Alan Menken confirms "Aladdin" musical is in the works!

[beautywickedlover]

Posted: 11/15/10 at 4:58pm

Alan Menken was interviewed at broadwayworld.com and said that a musical adaptation of "Aladdin" is underway.

Quote:

"Chad Beguelin wrote the book. He did a fantastic job. He and I also wrote a new song that will be going in, along with a lot of the cut Howard Ashman songs and some of the cut Tim Rice songs, and a song that I wrote music and lyrics for that was in the theatrical adaptation at California Adventure."

"It has more of the feeling of a Hope & Crosby road picture - which is what Howard and I originally wanted for the musical. We are going to try it out, hopefully, next summer."

I hope this musical will do well. I loved the film when I was a kid and the music is amazing! I really hope it doesn't turn out to be like "The Little Mermaid." It's too bad that Lea Salonga is now too old to play Jasmine. To see her sing "A Whole New World" live would give me goosebumps.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/BWW_EXCLUSIVE_Alan_Menken_Talks_TANGLED_SISTER_ACT_LEAP_HUNCHBACK_ALADDIN_More_20101115_page1







Updated On: 1/7/11 at 04:58 PM

[jamiekennywicked]

Posted: 11/15/10 at 5:03pm

FINNALY!

[rmusic11322]

Posted: 11/15/10 at 5:09pm

YAYY!!!!!!!!

[philly03]

Posted: 11/15/10 at 5:14pm

Everytime one of these Disney animated classics comes along people will rave about how amazing it will be, then what we get on stage is a designed mess... which for THe Little Mermaid made sense. Though I don't think sets would be as much of a problem for Aladdin!

[jdtp12]

Posted: 11/15/10 at 5:18pm

I sure hope Taymor helps out so that the magic carpet will fly over the audience members' heads..

[PopAria]

Posted: 11/15/10 at 5:52pm

I'm so excited about this.

Taymore doesn't need to be involved to make the carpet fly. Mary Poppins flies just fine; and it's done very tasteful,IMO.

I'm wondering how they'll do Iago, Abu, and Rahjah (the animals). I mean, will cartoon-to-stage musicals always require puppets?

[jdtp12]

Posted: 11/15/10 at 5:59pm

Ha, yea, a bit of sarcasm coming from my end. In all honesty, I'm pretty excited for this. I think it should be pretty awesome show. It will be interesting to see what kind of cast and crew will be involved in this.

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 11/15/10 at 7:57pm

I love Aladdin... but I think I'm more excited about Hunchback!!! i listen to the German Cast recording quite often!

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 11/15/10 at 8:14pm

Sad to say, but I could see Rahjah getting the same fate as Belle's horse Phillipe.

[threetwoone]

Posted: 11/15/10 at 8:46pm

If I'm not mistaken, Abu wasn't even in the California Adventure version, was he? (As well as Rahjah.)

Also, Dee Dee Magno Hall as Jasmine? She was the original in California Adventure (I do understand these are completely separate projects) and she told me a few months ago personally that she wanted to go back to the show but it was closing.

[MadonnaMusical]

Posted: 11/15/10 at 8:53pm

So excited! More excited to see the beautiful boys that will be playing Aladdin over the years! :o)

The only problem with Little Mermaid was the director and design team.... and the fact that Disney didn't want to cough up a few extra million to make sure it looked good (maybe make everyone fly, or get an LCD screen in the back to make it look underwater). I bet one day it gets a revival and runs for years.

I do hope the carpet flies though. OMG OMG OMG :) I'm imagining the crazy stuff they'll do for "Prince Ali" or "Friend Like Me" numbers...... oh gosh can't wait!

[GlindatheGood22]

Posted: 11/15/10 at 9:04pm

Nathan Lane as the Genie. Please.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/15/10 at 10:22pm

"Mary Poppins flies just fine"

Except they hoist her ass in the air after two and a half excruciatingly boring hours.

"Nathan Lane as the Genie. Please."

It will be Nathan Lane in blue. No surprises. No nothing. Might as well put Mario Cantone in there.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 11/15/10 at 11:05pm

Based on the interview it seems like they're focusing more on putting cut songs back in instead of writing new ones.

I'm assuming "To Be Free" and "Why Me" are in. I wonder if they'll try and work in "Call Me a Princess" or "Proud of Your Boy"? "High Adventure" might be fun too, but I don't see how they'd do it on stage.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 11/15/10 at 11:09pm

The magic carpet can very easily "fly" the same way the car flew in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 11/16/10 at 12:19am

While I do love Nathan Lane, I agree with Jordan that he would be wrong for the Genie. What makes the character really work in the movie is all the impersonations. I can't think of any stars off the top of my head who would be able to maintain that rapid quick-fire of impersonations and caricatures. And of course without the added bonus of being able to animate the impersonations, they need to be some spot on vocal stylings to make sure the large majority of the audience can instantly figure out who it is an impersonation of so that they keep up with the flow of the show.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 11/16/10 at 12:24am

In terms of structure I hope they end Act I with the scene at the oasis after the escape from the Cave of Wonders (maybe insert a reprise of "Friend Like Me"), allowing "Prince Ali" to become a HUGE Act II opener.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 11/16/10 at 12:45am

I think "A Whole New World" will probably be the act one finale. It just seems like the "proper" gimmicky way to end the first act with a flying sequence.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 11/16/10 at 1:01am

I don't know, that seems like it would make a fairly long first act (a critique that was often lobbed at Beauty and the Beast). Structurally "A Whole New World" fits right into the same slot as both "Beauty and the Beast" and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," your soft romantic moment part way into Act II that gives the audience a breather before the build to the finale.

It also would leave only one song from the movie, the "Prince Ali" reprise for Act II. I don't think it would be a good idea to make it feel as if they are cramming every recognizable song into Act I and then leaving the audience with an almost entirely new song stack for Act II.

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 11/16/10 at 1:17am

I actually love the idea of having Friend Like Me be a Reprise ending Act I... i think it's a great break in the piece like AEA said... Lion King has the animals coming in during Circle of Life... then Prince Ali could have some great huge opening like that for Act II

[Disneyland Magic Man]

Posted: 11/16/10 at 2:05am

Interesting...

If they're adding in cut Ashman stuff, they're probably reintroducing Aladdin's friends Babkak, Omar, and Kassim and/or his mother. All of their cut material, sans the Arabian Nights reprises, revolve around a completely different plot where Aladdin deserts his mother and three best friends for riches and the princess. Songs like "Proud Of Your Boy", "Babkak, Omar, Aladdin, Kassim", "How Quick They Forget", and "High Adventure". This story-line also featured two genies. Friends and/or mother solve the problem of having an Abu on stage.

One can expect that "Why Me" will be added as it's in the MTI version they license to kids. That's a Rice/Menken song.

Since "To Be Free", Jasmine's song at DCA, is taken from theme instrumental music in the film, I wonder if he'll expand on it more and possibly make it into a trio for Aladdin, Genie, and Jasmine... as the theme is used for all three characters in the movie. Or maybe reprises.

I wonder what other goodies will show up. "Call Me A Princess" doesn't work unless they rewrite Jasmine as a spoiled whiney b*tch. "Humiliate The Boy" is good, but "Why Me" works better. I hope that "Count On Me" doesn't see the light of day...

The show at Disneyland is a far cry from good, but there's no reason it can't work. Movie story-line or even slightly altered.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 11/16/10 at 5:09am

Am I the only one NOT interested in this? I'm not saying it can't or won't be good, it certainly can be -- and if my kids (real or students) want to see it I'm sure we'll go if it makes to the Great White Way.

I guess I'm just more "annoyed" with another rehash of an already existing musical. I know Beuty and the Beast was well done and all....but I was never impressed with plopping the movie on stage. Sure it was neat to see the cosutmes, but for 20 bucks I can see the SAME EXACT thing on my tv----over and over and over.

I suppose I just feel if you are going to change mediums, that it needs to bring something DIFFERENT to the experience. I feel like Lion King did that really well. The MOVIE Chicago, did as well. Whether you like it or not, there was a REASON to change mediums and they were still able to bring us something NEW.

[tazber]

Posted: 11/16/10 at 7:35am

I'm interested only b/c it's my favorite Ashman/Menken Disney movie.
I love their approach to the material, and accentuating the "road to..." conceit is right in line with the musical style.

[sbflyfan]

Posted: 11/16/10 at 9:40am

Curtis Holbrook for Aladdin, please! He's go the ideal voice, and can do the kind of cartoonish-silly-slapstick stuff, and is athletic enough for the role!

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/16/10 at 10:44am

Curtis is white, you racist.