Aladdin – The Musical Tickets
The fantastic story of a poor young boy living in the fictional Arabian city of Agrabah, whisked away on a magical carpet ride across the desert to rescue his love, the beautiful princess Jasmin, who has been captured by the evil Grand Vizier, Jafar. Aladdin, the massive Broadway success story, based on the beloved Disney animated film from 1992 comes to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in the heart of Vancouver, Canada. Get your tickets and wishes ready for a spectacular night of Broadway magic!
“It’s genie-us! ‘Aladdin’ rubs you the right way” – USA Today
“A Smooth Ride for the Family Crowd” – New Jersey Newsroom
“Aladdin Will Leave You Dreaming Of Genie” – NBC New York
“Sly Alchemy From That Lamp” – New York Times
“Broadway Magic!” – The Wall Street Journal
“Fabulous and extravagant!” – The New York Times
“Exactly what you wish for!” – NBC-TV
“Musical comedy wish-fulfillment!” – New York Magazine
To survive in the city of Agrabah, Aladdin turns to a life of petty crime, stealing food just to survive. Meanwhile, up in the Palace, lives the Sultan’s daughter, Princess Jasmine. Scolded by her father, for refusing yet another suitor, and told that she must marry a noble prince before her birthday, which is only three days away. The Sultan’s Grand Vizier Jafar has but one ambition in life, to usurp the throne for himself, and is searching for a way to enter the “Cave of Wonders”, a mysterious cavern in the desert said to hold untold power. The voice of the cave tells Jafar only one who is worthy, a “diamond in the rough”, may enter the cave.
The “diamond in the rough” is revealed to Jafar to be Aladdin, and he sends his assistant, Iago, out to find him. That same day, Jasmine disguises herself as a commoner, to experience a sense of life outside the palace, and in the market, she meets Aladdin. Smitten with Jasmine, and not knowing who she is, Aladdin leads her to his hideout as they escape from the palace guards and largo. But alas, the two were followed and caught. Jasmine is escorted back to the palace, while Aladdin is ordered killed. Jafar manages to rescue Aladdin, and in return, Aladdin agrees to enter the Cave of Wonders.
Inside the cave, Aladdin is told to bring out a magic lamp and to touch nothing else. But Aladdin has never seen so many riches and tries to take an Egyptian chain when he takes the lamp, but the cave magically seals itself, with Aladdin trapped inside. In total darkness, Aladdin inadvertently rubs the lamp, and awakens the genie. Aladdin is offered 3 wishes by the Genie, however, there are some limitations to the Genie’s power – no murder, or romance, no reviving the dead.
Aladdin tricks the genie into freeing him from the cave without using a wish, and once outside the cave, uses his first wish to be a Prince. Granted, Aladdin is majestically paraded through the streets of Agrabah, and right up to the Sultans Place. In the Palace, Aladdin again meets Jasmine, but Jafar is suspicious of this “new prince” and discovers Aladdin’s deception. Jafar steals the lamp and throws Aladdin into prison, using his first wish to make Jasmine his prisoner, and his second wish to become the Sultan.
Down in the dungeon, Aladdin convinces Jafar that if he wanted untold power, he could easily wish to become a genie. To attain untold power, Jafar is transformed into a genie and is sucked into the lamp to be held in there for all eternity. Aladdin is free, and the Sultan is impressed with Aladdin’s honesty and integrity, and proclaims his daughter is free to marry whomever she wishes. Hmm, so many wishes, I’m sure we are missing one somewhere…
The musical Aladdin has a book written by Chad Beguelin, is directed, and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw, with set design by Anna Louizos, and costumes designed by Gregg Barnes. The show premiered in Seattle in 2011, and after several regional and international productions in 2012 and 2013, the production opened on Broadway in March 2014. Aladdin is the 10th highest-grossing Broadway production of all time, having grossed over $500 million as of August 2022 with close to 11 million people worldwide seeing the production. A special performance of Aladdin was filmed on location in London in 2019, and streamed exclusively on Disney+ in 2022, for the 30th anniversary of the 1992 film. The show was nominated for five Tony Awards, winning one for Best Performance by a Featured Actor, and picked up the same Drama Desk Award.
Review by Thomas Geier for Entertainment Weekly
“As in many a Disney stage production, the big showstopper isn’t even human: During ‘A Whole New World,’ a flying carpet carries our lovers aloft in a night-time ride, swooping and spinning with how’d-they-do-that wonder. (Jim Steinmeyer and Jeremy Chernick are credited with designing the onstage illusions and special effects.) It deserves its own curtain call.”