Aladdin Reviews — Page 4

Cushman is far from the best of Toronto's mediocre group of newpaper critics. However, I think he got this one right. I did have problems with some of the lowbrow humor, but it seems this is de rigueur in family shows. But I had no problems with sets, costumes, the score or the performances. I don't really get the problem with Jasmine some people are detecting. She says the same kind of things she did in the movie, but they didn't ring false to me. A Friend Like Me and A Whole New World brought the house down. I would go again.

Call Me A Princess is being cut and replaced with a new song starting this week.

I'll add to the mix from a good source that certain scenes will be "reworked if there is time".

There is so much potential with this show. They do have some great stuff going on, and hopefully they will make the changes that will help improve it.

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I spoke with a few cast members and they told me that the creatives are aware of the problems and are taking the time to fix them. They are going back into rehearsal in NYC A LOT earlier than originally scheduled to rehearse new material. So it seems to me that they are trying to make this right. They are also cutting Jasmine's song and adding a new one.
Since it started previews they have cut a bunch of material and IMO its made the show a lot tighter and flow much better.

What changes have been made so far, as of today?

Is there any chance they push back the start of previews to allow more rehearsal time?

Any news on revisions or changes?

The Toronto run ends January 5.

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Hi can you post a link to the message board where the song is changed?

Went back to see it again. Although Call Me a Princess and its reprise are still listed in the program, they have been replaced by Jasmine's new song - Beyond These Palace Walls, which is a much better song and makes Jasmine a much more sympathetic character. I loved the show before, and I love it even more now that Jasmine's character is more likeable. I didn't notice any other big changes. Some small ones that i noticed - the Genie performance has gotten bigger and broader, the camels have been removed from the opening scene, and Babkak does a bit of ad-libbing at the top of act two and Genie also does some ad-libbing at the end of Friend Like Me.

Although i loved the dancing and choreography the first time, i loved them even more the second time. The first time they made a joyful impression, and seeing it again made me appreciate even more just how perfect the dancing/choreo is in so many details (the individual movements, the formations, the high energy with which it was performed, the perfect fit with the music and mood of each scene). I predict mid-show standing ovations on Broadway after "Friend Like Me".

Updated On: 12/29/13 at 12:37 AM

Iago is human in the stage show. They do several nudge-nudge-wink-wink nods to his character having been a bird in the animated film that land as inside jokes for those familiar with the film but don't really intrude for those who are not.

Saw the final performance in Toronto today. I feel like this was a fabulous production of a great show. New York is in for a big treat. Thanks to all the cast, crew, and creatives for a wonderful experience!