Aladdin on Broadway

[thelittleursula]

Aladdin is now part of a four-member boy band who are (sort of) the One Direction of Agrabah.

* Cringes *

If you want Aladdin and his human friends to sound good, this is not the way to go.

[disneyboy20022]

Aladdin is now part of a four-member boy band who are (sort of) the One Direction of Agrabah.

* Cringes *

If you want Aladdin and his human friends to sound good, this is not the way to go.

Yeah I read that part and I felt the same way on it.

[Flanger-Hanger]

Show Breakdown:

ACT I
Arabian Nights - Babkak, Omar, Kassim, Company
One Jump Ahead - Aladdin, Crowd
Proud of Your Boy - Aladdin
Arabian Nights (Reprise) - Babkak, Omar, Kassim
Call Me a Princess - Jasmine, Female Attendants
Call Me a Princess (Reprise) - Jasmine
Babkak, Omar, Aladdin, Kassim - Babkak, Omar, Aladdin, Kassim
A Million Miles Away - Aladdin, Jasmine
Diamond in the Rough - Jafar, Iago, Aladdin
Friend Like Me - Genie, Company
Arabian Nights (Reprise II) - Babkak, Omar, Kassim
Act One Finale (Friend Like Me/Proud of Your Boy - Reprise) - Genie, Aladdin

ACT II
Prince Ali - Babkak, Omar, Kassim, Genie, Company
Arabian Nights (Reprise III) - Babkak, Omar, Kassim
A Whole New World - Aladdin, Jasmine
High Adventure - Babkak, Omar, Kassim
Somebody's Got Your Back - Aladdin, Genie, Babkak, Omar, Kassim
Proud of Your Boy (Reprise II) - Aladdin
Prince Ali (Reprise) - Sultan, Company, Jafar
Genie's Exit (Somebody's Got Your Back - Reprise) - Genie
Finale Ultimo (Arabian Nights - Reprise IV/A Whole New World - Reprise) - Company

Hooray for "High Adventure" being included!

[PixarFan2006]

Meh, not really that impressive. There are far too many reprises of the same songs (Arabian Nights has three reprises alone).

[Elladorine]

Hooray for "High Adventure" being included!

Omar, stop crying!

Meh, not really that impressive. There are far too many reprises of the same songs (Arabian Nights has three reprises alone).

Each reprise of Arabian Nights has different lyrics in order to narrate the current part of the story.

[disneyprincess11]

Aladdin is now part of a four-member boy band who are (sort of) the One Direction of Agrabah.

That is a joke, right?

[Elladorine]

Aladdin is now part of a four-member boy band who are (sort of) the One Direction of Agrabah.

That is a joke, right?

You'd understand if you were familiar with the original demos, it's actually pretty awesome. They can be found on this set that was released in 1994.

The first song with Aladdin and his three friends can be heard here:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__sO-IMcHPw[/youtube]

[ProfessorRatigan]

Show Breakdown:

ACT I
Arabian Nights - Babkak, Omar, Kassim, Company
One Jump Ahead - Aladdin, Crowd
Proud of Your Boy - Aladdin
Arabian Nights (Reprise) - Babkak, Omar, Kassim
Call Me a Princess - Jasmine, Female Attendants
Call Me a Princess (Reprise) - Jasmine
Babkak, Omar, Aladdin, Kassim - Babkak, Omar, Aladdin, Kassim
A Million Miles Away - Aladdin, Jasmine
Diamond in the Rough - Jafar, Iago, Aladdin
Friend Like Me - Genie, Company
Arabian Nights (Reprise II) - Babkak, Omar, Kassim
Act One Finale (Friend Like Me/Proud of Your Boy - Reprise) - Genie, Aladdin

ACT II
Prince Ali - Babkak, Omar, Kassim, Genie, Company
Arabian Nights (Reprise III) - Babkak, Omar, Kassim
A Whole New World - Aladdin, Jasmine
High Adventure - Babkak, Omar, Kassim
Somebody's Got Your Back - Aladdin, Genie, Babkak, Omar, Kassim
Proud of Your Boy (Reprise II) - Aladdin
Prince Ali (Reprise) - Sultan, Company, Jafar
Genie's Exit (Somebody's Got Your Back - Reprise) - Genie
Finale Ultimo (Arabian Nights - Reprise IV/A Whole New World - Reprise) - Company

Hooray for "High Adventure" being included!

Ugh. WHY do they always shoe-horn some talentless new lyricist's cruddy songs in and think we, the audience, aren't going to recognize the IMMEDIATE drop-off in quality when it switches between their new stuff and the original, brilliant Howard Ashman songs? And, yes, you can listen to Somebody's Got Your Back online. (It was performed during the St. Louis run.) It's awful.

Sigh. So we lose two of Howard Ashman's last songs (How Quick They Forget and Humiliate the Boy) and gain these (undoubtedly) shoddy replacements... I'm already cringing. But, then, I feel that the quality gap was already there between the Ashman/Tim Rice lyrics, so... (Speaking of Tim Rice, where the fuck is HE during all this? Why couldn't he write these new songs? I'd feel more comfortable with him than this Chad Belugawhale, or whatever his name is...)

Also: I read online that Hunchback is coming in 2014 as well. Is that true? If so, what in god's name is Disney thinking? Finally, they give Hunchback some attention and then they put it right up against Aladdin? I just don't understand them.

[Miss Manday]

Really disappointed that "Call Me A Princess" is in here. Not a fan of the song at all. I don't care that it's all Jasmine being sneaky trying to throw her suitors: out of context, like on a soundtrack, it doesn't come through that way. So what do we get? Everyone thinking that Jasmine is the ultimate brat. Which she isn't. She is not the sort of princess to want her money and daddy's jewels and whatnot. She wants her freedom. It is a complete opposite of who she's supposed to be. And that's why it was originally scrapped from the film.

"To Be Free" would be such a better option. Even if they kept in CMAP and put in To Be Free later, it would at least show "Hey, she isn't really a brat, here's how she really feels!"

[disneyprincess11]

So what do we get? Everyone thinking that Jasmine is the ultimate brat. Which she isn't. She is not the sort of princess to want her money and daddy's jewels and whatnot. She wants her freedom. It is a complete opposite of who she's supposed to be.

I'm pretty sure that's the point. From what I understand, I think she's singing this to the suitors to turn them off.

[Atlantica]

I heard there were a lot of technical errors during the first show ? Which is fair enough I guess for the first night.

Are there any reviews ?

[ProfessorRatigan]

Really disappointed that "Call Me A Princess" is in here. Not a fan of the song at all. I don't care that it's all Jasmine being sneaky trying to throw her suitors: out of context, like on a soundtrack, it doesn't come through that way. So what do we get? Everyone thinking that Jasmine is the ultimate brat. Which she isn't. She is not the sort of princess to want her money and daddy's jewels and whatnot. She wants her freedom. It is a complete opposite of who she's supposed to be. And that's why it was originally scrapped from the film.

"To Be Free" would be such a better option. Even if they kept in CMAP and put in To Be Free later, it would at least show "Hey, she isn't really a brat, here's how she really feels!"

But Jasmine is petulant and bratty. I, for one, can't stand her in the film. She's just so...whiny. And her voice...it grates on my nerves. Call Me a Princess is, on the other hand, bratty without being annoying. It's FUN. It's FUNNY. "Other girls cook, but that's not relaxing, Princesses make reservations!/Life's much too short, and, lord, it's so taxing ruling these darn third-world nations!"

It's a fun, silly little ditty. Kind of in the same vein as Les Poissons. And it doesn't matter if the song can be taken out of context. This is a musical. With a Genie. And a sorcerer. I don't understand your point at all. Fact is, it's a Howard Ashman song, was written specifically for the character of Jasmine, and was, in fact, the only song FOR Jasmine specifically that was written for the film. That makes it historically important enough to be included in this show, I think.

(I feel that way much more strongly concerning Humiliate the Boy. This was Ashman's VERY last song. The first song written for Jafar and one that perfectly compliments and subverts Proud of Your Boy. Thematically, this song should be in the show. They aren't really giving Jonathan Freeman a whole hell of a lot to do here, are they? They even took out Tim Rice's Why Me? which I thought for SURE would make it in... Why cast Freeman again if they don't give him a chance to use his pipes!? The man CAN SING like a motherfucker! Go listen to the demos for Humiliate the Boy or Why Me? and look at what we were denied in the final film!)

[Prince Edward]

Really, really disappointed about how small they have made Jafar's role. He is the villain, and they have cast legendary Jonathan Freeman in the part, yet they have scrapped Humiliate the Boy AND Why Me? Scandalous!

And Aladdin's friends get's to sing through the whole show? I am afraid that this production will become so different from the movie that it will turn people away from it. Is it any chance left that they might add more songs and give Jafar a more prominent role?

[thelittleursula]

Really, really disappointed about how small they have made Jafar's role. He is the villain, and they have cast legendary Jonathan Freeman in the part, yet they have scrapped Humiliate the Boy AND Why Me? Scandalous!

Yeah it is pretty dumb. Those songs are awesome ):

Could of dumped Somebody's Got Your Back for one of them.

And Aladdin's friends get's to sing through the whole show? I am afraid that this production will become so different from the movie that it will turn people away from it.

It might and it might not, Aladdin's friends and their songs are pretty awesome. Though kiddies may get bored.

[thedisneyspirit]

Not liking at all they cut off Iago. Abu and maybe Rajah I can understand, but Iago?? And he's getting replaced by the "one Direction" of Agrabah...Plus cutting off "You can Count on Me" and ALL of Jafar's songs...Not cool.

Dunno how will this play work out in the end.

[disneyboy20022]

Not liking at all they cut off Iago. Abu and maybe Rajah I can understand, but Iago?? And he's getting replaced by the "one Direction" of Agrabah...Plus cutting off "You can Count on Me" and ALL of Jafar's songs...Not cool.

I was hyped for this due to Jonathon Freeman being Jafar and his new songs, but now it feels like I've lost my hype to see it, in addition to cutting Iago of all characters is another dumb change not to mention Aladdin and his brothers being in a One Direction Themed Band is just plain dumb

[thedisneyspirit]

But originally wasn't Why Me part of the musical? I remember there being an official recording of the song with Iago and Jafar with modified lyrics, apparently the song was set to appear in Act 1 of the play.

Seems like a waste of Johnathan Freeman's talent to reduce him to one/two songs for him to sing out.

I don't like so much focus on Aladdin's friends. The people who are watching the play for the movie won't like so much attention/songs given to these new characters instead of the actual characters from the film (Iago).

As for Iago... again, why not? He couldn't need to be a PARROT/man with a goofy parrot costume to work, maybe just a man with a puppet ala Zazu in the Lion King or change him into a human as Jafar's assistant and that'd work fine too.

Seems like a missed opportunity.

[disneyprincess11]

But, isn't Iago in it? I'm 100% sure they said that Iago sings Diamond... with Jafar and Aladdin

[TsWade2]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3FnpaWQJO0

[Pasta67]

I feel that way much more strongly concerning Humiliate the Boy. This was Ashman's VERY last song.

I know this is getting off-topic, but is there a site somewhere that lists what order Ashman and Menken wrote the songs in? Like, how do you know "Humiliate The Boy" was last? I'd love to read through that if you have any info.

Anyway, count me in as being a little disappointed. Jonathan Freeman's being wasted. I was hoping we'd get at least one of his villain songs. I was lucky enough to snag the "Music Behind The Magic" boxset a few years ago and those are among my favorite cut tracks. Nothing's going to stop me from buying an original cast recording of this thing if it's released, but the smile on my face won't be quite as wide knowing that Freeman isn't getting much of a chance to sing.

As for Iago... again, why not? He couldn't need to be a PARROT/man with a goofy parrot costume to work, maybe just a man with a puppet ala Zazu in the Lion King or change him into a human as Jafar's assistant and that'd work fine too. Seems like a missed opportunity.

Agreed. A character like Jafar works best when he has somebody to play off of. The Sultan fills that role a little, but Iago was just perfect.