Aladdin or Frozen

[BdwayLife]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 7:47pm

For those of you who have seen both, which did you prefer? Trying to decide between the two (to see) and would value your input. Thanks!

[ssecnirpc]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 7:50pm

I saw both in the same weekend. Frozen was far better, in my opinion. Aladdin was completely underwhelming (though the lead was new). I felt no chemistry between Aladdin and Jasmine and I wasn’t really rooting for them. Frozen was more beautiful and fun.

[BdwayLife]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 7:52pm

Thanks for the advice!

[suicidalmickeymouse]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 7:54pm

Definitely Frozen. I highly enjoyed that. Aladdin was so disappointing.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 8:00pm

Definitely Frozen.

Posted: 1/20/20 at 9:05pm

I personally loved Aladdin over Frozen. I thought it was gorgeous and found Frozen underwhelming.

[dylan mcquaid]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 9:08pm

FROZEN!!! It transcends the original material and the staging lighting and vocal performances are far superior than Aladdin which honestly at its best feels like a NYC tourist trap.

Updated On: 1/20/20 at 09:08 PM

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 9:16pm

The fact that everyone on this has chosen Frozen makes me glad that I never saw Aladdin. Frozen was a waste of money. The good songs were from the movie, and everything added was subpar. Disney on stage is typically a disappointment because the movies are pretty great. Sometimes it's best to just leave things alone. I'd say save your money on both.

[Broadway Buddy]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 9:21pm

I enjoyed both. I would prefer Frozen because the special effects are just... INCREDIBLE. But I was also wowed by Aladdin. It was a lot funnier, but neither are really comedies

[inception]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 9:36pm

I thought Aladdin was sensational when I saw it in 2018. I thought the set, costumes, and choreography of were superior to Frozen. Looking through the show program again, I was struck at how sexy the ensemble is - a lot of shirtless beefcake.
Frozen is all just projections on a screen.
I also liked Aladdin even more than Lion King.

[BdwayLife]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 9:45pm

Thank you all. Really appreciate your comments.

[dylan mcquaid]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 9:49pm

Frozen certainly feels more like a Broadway musical especially now a days. Aladdin has the trappings of a dated Vegas family show.

[dylan mcquaid]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 9:49pm

Updated On: 1/20/20 at 09:49 PM

[JennH]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 9:33am

I can't believe I'm saying it but...Frozen. And that doesn't mean much. Both are crappy tourist traps, with nothing special about them but at least Frozen somewhat resembles its' film. Aladdin hardly resembles its' film at all. 

[AuroratheGeek]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 9:36am

So surprised to see so many in the Frozen camp! I really enjoyed Aladdin, and liked how they changed the source material slightly. I was disappointed in Frozen, but my expectations might have been too high. (Also, that number at the beginning of Act II! Oi!)

[gibsons2]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 10:18am

I loved Frozen and saw it twice! Aladdin was great too, but last time I saw it was with James Monroe Iglehart as The Genie, so I don't know if the show is still in good shape. And both shows are way better than the Lion King.

[bdn223]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 2:28pm

I saw Aladdin near the end of previews and Frozen just after it opened. I would put them on par with each other and would say your choice would be dependent on what you want in a show. Aladdin is a big ensemble piece with a ton of big chorus numbers and spectacle, while Frozen is more of the plot driven character piece which is more about performance then spectacle. I remember thinking and will still attest that Aladdin is all down hill after Friend Like Me, which is the second to last song in the first act, overall though it is a show about "magic"  and wonder. Frozen, weirdly does not offer that much in terms of spectacle outside of Elsa's initial confrontation with her powers, and not Let It Go. 

If I had to be blunt would you rather see Beauty and the Beast light, or Wicked, If its the former buy tickets for Aladdin, and if its the latter buy tickets for Frozen. 

[RWPrincess]

Posted: 1/25/20 at 10:26am

I love them both. However, I didn't love Frozen instantly. I had to see it more than once and listen to the cast recording a few times to really love it.

Aladdin is definitely much more catered to adults. There is a lot of adult humor built in. I would also recommend waiting until after Feb 28 if you can which is when Michael James Scott returns as the Genie. I do agree that the chemistry between Arielle and Clinton isn't great but she is also leaving soon but I don't think they've announced her replacement yet. As for the additional songs, keep in mind these were written by Menken and Ashman for the original movie but got cut. So they're still from the same team.

Frozen is just a really good feel good musical. I also love the new songs added for Broadway, again from the same team as the movie. If you can see it with Patti and Caissie before Feb 16, great. If not, you'll see the new cast. 

If you're from out of town, I would actually suggest seeing Aladdin on Broadway and seeing the Frozen tour instead of the Broadway production. That might be a good compromise.

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 1/25/20 at 9:28pm

I'm actually quite surprised at how many people chose Frozen, since I had thought more people would like Aladdin.  I saw Aladdin once on tour (from front row) and once on Broadway (from box seats) and I thought it a lot more fun and colorful than Frozen (mostly because of the story/songs rather than any flaws with Frozen), though I'll admit I had fairly unique vantage points for both.  I liked that they changed up the story a little and the new songs seemed to slot in pretty well even if none of them were super big standouts (I did like These Palace Walls).  With Aladdin I'd recommend not seeing it from the balcony/boxes though since people I know who saw it there said it kind of revealed some of the trap doors and entrances, which ruined the stage magic a bit.

I enjoyed Frozen quite a bit (saw it twice on Broadway) but it seemed a pretty standard screen to stage adaptation without deviating from the source material too much.  I think the added songs were better than the ones in Aladdin and I actually like quite a few of them, as well as some newer arrangements of the songs in the movie.  Like others have said, it's a bit more impressive visually and does a lot more to flesh out its characters.  They've apparently been making more tweaks on the tour though, and the pictures from the tour set look gorgeous, more than the Broadway version, so I'd say try to catch the tour if you can (though rumor has it that those changes will be added to the Broadway production at some point).

tl;dr, I think Aladdin is better for the overall experience/energy of the room, while Frozen is better for a plot/character driven show with some cooler visuals, so it really depends what kind of musical you prefer.

[SoCalDirector]

Posted: 1/25/20 at 9:31pm

I saw Aladdin on Broadway and on tour. The Broadway is much preferable because it has the trap doors with hydraulics so the actors and the genie come flying out. I just saw the tour of Frozen and according to one of the cast members I know they’ve made some changes to improve the show which will be implemented on Broadway through not already.

[DiscoCrows]

Posted: 1/25/20 at 9:49pm

Maybe it’s because I am in my very early 20’s and didn’t really grow up watching Aladdin, but yeah I definitely preferred Frozen. It doesn’t do a whole lot that the movie doesn’t- besides some new songs that are pretty enjoyable in my opinion, and I’m okay with that. I hated Aladdin’s staging, writing and direction and thought Friend Like Me was the only truly GREAT part of the show. Though I only saw Aladdin in 2017, so I can’t speak to the cast now- I will echo the thoughts of others that the casting in Frozen far outweighs that of the talent in Aladdin. My Jasmine had one of the pitchiest voices I’ve ever heard on the Broadway stage- though I do realize this sort of thing varies show to show and I’m sure my experience is unique. Meanwhile, the Frozen cast I saw, starring Cassie Levy and Aisha Jackson- blew the absolute roof off the St. James when I saw it. It wasn’t anything groundbreaking and was incredibly faithful to the original movie, but I was totally fine with it. I really really enjoyed myself, so much so that I’ll be driving over to a city nearby to catch the new tour changes.

Updated On: 1/25/20 at 09:49 PM

[JuneJune]

Posted: 1/26/20 at 8:35am

I prefer Frozen over Aladdin.
I liked Frozen (though I'm not obsessed), meanwhile I just disliked Aladdin completely.

But it really depends on what you look for in a show.

To summarize if you don't want to read my rambles, Aladdin for anything visual (sets, costumes). Frozen for basically everything else.

Aladdin is the "fun" one and more of a spectacle, in that most of the numbers are upbeat and tries to pump up the audience. The costumes are great to look at (often sparkly) and, in my opinion, the best part about the show.
The set is so-so. Maybe it would've been better from the Orchestra, but from the read Mezzanine, the forced perspective that's supposed to make things look tall and grand actually worked counterintuitively. I remember thinking that the room full of gold felt like obvious cheap coats of paint and sparkly plastic props (of course I don't expect to see actual gold on stage, but it definitely ruined the immersion). The stage felt cramped and cheap; even though the show is only 5-ish years old, it already felt dated when I saw it over a year ago.
Though despite my complaints about the set, it's definitely better than Frozen's.
If you're expecting to see a retelling of your favorite movie live and on stage, skip this one. It takes a few liberties.

Frozen takes itself more seriously compared to its film. Whether that's for better or worse is up to you, but I liked it. It helped it feel like less of a tourist trap than Aladdin.
In my opinion, Frozen has the better plot (as executed on stage), score, characters, and star power moments. But surprisingly, it wasn't too heavy on the visuals (against my expectations, as I went in blind). The special effects are mostly projections. There were a few cool ones that were actually physical, but I think Aladdin's carpet ride has them beat. (And the best of them can be seen in officially taped performances of Let it Go)
I only remembered being impressed with the costumes at one point (ballroom attire), but for the rest of the show, I don't ever recall being impressed enough to think about it.
Despite its more serious tone, Frozen follows its movie much better, of course with trivial liberties here and there. And I would rather listen to Frozen's cast recording over Aladdin's any day (though I still remain upset that Love is an Open Door was changed to be more of a comedic number). While Aladdin's characters just felt "there" in my opinion, the characters for Frozen feel like they have a purpose being on stage. Which should be a given, but I guess that's just how unimpressed with Aladdin I was. And Frozen had more "show-stopping" moments without relying on flashy dance numbers and relying on the speakers turning up the volume at the climax.

To sum it all up, I spent most of Aladdin kicking my feet, yet I did enjoy sitting through Frozen.