Aladdin at Orpheum Theatre
Aladdin Broadway Tickets:
The Arabian classic One Thousand and One Nights (popularly known as Arabian Nights) is a collection of stories put together from different eras and civilizations from Asia and Africa. The stories in this classic compilation are told inside a tale of a lady doing the best that she could do to save herself from the clutches of a wicked king. The tales, the same way they saved the lady’s life, continue to live on and endure influencing literature, music, art, and cinema up to the present. Probably, the most popular retelling of the stories from this treasure trove of tales is Disney’s animated film Aladdin (based on the story “Aladdin and the Magic Lamp”), which also lives on in itself with its stunning animation and heartwarming song numbers.
Due to its “universal acclaim,” it is befitting for it to have a stage adaptation, and in 2011, like a wish granted, a Broadway musical came into reality. In its long run on many productions worldwide, Aladdin is back on the road again, and one of its stops is at the Orpheum Theatre Minneapolis this Holiday season. Witness a whole new world of wonders on this stage production!
“This Aladdin turns out to be the best ever stage version of a movie.” – The National Post
“Overall, this is one of the better Disney stage musicals.” – Entertainment Weekly
Over twenty years after the renowned animated film came out, Chad Beguelin was hired by Disney to write scripts for many titles, which are to be licensed to many schools. While working on them, he came across Aladdin and wrote one script for it. Like magic, his writing came across famed composer Alan Menken, who made Aladdin’s music for the animated film. The renowned composer, who wanted the cut songs from the movie to be released through a stage musical, asked for Beguelin’s help. Ecstatic, the rising scriptwriter wrote a version fit for the songs with Menken. This was when their work, intended for school licensing only, turned into a possible Broadway show. Later on, Casey Nicholaw joined the team to direct the stage adaptation. After the collaboration among the three was made, their efforts were greenlit. In 2010, early works for the musical were announced.
The stage adaptation’s storyline barely strayed from the movie’s plot. But as a norm in theatre, the story was cut to two acts. The first act begins with a narrator introducing the audience to the city of Agrabah. Then the story follows Aladdin, a young man who, together with his three closest pals, Kassim, Omar, and Babkak, makes a living stealing stuff from Agrabah’s street sellers. The story continues by introducing Princess Jasmine, who laments her life since she is finally at the age wherein she is required to marry. While this was happening in the palace, Jafar schemes for a way to overthrow the king. The story carries on with Aladdin and Princess Jasmine’s meeting, leading to Aladdin’s capture and his venture to the Cave of Wonders. There he finds the lamp and meets the Genie. The first act ends with Aladdin’s first wish.
The second act moves on to Aladdin visiting the palace of Agrabah dressed and disguised as a prince with the help of Genie. When everything seems in place, Jafar strikes again, causing a mishap for Aladdin. This happening threatens what Aladdin is aiming for.
The whole musical includes twenty songs. Some of them are never heard songs supposed to be included in the movie, such as “A Million Miles Away,” “Proud of Your Boy,” “Somebody’s Got Your Back,” and “Babkak, Omar, Aladdin, Kassim.”
When the production was fully ready in 2011, it premiered at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, Washington. The following year, many productions came about, such as in Ivins, Utah’s Tuacahn Amphitheatre, The Muny in St. Luis, Missouri, and an international production at the Meralco Theatre in Manila, Philippines.
After the early productions, it went on a pre-broadway showing at the Ed Mirvish Theatre in Toronto from late 2013 to January 2014. After this, the musical finally settled on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theatre in February 2014. It continues to run at the theatre up to the present. Also, other productions spawned internationally. This includes Germany, Japan, the West End, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, The Netherlands, Mexico, and Ireland.
The original Broadway production received multiple nominations, including five Tony, seven Drama Desk, eight Outer Critics Circle, and one Grammy. It won the 2014 Tony award for “Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical” and the Drama Desk Award for “Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical” for James Monroe Iglehart’s performance as Genie.
On December 5 to 10, the magic carpet will land at the Orpheum Theatre Minneapolis. The enigmatic cast of this production includes Adi Roy as Aladdin, Marcus M. Martin as Genie, Senzel Ahmady as Jasmine, Anand Nagraj as Jafar, Aaron Choi as Iago, Sorab Wadia as Sultan, Ben Chavez as Omar, Jake Letts as Babkak and Colt Prattes as Kassim. This is going to be a shining, shimmering, splendid experience you won’t want to miss! Mark your calendars and buy tickets now to reserve seats!
A fairy tale to thrill children and adults alike on a trip of nostalgia and discovery, presenting the new and old together with a gloriously colourful, crazy and hilarious finish, Aladdin will bring your favourite characters to life before your very eyes. So don’t delay – book early to ensure you get your seats!!