Aladdin on Broadway
- Mach Full Force
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Re: Aladdin Coming to Broadway!
To anyone who's seen the musical: did they even expand on the characters of Babkar, Omar and Kassim other than that one song?
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- Lady Cluck
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Re: Aladdin Coming to Broadway!
Most of the reviews from the previews are horrible, and at best lukewarm. I KNEW this sounded like a disaster so I'm not surprised. I can't wait to see how scathing the final reviews will be when it opens.
I still want to see it for the record, but I'm not expecting anything amazing
You can kiss the dreams of sweeping the Tonys goodbye! 
I still want to see it for the record, but I'm not expecting anything amazing



Re: Aladdin Coming to Broadway!
I'm sorry, butLady Cluck wrote:Most of the reviews from the previews are horrible, and at best lukewarm. I KNEW this sounded like a disaster so I'm not surprised. I can't wait to see how scathing the final reviews will be when it opens.
I still want to see it for the record, but I'm not expecting anything amazingYou can kiss the dreams of sweeping the Tonys goodbye!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8_ad8b1ziw
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Re: Aladdin Coming to Broadway!
Well to be fair most of the (unbiased) early reviews praise things like the costumes and some of the choreography so it has that going for it. The cast is said to be lacking charisma, the new songs are said to be unmemorable and pointless, and the book is getting BRUTAL reviews saying that a lot of the jokes are incredibly juvenile and falling flat. Some people have said it's the worst and corniest show since the Spider-Man musical. Ouch. And some Disney fans who would want to love the show have said the Disneyland stage show was better
That's not a good sign.
It hasn't officially opened so there's still time to tweak things...but not much time.
Frankly I saw this coming a mile away based on the early information so I'm not even disappointed at this point. Definitely doesn't sound like their new Lion King or Beauty and the Beast. Hope they follow through with making Hunchback and it's better.
I'm not trying to be mean, but just brace yourselves for an onslaught of negativity about this show...



It hasn't officially opened so there's still time to tweak things...but not much time.
Frankly I saw this coming a mile away based on the early information so I'm not even disappointed at this point. Definitely doesn't sound like their new Lion King or Beauty and the Beast. Hope they follow through with making Hunchback and it's better.
I'm not trying to be mean, but just brace yourselves for an onslaught of negativity about this show...

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Re: Aladdin Coming to Broadway!
Lady Cluck wrote:Well to be fair most of the (unbiased) early reviews praise things like the costumes and some of the choreography so it has that going for it. The cast is said to be lacking charisma, the new songs are said to be unmemorable and pointless, and the book is getting BRUTAL reviews saying that a lot of the jokes are incredibly juvenile and falling flat. Some people have said it's the worst and corniest show since the Spider-Man musical. Ouch. And some Disney fans who would want to love the show have said the Disneyland stage show was better![]()
![]()
That's not a good sign.
It hasn't officially opened so there's still time to tweak things...but not much time.
Frankly I saw this coming a mile away based on the early information so I'm not even disappointed at this point. Definitely doesn't sound like their new Lion King or Beauty and the Beast. Hope they follow through with making Hunchback and it's better.
I'm not trying to be mean, but just brace yourselves for an onslaught of negativity about this show...

You're not trying to be mean, yet you've taken every opportunity possible in this thread to bash a show you've never seen, not to mention you're positively gleeful in your anticipation for negative reviews from critics. Right.
Some of the criticism given by professional reviewers in Toronto were downright ridiculous, like the criticisms that Jasmine's story had been turned into a "feminist argument" when 95% of the dialogue regarding Jasmine's arranged marriage and her feelings regarding it came straight from the film itself.
And that's to say nothing of the fact that something can be panned critically, deserved or not, but still be a wonderful, enjoyable show for audiences. Wicked got almost universally terrible critical reviews, yet it's now 10 years on Broadway with multiple shows spanning the globe and countless numbers of fans. Will Aladdin achieve the same success? Who knows, but given that it's had multiple standing ovations in the middle of the show and is getting great word of mouth from fans, I predict it will be an audience favorite for some time.
It's one thing to see a show and offer up valid criticism. It's another continually bash it and delight in any negative worth of mouth and make it clear that you want it to fail.
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Re: Aladdin Coming to Broadway!
Well I'm actually talking about word of mouth, other message boards, etc from normal people who have seen the previews on Broadway, not official critics whose reviews are pending. I can't imagine critics will be more receptive unless major changes are made though.
Obviously your run-of-the-mill Disney fan is going to be prone to liking it, and I'm SURE it will do well financially as it's a beloved classic and Broadway is mostly a tourist attraction now. I just wouldn't get your hopes up for much more than that. It's not like this would be Disney's first disaster on stage
Obviously your run-of-the-mill Disney fan is going to be prone to liking it, and I'm SURE it will do well financially as it's a beloved classic and Broadway is mostly a tourist attraction now. I just wouldn't get your hopes up for much more than that. It's not like this would be Disney's first disaster on stage


- ProfessorRatigan
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Re: Aladdin Coming to Broadway!
One CAN be a fan without having to swallow down anything Disney produces. I know, it may come as news to some people on this forum, but, yes, you CAN be a fan without being positive about every little thing the company puts out. Including Aladdin.
Don't mean to come off as hostile, but too often on this forum, I see ANY differing, negative opinion drowned out by a chorus of fans who are so protective of their own likes and vision of the company that they wail like harpies if you object and offer a dissenting opinion.
Now, as for the matter at hand, I was nothing but excited when I heard Aladdin was being produced for the stage. And I was even MORE excited when the announcement was made that they intended to go back to the original Ashman/Menken score and re-incorporate as much of his original vision as was possible. I was over the moon. But, then...they lost their guts. One by one, the majority of the Ashman numbers ended up being cut once again and replaced by songs that, I knew, deep down, weren't going to be all that good and wouldn't live up to those brilliant songs (which, in my opinion, may be Ashman's finest work) and so far, I feel I've been right in nearly all of those cases (we'll see where Diamond in the Rough ends up ranking in my estimation once the album is released or someone uploads it to Youtube). With the exception of the Genie and Jafar, this show, to my eyes, looks to be nothing but safe, by-the-numbers Broadway for the tourist crowd because Disney (and especially Menken) didn't have the courage of their convictions to be brave and do what they originally announced in regard to the Ashman material. That alone is worthy of criticism. And I have aired my piece about that here and elsewhere.
More infuriatingly, Disney hasn't even been good about informing the general public ABOUT the Ashman situation, in regards to what is NEW and what is OLDER THAN THE FILM. I have already seen so many people on Tumblr confuse all the 'new' Ashman songs (yes, even Proud of Your Boy!) as being the work of Beguelin. And these same nitwits have described all the 'new' songs, including the Ashman ones, as 'shitty' or 'rubbish.' This is not good. This does not bode well. This is precisely what I feared might happen if Disney started mixing old and new as they did. And frankly, the whole situation has made me more than despondent. Add to that the omissions, the reduction of Jafar's menace and role (especially during the climax) and based on what I've seen uploaded/leaked online, this whole show has left me rather unimpressed.
Don't mean to come off as hostile, but too often on this forum, I see ANY differing, negative opinion drowned out by a chorus of fans who are so protective of their own likes and vision of the company that they wail like harpies if you object and offer a dissenting opinion.
Now, as for the matter at hand, I was nothing but excited when I heard Aladdin was being produced for the stage. And I was even MORE excited when the announcement was made that they intended to go back to the original Ashman/Menken score and re-incorporate as much of his original vision as was possible. I was over the moon. But, then...they lost their guts. One by one, the majority of the Ashman numbers ended up being cut once again and replaced by songs that, I knew, deep down, weren't going to be all that good and wouldn't live up to those brilliant songs (which, in my opinion, may be Ashman's finest work) and so far, I feel I've been right in nearly all of those cases (we'll see where Diamond in the Rough ends up ranking in my estimation once the album is released or someone uploads it to Youtube). With the exception of the Genie and Jafar, this show, to my eyes, looks to be nothing but safe, by-the-numbers Broadway for the tourist crowd because Disney (and especially Menken) didn't have the courage of their convictions to be brave and do what they originally announced in regard to the Ashman material. That alone is worthy of criticism. And I have aired my piece about that here and elsewhere.
More infuriatingly, Disney hasn't even been good about informing the general public ABOUT the Ashman situation, in regards to what is NEW and what is OLDER THAN THE FILM. I have already seen so many people on Tumblr confuse all the 'new' Ashman songs (yes, even Proud of Your Boy!) as being the work of Beguelin. And these same nitwits have described all the 'new' songs, including the Ashman ones, as 'shitty' or 'rubbish.' This is not good. This does not bode well. This is precisely what I feared might happen if Disney started mixing old and new as they did. And frankly, the whole situation has made me more than despondent. Add to that the omissions, the reduction of Jafar's menace and role (especially during the climax) and based on what I've seen uploaded/leaked online, this whole show has left me rather unimpressed.
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Re: Aladdin Coming to Broadway!
Unfortuanely, it is getting PANNED on the Broadwayworld.com boards over the book, music, and the three friends. I find it reaklly odd that the music and the friends are getting whooped because they were deleted characters and songs (which were written by Ashman). Again, the TLM songs were panned too. And these people are really huge theatre snobs and they're expecting the show to be exactly like the movie like TLM & Tarzan. I'm going to save my reservation until 5/22! I knew this was going to get panned anyway




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Re: Aladdin Coming to Broadway!
IMO There is a wide difference between offering a negative opinion that involves actual criticism on the show (or a film, or whatever Disney media is in question) and what has been said in this thread, like someone declaring the entire production a "piece of crap" to be written off days after its Toronto preview premiere because it was revealed that Iago was a human character. I don't care if someone doesn't like the show, I don't mind criticism (and have my own criticisms about the show) but I do think it's out of place for someone to make increasingly volatile comments about the show based on hearsay, to the point where they're rubbing their hands in glee over anticipation for bad reviews.ProfessorRatigan wrote:One CAN be a fan without having to swallow down anything Disney produces. I know, it may come as news to some people on this forum, but, yes, you CAN be a fan without being positive about every little thing the company puts out. Including Aladdin. Don't mean to come off as hostile, but too often on this forum, I see ANY differing, negative opinion drowned out by a chorus of fans who are so protective of their own likes and vision of the company that they wail like harpies if you object and offer a dissenting opinion.
Anyway.
I can see why it would be frustrating to see the show change, especially given the Seattle production was saturated with the "Ashman" material. But I do think that the decision to take Aladdin to Broadway has had a big impact on the structure of the show and what elements and songs have ended up in the production. I think it was much easier for them to create the Seattle/original version of the show with so much Ashman material because it wasn't written or intended for Broadway, but for licensing. It would not be up to the same time of scrutiny, not to mention pressure, that a Broadway-bound show would be. But now that the show is going for Broadway, appealing to a wider audience is key. And unfortunately a lot of the material that the "niche" audience (aka those of us who were excited for the cut material) ends up in the dustbin. (I wonder if they will go about making a book about the production of the show like they did for The Little Mermaid--it would be interesting to see if we get insight into changes.)
I would say there is still a good amount of the Ashman material in the show, even in the recent Broadway previews. Proud of Your Boy is now the absolute heart of the show (and I can't get enough of listening to Adam Jacobs singing it), many of the extended lyrics from the demo versions of the film's songs are now in the show, Aladdin's friends are still there, etc. I think the Ashman material vs. new material is about half and half, actually.
Oh, re: Diamond in the Rough, it is a HILARIOUS number to see due to Iago and Jafar's antics. I'm not sure how well the song will translate without the comedic staging, though.
Oh x 2: In regards to "I have already seen so many people on Tumblr confuse all the 'new' Ashman songs (yes, even Proud of Your Boy!) as being the work of Beguelin." I don't think it's Disney's fault so much as it is people who don't really... know what they're talking about and don't bother to research. There were *professional* reviews of the show which made mistakes regarding who wrote what songs and material that was/wasn't new for the show. Like a professional critic who implied the show made Aladdin a "thief with a heart of gold" whereas he was "crooked" in the film--umm, was he crooked before or after he gave his bread to orphans right after One Jump Ahead? Or an audience member review that denounced the 'new' ending where the Sultan changes the law so Jasmine can marry Aladdin, when that was also straight from the film. Etc.
whoops this got t;ldr, sorry
- ProfessorRatigan
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Re: Aladdin Coming to Broadway!
I read.rubyslippers wrote:whoops this got t;ldr, sorry

- Lady Cluck
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Re: Aladdin Coming to Broadway!
I would LOVE for this show to be amazing. I'm obviously a huge Disney fan or I wouldn't be here. A lot of Aladdin hasn't aged that well for me but I LOVED it as a child and the one thing I still love about it is the music, so I would love nothing more than a full scale musical version of high quality.
Unfortunately that doesn't appear to be the case. I just knew it would be a piece of crap based on early information and so far everything seems to be confirming I was correct. I'd love nothing more than to be wrong since I will be seeing this show regardless, but I'm not going to bury my head in the sand and pretend all is well when it's CLEARLY not. I am not a villain for speaking the TRUTH. If we pretend everything is A+ material, then the REAL high quality work loses its impact.
I can only hope Disney learns a lesson from this, but unfortunately I doubt it because I still think this will do well financially with tourists and the bottom line is all that matters.
The real reviews will come in soon so we'll see what they say. I still encourage everyone to see it if you want to - that's all that matters. But there are still people hoping for this to be a major contender at the Tony Awards and I am saying that is VERY unlikely.
Unfortunately that doesn't appear to be the case. I just knew it would be a piece of crap based on early information and so far everything seems to be confirming I was correct. I'd love nothing more than to be wrong since I will be seeing this show regardless, but I'm not going to bury my head in the sand and pretend all is well when it's CLEARLY not. I am not a villain for speaking the TRUTH. If we pretend everything is A+ material, then the REAL high quality work loses its impact.
I can only hope Disney learns a lesson from this, but unfortunately I doubt it because I still think this will do well financially with tourists and the bottom line is all that matters.
The real reviews will come in soon so we'll see what they say. I still encourage everyone to see it if you want to - that's all that matters. But there are still people hoping for this to be a major contender at the Tony Awards and I am saying that is VERY unlikely.

Re: Aladdin Coming to Broadway!
I just think if you're going as an older man or woman by yourself, you're going for the sake of critiquing it and holding it up to a standard previously set by shows like Wicked, and you'll hate it. If you're going with friends or family, you're going to have a great time and you'll enjoy the laughs, the music, and the visuals. It's just annoying that people will see the reviews and skip the show because of it.
Yes and no. They came in and out throughout the show. They had a cool scene when Aladdin's prisoner in the palace, but other than that, there's no real back story or anything. I almost forgot they were apart of the show until they were thrown into scenes here and there.Mach Full Force wrote:To anyone who's seen the musical: did they even expand on the characters of Babkar, Omar and Kassim other than that one song?
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Re: Aladdin Coming to Broadway!
Don't go by what critics say. That's all I'm saying. I saw the show on Thursday and absolutely loved it. Yes, it had a few weak moments, but no show will be 100% perfect.

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- thelittleursula
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Re: Aladdin Coming to Broadway!
Didn't Wicked get terrible reviews ??
I listened to Prince Ali on Tumblr, somebody managed to post it up, and imo it sounded really messy and all over the place. Though I can't judge, nor see the show.
I listened to Prince Ali on Tumblr, somebody managed to post it up, and imo it sounded really messy and all over the place. Though I can't judge, nor see the show.
- ProfessorRatigan
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Re: Aladdin Coming to Broadway!
Re: Prince Ali - I'm surprised that they're making Friend Like Me the big show-stopper and extending it into a medley/dance and all that jazz when Prince Ali was CLEARLY the number that was written to be all spectacle and showy... To me, it seems like they made the wrong choice, there. I've heard this criticism voiced numerous times concerning this show, that Friend Like Me is the big high-point and everything else is kinda disappointing compared to it.
(By the way, am I the ONLY person who fucking HATES it when they STOP a show during a song to do a fucking dance? I always end up rolling my eyes, checking my watch until they get back to the show... Felt this way when I saw Beauty and the Beast and they stopped 'Gaston' for like FIVE minutes to do a dance in there...)
(By the way, am I the ONLY person who fucking HATES it when they STOP a show during a song to do a fucking dance? I always end up rolling my eyes, checking my watch until they get back to the show... Felt this way when I saw Beauty and the Beast and they stopped 'Gaston' for like FIVE minutes to do a dance in there...)
- rubyslippers
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Re: Aladdin Coming to Broadway!
I'm not too surprised that Friend Like Me is the showstopper--it's more or less acting as the Act I finale, which they want to end with as big as bang as possible. Act II openers for musicals, from what I've experienced, are rarely as bombastic.
The stage version of Prince Ali is more fun to listen to than it was to watch, tbh. Aside from a few great gags (like the allusion to Abu with '95 white persian monkeys') it was just sort of boring? They went for an interesting theme with a 1940s-50s style Vegas strip but it really needs something other than dancers. I will say, from the Broadway audio someone posted elsewhere, that they did at least cut down on the random dance breaks in the song from Toronto! It seems they trimmed a lot of the extra dancing in the show from Toronto, which is good... I don't mind dance breaks but too many outstay their welcome.
The stage version of Prince Ali is more fun to listen to than it was to watch, tbh. Aside from a few great gags (like the allusion to Abu with '95 white persian monkeys') it was just sort of boring? They went for an interesting theme with a 1940s-50s style Vegas strip but it really needs something other than dancers. I will say, from the Broadway audio someone posted elsewhere, that they did at least cut down on the random dance breaks in the song from Toronto! It seems they trimmed a lot of the extra dancing in the show from Toronto, which is good... I don't mind dance breaks but too many outstay their welcome.
- Sotiris
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Re: Aladdin Coming to Broadway!
What?

Source: http://blogs.forward.com/the-shmooze/19 ... ish-twist/With music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and additional lyrics by Chad Beguelin the production includes an excerpt by Stephen Schwartz and a “Mambo” by Leonard Bernstein. This upbeat musical concludes with a dazzling Disneyesque hora performed by the full cast.
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Re: Aladdin Coming to Broadway!
The excerpt from Stephen Schwartz is likely referring to to the tiny bit of "Colors of the Wind" that makes it into the medley Genie sings... no idea about the Mambo, I don't remember one, nor do I remember there being a hora dance, but they could have added it in the meantime.Sotiris wrote:What?![]()
Source: http://blogs.forward.com/the-shmooze/19 ... ish-twist/With music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and additional lyrics by Chad Beuelin the production includes an excerpt by Stephen Schwartz and a “Mambo” by Leonard Bernstein. This upbeat musical concludes with a dazzling Disneyesque hora performed by the full cast.
Also the inner theater nerd in me cringes that she posted a review on a website like that before it opened on Broadway!

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Re: Aladdin Coming to Broadway!
Saw the show tonight (well last night I guess, lol) and it was amazing! Very different to the earlier production I saw at the Tuacahn. The Ashman material is still there but this new production is much closer to the film. It's an amazing show, can't wait to see it again this weekend (flew half way round the world for this, no way I wasn't seeing it twice!)
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Re: Aladdin Coming to Broadway!
Proud Of Your Boy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR9O_cv3Q-I
Friend Like Me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-oFxh-SKbk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR9O_cv3Q-I
Friend Like Me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-oFxh-SKbk