Disney’s Aladdin is set to be the big musical West End hit of 2016 and for years beyond.
Aladdin, Disney’s latest new musical sensation opened last night at the Prince Edward theatre in London and my colleague Nams was lucky enough to be invited and attend the after show launch party.
The purple carpet was rolled out at the famous Prince Edward theatre in the heart of London’s Soho, recently witness to the moving tribute following the very sad events at the gay nightclub in Orlando. Old Compton Street was closed off as hoards of people gathered, this time in a more celebratory mood to catch a glimpse of the celebrities at the star studded first night gala.
And they weren’t disappointed as spotted on the purple carpet were T.V. stars Meera Syal and Sanjeev Bhaskhar, along with I’m a Celebrity Jungle favourite Christopher Biggins, comedian and impressionist Ronnie Ancona, Andrew Scott, Moriarty from BBC’s Sherlock, McFlys’s lead vocalist and guitarist , Tom Fletcher, stage actress Cynthia Erivo fresh from her Tony success and partner of Dean John Wilson who plays Aladdin, Preeya Kalidas (Bombay Dreams, Bend it like Beckham, Eastenders), film and stage actor Luke Evans and comedian and actor Rufus Hound, and our very own Nams of course.
The show has proved to be a spectacular success on Broadway and it doesn’t disappoint, with stunning costumes and amazing sets, but the true stars of the show are the cast themselves.
Nams said ‘I thought the show was fantastic, the genie absolutely stole the show and got a standing ovation midway through the show after the big number ‘Friend Like Me’ something I’ve never seen before. Aladdin himself took a little while to warm up but he found his own by the interval. Jasmine, however, totally wowed me – she was sassy but sensitive and totally won me over from the get go. The songs are amazing’.
So overall it’s a big thumbs up from our critic in the know.
The musical has been adapted from the Broadway production as Disney have added some British touches to the production that aren’t in the Broadway one such as references to Strictly Come Dancing and Bruce Forsyth, the genie “accidentally” pulls out a Union Jack umbrella – classic London souvenir tourist tat, instead of the golden lamp from his cavernous trousers.
The after party at the National Gallery was a no expense spared extravaganza like everything else Disney put their name to with the cast and creative team in high spirits and champagne flowing.
