Disney’s ‘Aladdin’ gives audiences a whole new world of production magic

The Alaska Center for the Performing Arts’ (PAC) first season of “Broadway Alaska” — spearheaded by PAC President and COO Codie Costello — has yet another feather in its kufi. The joint venture with Broadway’s Nederlander Organization brought cultural phenomena like “Come From Away” and “Hamilton” to Anchorage – concluding a landmark first year with yet another ambitious Disney-owned production. 

Based on the animated “Arabian Nights”-inspired musical from 1992, Aladdin’s Broadway version first premiered in 2011 in Seattle. The talent pool pulls all the stops — featuring direction and choreography from “Book of Mormon’s” Casey Nicholaw, eight-time-Oscar-winning Disney songwriting veteran Alan Menken and stage design from Bob Crowley of “Mary Poppins” fame. This battle-hardened pool of Broadway talent proves to be a recipe for success on the production side. 

With nine 53-foot-long truckloads of materials at the showrunners’ disposal according to Disney, the setups are as elaborate as they are breathtaking. Crowley’s scenic design team managed to capture all the life and luster of the original Disney musical, with cartoonishly-stylized and varied backdrops that just ooze Disney.

The set’s depth and form easily draws viewers — even those of us in the outer rows — deep inside the deserts, palaces and marketplaces of Agrabah. In some instances, there’s an almost magical character to these setpieces. The cave of wonders, specifically, was coated with reflective elements that — when exposed to different lighting — completely changed the nature of the rocky shapes onstage. Scenes such as the Agrabah marketplace and the desert plateau included three-dimensional structures that lend credence to Disney’s boast of “15 tons” of scenery. 

The 15 tons of scenery also included two-dimensional backdrops. While these on their own were impressive in the level of perspective they conveyed, the illusory lightwork and shadows pulled them out of the 2D realm. Projected pulsating flames in the palace arcade’s lanterns, a frightening snake-shaped entrance at the cave, ghastly shadows emanating from Jafar’s book and jets of dust flying over desert hills breathed life into otherwise static backdrops. 

The mixed-media presentation went even further in the foreground — with props, set-dressings and other accouterments truly capturing the vibrant whimsy of the city.

From the multicolored products of market stalls to the golden finale outfits fitted with 8,644 crystal rhinestones each, Disney spared no expense for decoration and costuming. Gregg Barnes’ costumes lean into the vibrancy and “shape and drape” that made prior adaptations’ characters so distinct. These true-to-source-material costumes — numbering 236 — switch seamlessly among leads and ensemble, but their bespoke construction makes the cast feel even larger than it already is.

Characters are also vicariously extended through their garbs — with the larger-than-life billows of Iago’s robes, for example, trembling with his unsteady movements. One instance toward the finale where Jafar undergoes an almost magic costume shift highlights the strength of designers’ interaction with the illusion and lighting teams. 

Another example of powerful interplay is the show’s music and choreography. Musical veteran Alan Menken — responsible for ʼ90s Disney hits like “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Hercules” — composed the show’s 12 unique earworms. The big-band compositions and characteristically “Arabian-inspired” sound make James Dodgson’s orchestra melt seamlessly into the show’s scenery. Subtle pickups between setpieces and songs feel intentionally timed with the script, in a way that only the most skilled conducting could manage.

Where the music really stands out, however, is how actors interacted with it. Aladdin’s characteristic big-band grooves are incredibly difficult to execute choreographically, but Casey Nicholaw’s direction pulled it off. The ensemble — no doubt enhanced by their elaborate costumes — pull off an animated level of symmetry and precisely-timed jumps and kicks that complement Aladdin’s genre with aplomb. Despite the demands put on them by the choreography, even the most challenging movements seem to be executed by cast members without extraneous effort. Aladdin’s precarious ladder climb in “One Step,” for example, truly speaks to the level of interaction this show establishes between the actors and their heavily-stylized environment. The ensemble synergy in “Prince Ali” and “Arabian Nights” pull so many people and constituent elements into play, but the cast still operates with a precision and focus that matches those numbers’ choices of scenery. 

The vocal performances of the leads were also superb, with no shortage of strong projection and butter-smooth cadence in and between songs. Marcus Martin as the genie and Anand Nagraj as Jafar truly stole the show in terms of voice. Nagraj’s baritone achieves a loud, flamboyant gusto with basically zero signs of vocal stress.

Martin’s snappy one-liners and auctioneer-quick responses pulled the genie’s bombast to center-stage. The opening prior to “Arabian Nights,” in particular, set a high bar for the rest of the cast, with Martin leaning into the genie’s charming fourth-wall-breaks and boisterous humor.

Jake Lett’s hyper-confident Babkak, Nathan Levy’s timid Omar and Colt Pratte’s gluttonous Kassim also amusingly play off of each other’s exaggerated traits. The musical-exclusive trio of Aladdin’s friends were so entertaining, in fact, that it pained me to learn other adaptations didn’t feature them. Adi Roy and Senzel Ahmady both exhibited a natural dynamic as Aladdin and Jasmine, with “A Whole New World” perfectly capturing the love and majesty of the animated original — due in part to the skilled production work. 

To watch “Aladdin” live on stage is to constantly ask oneself: “How the hell did they do that?” The Disney magic of sky-high production value and having dozens of talented creatives, engineers and performers on staff still feels inadequate to describe Aladdin’s wizardry — or genie-ery? An unforgettable performance from a roster of young, relatively new and diverse talent is an exciting peek into the energy and passion still pouring into Broadway. Go see Aladdin wherever and whenever it shows — and it will not disappoint. 

Tickets can be found at the PAC’s CenterTix website. Student tickets through UAATix are currently sold out.