s Friends: One and All; Home I’m Darling) as Wallace and Waj Ali (Carnival Row; King Lear) as Valdez, two prisoners incarcerated together, with Ross Tomlinson (Allelujah; This Is Going To Hurt) as Smash, a prison guard.

The Unseen delves into the human spirit’s resilience under oppressive regimes and will be directed by Iya Patarkatsishvili, with set and costume design by Simon Kenny,playing at Riverside Studios from 15 November 2024. Accompanying the play will be a series of post-performance discussions featuring special guest speakers and the UK premiere of international exhibition Faces of Russian Resistance.

Craig Wright’s play, first seen at the Humana Festival in 2007 and subsequently at New York’s Cherry Lane Theatre is a powerful exploration of the human spirit’s capacity for connection, even in the direst of circumstances. It challenges audiences to confront the realities of power, cruelty, and the costs of survival.

In a brutal totalitarian regime, two strangers are imprisoned for reasons unknown. Wallace and Valdez communicate only through their cell walls, navigating waves of hope and disillusionment whilst seeking an escape route.

Finding solace in one another they create their own philosophies in an attempt to assign meaning to their state of confinement. Meanwhile, their torturer finds himself torn between his duty and his own self-revulsion and plans a showdown that will change everything.

GUEST SPEAKERS

A series of post-performance events have been programmed in conjunction with the production, focusing on the play’s themes and contemporary human rights issues. Special guests to be announced, with support from the Russian Democratic Society.

FACES OF RUSSIAN RESISTANCE

Acclaimed exhibition, Faces of Russian Resistance, will make its UK premier at Riverside Studios to coincide with the production of The Unseen. The exhibition focuses on Russians who oppose the Putin regime and paid for it with their freedom. Its heroes are not only politicians who led an open struggle for the freedom of Russia. These are ordinary citizens who did not believe false propaganda and did not accept the invasion to a neighbouring country. There are men and women, young and old, political activists, artists, scientists, students, fathers and mothers. They were all jailed for years, some of them — for decades.
www.politzk.com/en

The Unseen is written by Craig Wright, directed by Iya Patarkatsishvili, has set and costume design by Simon Kenny, lighting design by Anna Watson, sound design by Mike Walker with James Robert Moore as associate director. The composer is Danny Short, who also executive produces alongside, Peter Huntley and Callum Runciman for Smart Entertainment.

Waterloo East Theatre – until 26 October 2024

Reviewed by Claire Roderick

4****

After a run at Theatre at the Tabard last year, Peter Hamilton’s tragicomedy comes to Waterloo east with a new director and new cast.

When Ashley Davenport’s (Richard Linnell) never-ending gap year took him to India, he came face to face with Yama, King of Death (Tanya Katyal) and decides to turn his back on life and embrace death. Booking himself into the exclusive Gethsemane Garden Village Retirement Home, he is met with incredulity by the staff and residents – but money talks – so Ashley becomes the newest resident at the ripe old age of 24.

The comfortable but repetitive, institutionalised lives of the elderly residents as they reminisce about past lives and fatalistically look to the future are at odds with the staff – undocumented immigrants who share their stories of abuse and captivity from their perilous entry to the UK. Hamilton plays with culture clashes between teenagers and the elderly, the entitlement of the rich compared to those struggling to survive in a cruel and unfair world, and whimsical riffs on happiness, life, and death.

All these threads felt a little disconnected in the previous production, but director Ross McGregor uses music and movement with the entire cast to create a mystical feel and a more coherent play. James Maxwell’s elephant animation is fantastic, and Lucy Moxon’s design – with a simple screen allowing scenes in different locations to flow almost seamlessly – Johnathan Simpson’s lighting, Alistair Lax and Michael Bird’s sound, and Susie Hamilton and Lucy Ioannou’s art design add layers of weird and wonderful atmosphere, while movement directors Will and Dorie Pinchin create a gentle ritualistic dance of life and death. The addition of Yama, constantly watching and silently influencing the characters helps the plot, making journeys to and returns from the lilac room, and Miguel’s (Ryan Crellin-Simpson) sad choice more reasonable and emotional.

Richard Linnell is great fun as the entitled and clueless Ashley, bouncing bemusedly off the effusive but tragic Mr Krish (Jamie Zubairi). The residents (the fantastic Ian Crowe, Annette Holland, Sian Howard, and Moray Treadwell) have become less caricatures with more humanity and an underlying melancholy, making their sillier moments much more affecting.

A fun, thought-provoking and thoughtful production about life, death and free will. Well worth a look.

Leeds Grand Theatre – until 31 October 2024

Reviewed by Dawn Smallwood

4****

Opera North’s new Season is underway with A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Leeds Grand Theatre. Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is based on his and Peter Pears’ libretto set on the Shakespeare comedy. The Three Act Opera first premiered in 1960 in Aldeburgh and this production was first performed in 2008.

The story is about Oberon (James Laing) and Tytania (Daisy Brown), King and Queen Fairies, who have an argument over a child. Oberon in revenge asks Puck (Daniel Abelson), his loyal spirit, to sprinkle some juice of a magical flower into Tytania’s eyes while she sleeps. The intention is for his wife to fall in love with the first creature she sees when she wakes up.

There is a ‘love square’ between four people: Hermia (Siân Griffiths), Lysander (Peter Kirk), Demetrius (James Newby) and Helena (Camilla Harris). Lysander and Demetrius want Hermia however Helena is not wanted but is in love with Demetrius. Oberon intends to make Demetrius love Helena with assistance from Puck and use of the magic potion. However, Puck gets Lysander instead and subsequently the scenario becomes chaotic along with a confused trance like dreamy ambience, reflecting their state of minds.

The staging is interesting and contemporary and set in the 1960s at the time the opera was written, and the staging with is translucent Perspex and enormous bubbles floating above the stage. The characters specifically the four lovers, reflect flower power and its retro and vintage vibes resonates one of the 1960s. Noted is the sharp attire with the use of metallic silver for the costumes of Oberon and Tytania and the black wings and same-like blonde wigs for the fairies, performed by children.

Excellent portrayals of the characters from the cast members. There is humour aplenty and laughter living up to the Shakespeare’s comedy. The standout performance must be Henry Waddington’s Nick Bottom, a weaver and his transformation as an ass. The engagement and entertainment Waddington bring to the characters captivates the audience. This is also same to Abelson’s Puck whose agility and pivotal presence noticeably unfolds the comedic attributes of when the plot unravels.

The cast are supported by Martin Duncan and Matthew Eberhardt’s direction and Ben Wright’s choreography. The contemporary and Swinging Sixties staging and costumes by the late Johan Engels and Ashley Martin-Davies. The staging is complimented by Bruno Poet’s lighting and its marvellous use of colours illuminating the Perspex and the bubbles on stage. Musically lead by Garry Walker, Britten’s composition plays so well to the play referencing the society changing era of the 1960s of when the music was composed.

Like all Shakespeare’s comedies, the story ends all well. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is recommendable and an entertaining production.

Curve Theatre Leicester – until 12^th October 2024

Reviewed by Amarjeet Singh

5*****

Run Rebel is a powerful story about 15-year-old Amber Rai and her courageous awakening. Amber is a typical teenager dealing with all the usual issues that come with being a schoolgirl. However, behind closed doors she is trapped by her family’s rules, their cultural expectations and by her own thoughts. Her overbearing, alcoholic, non-English speaking father controls the family. He is violent towards their mother who must work all hours to support the family, and he refuses to allow Amber, her mother and her sister, any autonomy. Amber’s sister, Ruby, has had an arranged marriage which has strained their relationship and has left Amber alone, at home, to face the terror of her father. Threats, fear, suppression and terror are all Amber has known growing up. School is her sanctuary and running is her respite. When Amber is running, she is completely free, and she can be the person she wants to be. Coming top in her school, with the chance to progress professionally, revolution calls when her father puts a stop to it, when he puts mum in hospital and when he threatens murder.

This theatrical rendition of Manjeet Mann’s spectacular novel has been expertly directed by Tessa Walker and produced by Pilot Theatre. Designed specifically for audiences of 11+, it’s a combination of compelling physicality, lyrical motif, clever visuals, and a hugely talented cast. Jessica Kaur is an absolute powerhouse playing Amber Rai. Bursting on to the stage to tell us her story and telling us we all have a story inside us, she commands the stage with ease. Delivering a performance which is emotionally charged, endearing and energetic, she captures the audience’s attention and hearts immediately, refusing to let go until the show is done. Yet, her message sits with us still, so powerful is her performance.

The rest of the cast do a tremendous job of playing multiple roles. Whilst Kaur navigates Amber’s journey emotionally and physically, the others do the same  but playing multiple roles. With the addition of a hat or the switch of a jacket they fully embody another character. Pushpinder Chani and Asha Kingsley play mum and dad deftly, handling difficult scenes with skill and care. Heather Forster and Kiran Raywilliams play Ambers friends as well as others. Their energy and switching so completely from Gym Teacher, potential love interest and then to best friend with the change of accent is superb. Simran Kular plays Ruby and the indomitable Beena, amongst others, to perfection. Hair twirling, singing and sass, she adds a lot to this production. The talent of this cast and their ability to bring this text to life is astounding.

The industrious and deceptively minimalist set designed by Debbie Duru enables the cast to seamlessly slide from the oppressive family home to school to sloped running track with ease. When combined with Daniel Denton’s video projections, movement by movement director Kuldip Singh-Barmi and a stunning sound scape by composer Niraj Chag and sound designer Yvonne Gilbert, we found ourselves fully immersed in Amber’s world.

There are spectacular running scenes which place us in the centre of the action, urgent, pulsating and liberating, we can’t help but find ourselves cheering Amber on. There are also gentle, heart wrenching scenes where we glimpse the connection between Amber and her mum and sister, and we see the power of women when they understand their power. This production has the perfect balance of light and dark and it is wonderfully paced, as well as having some truly funny moments. Run Rebel is a transformative story of revolution, empowerment, courage and hope, which will stay with you long after the lights go down.

FULL CASTING UNVEILED FOR THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST AS REHEARSALS BEGIN

The National Theatre today unveils the full cast for its upcoming production of Oscar Wilde’s joyful and flamboyant comedy The Importance of Being Earnest as rehearsals begin. Reimagined by director Max Webster (Donmar’s Macbeth, Life of Pi), who is making his highly anticipated National Theatre debut, the show will run in the Lyttelton theatre from 21 November 2024 to 25 January 2025.

Rounding out the cast are ensemble members Shereener Browne (The Effect), Jasmine Kerr (Follies), Gillian McCafferty (The Rise & Fall of Little Voice), Elliot Pritchard (Museum of Austerity) and John Vernon (Coriolanus). They join previously announced cast members  Ronkẹ Adékọluẹ́jọ́ (Blues for an Alabama Sky)as Gwendolen Fairfax, Julian Bleach (Doctor Who) as Lane and Merriman, Richard Cant (Stan & Ollie) as Reverend Canon Chasuble, Sharon D Clarke (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom)as Lady Bracknell, Ncuti Gatwa (Doctor Who) as Algernon Moncrieff, Amanda Lawrence (Star Wars: Episode – IX The Rise of Skywalker) as Miss Prism, Eliza Scanlen  (Little Women) as Cecily Cardew and Hugh Skinner (W1A) as Jack Worthing.

While assuming the role of a dutiful guardian in the country, Jack (Hugh Skinner) lets loose in town under a false identity. Meanwhile, his friend Algy (Ncuti Gatwa) adopts a similar facade. Hoping to impress two eligible ladies, the gentlemen find themselves caught in a web of lies they must carefully navigate.

Directed by Max Webster alongside set and costume designer Rae Smith,lighting designer Jon Clark, sound designer Nicola T. Chang, movement director Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, composer DJ Walde, physical comedy advisor Joyce Henderson, intimacy coordinator Ingrid Mackinnon, casting directors Alastair Coomer CDG and Chloe Blake, dialect coach Hazel Holder, voice coach Shereen Ibrahim, associate set designer Isabel Munoz-Newsome, associate costume designer Petros Kourtellaris, associate sound designer Christopher Reid, associate wigs, hair and make-up designer Adele Brandman and staff director Tanuja Amarasuriya.  

The Importance of Being Earnest runs in the Lyttelton theatre from 21 November 2024 to 25 January 2025, with press performance on 28 November 2024.

The production will also be released to cinemas on 20 February 2025 via National Theatre Live, and audiences can find their nearest screening at ntlive.com.

FULL CAST & CREATIVE TEAM ANNOUNCED FOR HOPE MILL THEATRE’S NEW PRODUCTION OF THE MUSICAL VERSION OF
A CHRISTMAS CAROL

WEST END STAR CLAIRE MOORE PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED AS ‘SCROOGE’

THE LOWRY, SALFORD

FROM FRIDAY 6^th DECEMBER 2024 to SUNDAY  5^th JANUARY 2025

The full cast and creative team have been announced for Hope Mill Theatre’s new production of the magical musical version of A Christmas Carol which is playing The Lowry, Salford for the 2024/25 festive season.

They join the previously announced musical Theatre star Claire Moore who is to play ‘Scrooge’.

As part of Hope Mill Theatre’s future development, the venue is expanding their operations to produce its award-winning musicals on a larger scale in other venues and A Christmas Carol will run in The Lowry’s Quays Theatre from Friday 6^th December 2024 to Sunday 5^th January 2025.

Starring alongside Claire Moore will be Josie Benson (Mrs Fezziwig), Alexander Evans (Mr Fezziwig), James Hume (Ghost of Christmas Present), Barry Keenan (Marley), Matthew Jeans (Mr Cratchit), Mari McGinlay (Ghost of Christmas Past), Marienella Phillips (Mrs Cratchit) and Chomba S.Taulo (Fred).

Making up the Featured ensemble will be Erica Jayne Alden, Nic Cain, Jamie Chidzey, Olly Christopher, Sammy Graham, Holly Henderson, Megan Jade- Johnson, Tamsin January, Clint Lesch and Harry Warburton.

Completing the cast is the Young Company made of Joel Tennant, Nicholas Teixeira, Jett Moises, Zane Chaba, Harmony Raine Riley, Olive Davis, Marnie Fletcher and Halle Brady, Eden Beach and Amelia Minto.

The creative team comprises Joseph Houston and William Whelton – directors, with Whelton also choreographing, alongside co-choreographer George Lyons. Joining them will be Joseph Clayton – musical director, Andrew Exeter – set designer, Lorraine Parry – costume designer, Florencia Melone – wig designer and supervisor, Alessandro Uragallo – video designer, Alex Musgrave – lighting designer, Sam Glossop – sound designer and Will Luckett – resident director/ choreographer. 

Completing the production team is Rhianna Swyer – general manager & assistant producer, Adam Moore-White – CSM, Lizzie Hodge– DSM, Niamh Horsfall – ASM, Molly Dawson – head of wardrobe, Nikki Armstrong –wardrobe & wigs assistant, James Anderton – production manager and Naomi Albans – young company co-ordinator. Casting by Jim Arnold CDG.

Based on Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella of the same name, A Christmas Carol has music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and book by Mike Ockrent and Lynn Ahrens. It was a New York festive staple from 1994 to 2003 where it was presented annually at The Theater At Madison Square Garden and in 2004 it was adapted for television by Hallmark Entertainment for NBC starring Kelsey Grammer as Scrooge.

The classic Dickens story comes to life with true Broadway spectacle in this Musical version brought to you by Alan Menken (Disney’s Beauty And The Beast The Little Mermaid and Newsies and Little Shop Of Horrors) and Lynn Ahrens (Ragtime, Seussical, Once On This Island), and breathes fantastic new life into the classic tale of A Christmas Carol.

Scrooge believes that personal wealth is far more valuable than the happiness and comfort of others. With an infuriated “Bah! Humbug!”, Scrooge is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve which leads Scrooge on a journey through the Past, Present and Future. 

Hope Mill Theatre will be running its First Curtain Scheme alongside this run of A Christmas Carol the Musical. 

Launched in 2020 First Curtain uses donations to offer free tickets to young people across Greater Manchester, many of them having their first ever theatre experience. 

For more information and to donate visit: https://hopemilltheatre.co.uk/first-curtain/

A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Music by Alan Menken

Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens

Book by Lynn Ahrens and Mike Ockrent

Based on the story by Charles Dickens
Original choreography by Susan Stroman Originally directed by Mike Ockrent
Originally presented by Radio City Entertainment at the Theater at Madison Square Garden
Presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International

A Hope Mill Theatre Production

Interactive Theatre International– Associate Producer; Stuart Bishop and Vicky Gregg– Associate Producer and Richard Seddon – Associate Producer

LISTING INFO:

Hope Mill Theatre present A Christmas Carol

The Lowry, Salford

Friday 6^th December 2024 to Sunday 5^th January 2025

Tickets: https://thelowry.com/whats-on/a-christmas-carol/

Jack Studio Theatre – until 19 October 2024

Reviewed by Claire Roderick

5*****

So It Goes Theatre just had to produce Slaughterhouse-Five at some point – and their treatment is as bold and affecting as ever.

Eric Simonson’s intelligent and witty adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut’s groundbreaking novel is just 90 minutes long, portraying the fragmented timelines of Billy Pilgrim’s lives as he jumps back and forth at such pace that the fatalistic worldview (universe-view?) of the Tralfamadorians becomes completely understandable as events have happened, will happen, are happening – and there’s’ nothing we can do to change that. Billy Pilgrim’s survival of the Dresden bombing, with the Allied prisoners of war surviving inside the slaughterhouse as the city burned around them, his survival of an air crash, his abduction and incarceration in the Tralformadorian zoo are all shown with a vibrant intensity and dry humour.

Director Douglas Baker’s striking video design marks the year Billy is experiencing and creates a remarkably clear sense of place – from veteran hospital to cheerfully cartoonish aliens and spacecraft that Kilgore Trout would adore. Calum Perrin and Benji Tranter’s sound and Laurel Marks’s lighting design are perfectly judged to compliment the horrors or absurdity of the action onstage. The fantastic cast (Sofia Engstrand, Alex Crook, Ben Howarth and Ethan Reid) multirole expertly, with just a minor change of costume and body language enough to make it clear which character they are portraying in each scene. Some minor characters are projections, mere faceless sketches as they observe or interact with Billy and vanish from his life. The Tralformadore throwaway refrain of “so it goes,” equalising every death, is represented visually to devastating effect as Billy and his fellow POWs are “corpse mining.”

The production’s intricately considered and executed design and staging is remarkable – a truly memorable show.

Gillian Lynne Theatre – until 5 January 2025

Reviewed by Claire Roderick

5*****

The brilliant, multi-award-winning Lehman Trilogy returns to the West End with another exciting new cast. Packing 164 years of history into a 3-hour play, Ben Power’s adaptation, originally directed by Sam Mendes, of Stefano Massini’s Italian original charts the rise of the Lehman brothers’ business from newly arrived immigrants owning one store in Alabama to financial giants.

Ben Power’s masterful adaptation uses the rhythms and repetitions of folk tales, emphasising the cyclical nature of life with the actors skilfully and charismatically telling the story in the third person creating a stunningly intelligent play that feels at once both epic and homely.

Rather than focus too much on the fall of Lehman’s, the play portrays how three poor Jewish immigrants rose to such immense wealth and power. The assimilation of the brothers and their families into American culture is made clear by the erosion of accents and traditions brought from the homeland as they expand and create new roles in business. This is history seen through their eyes, so the wars and social upheaval affecting the US are mentioned in passing in terms of the impact on the company. As the generations of Lehmans die and no longer control the board, the events leading to the fall of the bank in 2008 are shown with quiet and fatalistic detachment, contrasting with the visceral portrayal of the Wall Street Crash that the Lehman’s experienced themselves. The women in the Lehman’s lives are also portrayed through a male lens, with the brothers describing and portraying them as caricatures rather than with any deeper agency. Whether this is supposed to be male bravado or 18th century misogyny is never made clear.

West End director Rory McGregor delivers pacy and intricate action, with the cast moving around Es Devlin’s gorgeous set with immaculately choreographed precision. Devlin’s glass office and boardroom set revolves “like the magical music box that is America” as the cast shift file boxes to represent everything from carriages to shop counters to the tower of Babel. Projected onto the huge, curved wall behind are Luke Hall’s eerie and atmospheric videos depicting the fields in Alabama, the buildings of New York and unsettling dreamscapes that combine with the spinning set to create fabulously disconcerting and disorienting sequences. Pianist Cat Beveridge sits at the front of the auditorium like an old-fashioned cinema organist and accompanies the play with delightful music that adds further layers to the atmosphere on stage.

Somehow, each production of this play manages to put together a remarkable trio of actors that feel perfect for the roles. Each actor manages to be hilarious, heartbreaking and annoying in turn as they transform effortlessly from the titular brothers to their wives, children, employees and acquaintances. John Heffernan’ is wonderful as Henry Lehman, gentle but firm as the head of the company, clashing with younger brother Emanuel (the marvellous Howard W. Overshown) while youngest brother Mayer (Aaron Krohn) tries to keep the peace. Overshown has the dourest role, and is suitably stern and stolid, but has a ball when he gets to play a child. Krohn is an absolute hoot – delivering deadpan observations as Mayer and flouncing around as potential wives Together the stellar cast weave the intricate story – from gossipy asides and explanations of financial services to gruesome accounts of suicides – with style and charm, keeping the audience in the palms of their hands from beginning to end.

A simply unmissable experience – theatrical storytelling at its best.

Donmar Warehouse, London – until 30th November 2024

Reviewed by Celia Armand Smith

5*****

The Fear of 13 is one of those stories that seems completely implausible but is in fact astonishingly true. Based on David Singleton’s 2015 documentary of the same name, The Fear of 13 is Lindsey Ferrentino’s new play about a man stopped for running a red light at the age of 21, and then through a series of incredible events, accidentally ends up being sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit.

Nick Yarris, played by Adrien Brody (in his West End debut), spends over 25 years on death row before DNA evidence finally finds him innocent. During his time in prison he meets Jackie, a prison volunteer and poetry student, who he instantly feels a connection with and to whom he can finally tell his story. Adrien Brody’s portrayal of Yarris is one of humour and fragility as he narrates his life and how he has ended up in prison. Nana Mensah as Jackie is the heart of the show, questioning and kind, while trapped in a different sort of isolation.

Directed by Justin Martin, who also recently directed the West End production of another miscarriage of justice drama, Prima Facie, the cast make use of every corner of the Donmar’s confined space. The play runs for 105 minutes without an interval and the writing is captivating and keeps my attention throughout.

Supporting Brody and Mensah, are a hyper-talented cast who effortlessly switch between inmate, warden, lawyer, teenage friends and more, sitting amongst the audience at the front, hopping on and off the stage. Posi Morakinyo, Cyril Nri, Ferdy Roberts, Tommy Sim’aan, and Michael Fox all punctuate the plot with beautiful , haunting harmonies as they imitate the prison choir. Aiden Kelly is a warden who shows the classic prison brutality but there are glimmers of kindness too. The final member of the cast is Miriam Buether’s extraordinary set, creating magic behind a glass screen that is all at once a prison visiting booth, Jackie’s kitchen, and a Christmassy backdrop for a painful conversation with a lawyer. Ian Dickinson’s clanking soundscape teams masterfully with Jon Clark’s lighting, giving a fully unrelenting sense of prison life. There are also several costume changes which amount to wizardry.

After the curtain call, there is a video message from Yarris himself revealing that it is all a true story, something you may know if you’ve seen the documentary. It is a heart wrenching exploration of bad decisions and a seemingly endless wait for justice that has you hanging on until the end. The whole cast is superb, and it is well worth a ticket (if you can get one).

Birmingham Hippodrome – until 3rd November 2024

Reviewed by Emma Millward 

5*****

Disney’s classic Aladdin flew into Birmingham this week on the latest leg of the show’s magical UK tour. Based on the folklore tale and the 1992 animated musical film, the production premiered in Seattle in 2011 and has gone from strength to strength with audiences worldwide.  With a book and lyrics by Chad Beguelin, music by the original film’s composer Alan Menken, and lyrics by original lyricists Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Chad Beguelin. The show includes many beloved songs from the original films, as well as new songs written by Menken and Beguelin. 

Fans of the original film will not be disappointed by this production. It manages to capture all the colour, enchantment and nostalgia, but adds a few modern twists along the way. From the second the curtains rise, we are transported to Agrabah from sandy dunes, to bustling bazaars and the opulence of the Palace. We meet Aladdin (Gavin Adams making his professional debut) and his three friends, Babkak (Nelson Bettencourt), Kassim (Nay-Nay) and Omar (Adam Taylor) as they try to survive the tough existence of a street urchin in the marketplace. Aladdin meets and instantly falls for a disguised Princess Jasmine (played with a delightful sassy edge by Desmonda Cathabel). 

Determined to thwart their budding romance are Jafar (Adam Strong) and Iago (Angelo Paragoso in a brilliantly comical performance). Their devilish double act raised many laughs throughout the show. Jafar longs to replace Jasmine’s father The Sultan (Jo Servi) and rule Agrabah and will stop at nothing to achieve his goal, including sending Aladdin into the cave of wonders to retrieve a magic lamp, where he meets the Genie (Yeukayi Ushe in a show-stopping turn). Following in the footsteps of Robin Williams and Will Smith is no easy task, but this Genie is just as comedic and charismatic, but Ushe manages to add his own gleeful touches to the much loved character.

The cave scene where we finally get to see Genie in all his glory is nothing short of breathtaking. I heard audible gasps from the audience as the golden jewel encrusted backdrop was revealed. The scenic design by Bob Crowley is magnificent and really adds to the magic of the show. The costume design by Gregg Barnes also deserves praise. Beautifully intricate costumes appear throughout, from Princess Jasmine’s famous blue glittery outfit to Prince Ali’s spectacular white robes as he arrives in town to try to woo the Princess. 

It wouldn’t be a Disney musical without all the iconic songs we know and love, alongside a few new songs that work well within the show. Yeukayi Ushe revels in what the character himself calls his “show stopping number” ‘Friend Like Me’ and probably the best known song ‘A Whole New World’ captivated the crowd as Aladdin and Jasmine took to the skies on the magic carpet ride that drew gasps from the audience. I admit I still don’t know how they achieved this spectacle, but let’s just call it a bit of Disney magic!! 

There’s an almost inevitable pantomime feeling to the show, but this just adds to the charm and escapism of the whole production.  I thoroughly recommend this magical journey for all ages to enjoy.