I’ll be honest – It’s been a while since I couldn’t stop talking about a musical after watching it.
So very glad that we watched Aladdin on Grand Opening Night last week with our friends, and I have to say that I was blown away by the whole show from the beginning to the end. From the dazzling stage setup to the sparkling costumes, familiar renditions of the musical and humorous acts, I was literally sitting on the edge of my chair throughout. My seats were not good at all – too far for my likes – but even so, I enjoyed the musical so much. The only complain I have is that I cannot see the facial expressions of the performers, so I could hear everything from their voices. If you are still considering whether to go for this musical, here are 3 reasons why I personally think you SHOULD GO FOR IT:
1. Aladdin Is Highly Entertaining
Even if you are not crazy about musicals, this musical is bound to keep you well-entertained. Even the kids would enjoy it because there was just so many things happening at any one time. The whole stage setup was amazing and I was just awed by how they managed to create totally different scenes with clever use of different backdrops, props and stage presence. The transitions were seamless and they managed to create the mood and atmosphere best suited for the various scenes.
The script was extremely funny and clever. There were people in the audience clapping and laughing throughout the musical, simply because the lines spoken by the performers were ingenious. There was no boring bits in the whole musical – the scenes moved fast and the audience was captivated throughout.
The music and songs were awesome. I knew many of the songs from Disney’s first Aladdin animated movie, and listening to the performers brought back so much fond memories for me. I had to curb myself from singing along many times!2. The Genie
Yes, absolutely. Even if you are not a fan of Aladdin or Jasmine, or their love story, you should catch the musical just to see the genie. He’s undoubtedly the highlight of the whole musical. I was full of respect for him and his talent by the end of the show. His script was extremely long and he had to sing, dance, imitate and make the audience laugh! His lines were hilarious and he executed all his acts to perfection, even all the high-energy parts. The audience was anticipating for his appearance at every scene! Truly, a world-class performer.
3. The Carpet Flying Scene
This was inevitable what everyone was anticipating for – The carpet flying scene. Even with high expectations, I must say I was thoroughly impressed at how the whole scene was executed. They cleverly manoeuvred the sets to show the “flying-out” of the carpet to the skies and I literally felt like I flew into the dark blue skies with Aladdin and Jasmine! I have to say though, that I was slightly disappointed with their duet of ‘A Whole New World’ at this point. Perhaps it was because the rest of the musical was performed with full band support and many back-up vocalists and choral singing of the whole cast, this part was performed solely by the two main leads and I wished the whole song could be fuller. Nevertheless, the carpet-flying was amazing and even when my friends and I tried to scrutinize and spot the wires carrying the carpet, we couldn’t spot any! How they managed to get the carpet flying so naturally in mid-air is one of their trade secrets, and you really need to see it for yourself!
So, I think if you only want to spend your moolah on one musical this year, Aladdin is it. You’ll not regret it, I promise you. Get your tickets from https://www.sistic.com.sg/events/aladdin0919. The musical’s ending its run in Singapore on 1 Sep 2019 (In fact, Singapore’s its only Asia stop!).
