Alan Menken confirms "Aladdin" musical is in the works!- Page 2

[Kad]

Posted: 11/16/10 at 11:14am

"f 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."

I highly doubt Disney would allow the movie to be heavily altered like that. They can always just repurpose the cut material with lyric changes.

[Disneyland Magic Man]

Posted: 11/16/10 at 11:39am

They altered The Little Mermaid on stage. I'm pretty sure that the Vanessa subplot in the film was very important and that was completely scratched for some contest that came out of no where. Also, in the film, they made a very big point that Ariel couldn't speak (or sing) after giving her voice... And she definitely has more songs as a mute than she has "with" her voice on stage.

In the article, if you read it, he says that he's going back to what he and Ashman had intended for the piece. Ashman was never in the picture with Jasmine as we know her, a monkey friend, no mother, and only one genie. Those script changes came from Disney after his death which is why Menken tried to do lyrics himself at first and ultimately needed Rice to come in and help because THAT much material needed to be scrapped due to the changes in story line.

The only things salvageable of Ashman's are the Arabian Nights reprises that narrate the story ala Facade in Jekyll. Now... those have been added back into MTI's version, so maybe that's all we get. Even "Proud Of Your Boy" doesn't work without an actual mother character... and the One Jump Ahead reprise serves the exact same purpose without need for a parent.

[julesboogie]

Posted: 11/16/10 at 12:32pm

"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!"

While i like Curtis, i do hope they do find a cast that is ethnically appropriate. Sans Genie, i think the show is popular enough to do well without popular names. And i think it would be cool to see a mostly Arab cast. Or at least a completely color-blind cast. I dont know if there is a large enough pool of actors to do it completely correct.

But what i imagine is a bunch of orange actors from self tanner. Scares me.

[sally1112]

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

As long as Aladdin is hot, I will be there!

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 11/16/10 at 12:52pm

What sally said, lol.

Also, hopefully they will allow him to wear just the vest and not cover him up with a shirt/vest combo like I've seen the Aladdins at the theme parks wearing.

[andi1235]

Posted: 11/16/10 at 1:23pm

How about Wayne Brady for Genie?

Also, as exciting as this is, as long as they release a cast recording so I can FINALLY get all those amazing cut songs with full orchestrations instead of demos I'll be happy (even though I adore the demos - off to listen to Disc 4 of Music Behind the Magic again!)

I've been waiting for them to do something with these songs since I was 12 -- SOOO EXCITED for this! :)

[CandiceElyse]

Posted: 11/16/10 at 2:18pm

though he isnt the proper ethnicity, i would love to hear Kyle Dean Massey take on Aladdin's songs, i think he has the perfect voice for them...but thats just me :)

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 11/16/10 at 4:44pm

Ehh. If they're not going the ethnic route I vote Matt Doyle for Aladdin.

[broadwayjoe476]

Posted: 11/16/10 at 5:04pm

Although Lea Salonga is to old to play Jasmine now beautywickedlover, Did anyone consider Charice for the role? She's definatly got the vocals and would do a kick ass job on "A Whole New World"! Besides the fact that she has the right look and height for Jasmine. I'm just saying...
There is so much they can do with make-up for Aladdin, just finding a dark hair'd athletic guy with good vocals is the key.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 11/16/10 at 5:16pm

"There is so much they can do with make-up for Aladdin, just finding a dark hair'd athletic guy with good vocals is the key."

Let's not go down that road. If they do go with a non-ethnic actor I hope they just own it and let it be what it is. As somebody else stated, my biggest fear if they go that way is an orange Aladdin.

However, I wouldn't mind seeing Adam Jacobs as Aladdin.

[wicked1492]

Posted: 11/16/10 at 5:17pm

Yes :)

I love Aladdin and it'll be great...but could we PLEASE get Hercules on stage?!?!

[sbflyfan]

Posted: 11/17/10 at 9:30am

"but could we PLEASE get Hercules on stage?!?"

Oh lord. They'd have to hold a cage brawl between Spencer Liff and Nick Adams to determine who gets to play Hercules!

[Josh Freilich]

Posted: 11/17/10 at 10:05am

I bet they're going to use the cut lyrics from "Prince Ali":
(I know them from the MAGIC BEHIND THE MUSIC box set)

"Prince Ali, wonderful he, Ali Ababwa
He's essayed quite a parade for you to see
So get on up in that street,
Got someone I want you to meet,
Come on, start kissing the feet of Prince Ali!

(Dance/parade break!)

(countermelody verse)
There's no question this Ali's impressive
Though his entourage may be excessive
All these elephants at once can quite unnerve one.
Still the guy gives a parade new meaning
And the sight of all those peacocks preening
He's a prince without a peer and we deserve one!

(Prince Ali, handsome is he, Ali Ababwa)
(There's no question this Ali's alluring)"

And then the rest of the song...

[andi1235]

Posted: 11/17/10 at 11:59am

"All those elephants at once can quite unnerve one" is possibly my favorite Ashman lyric for some reason (although it's hard to pick a favorite - there are too many good ones! But I always thought it was a shame they didn't use that verse of the song, so I hope they manage to work it in!

[gypsy4]

Posted: 11/17/10 at 2:47pm

I'm guessing some of you have not seen the Stage Adaption at DCA which is pretty stellar and now on it's eighth year and one of the most Popular attractions in the park it featured state of the Art sets and a script faithful to original Movie with addition of the New Song "to be Free" which is now my favorite songs and the Absence of Raja and Abu over it all it's always been an enjoyable and Beleive it or not it was directed Zambello herself. I wonder if they'll be using some of the same Production team but I'm finally excited to see Aladdin now have Life On broadway and it excites me even more that there playing tribute to Howard by adding in some of his original cut work after all if it wasn't for him we wouldn't have this Classic disney film.

[Overkill]

Posted: 11/17/10 at 3:25pm

They won't be using any of the production team from the DCA Aladdin for the same reason they didn't use the production team from the Animal Kingdom's Tarzan for Tarzan on Broadway, it's a theme park show. A very good theme park show, but a theme park show.

Ricky Gervais for the Genie.

[Colle]

Posted: 11/17/10 at 4:37pm

This does have potential to be good, though I hope they don't change it too much/in a bad way. I do think "Prince Ali" or "Friend Like Me" would probably be the best ending for act one.

As for "A Whole New World" I could imagine it being done simliar to how it was done on the Academy Awards. Here is a link to it.

"A Whole New World" Academy Awards Updated On: 11/17/10 at 04:37 PM

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 11/17/10 at 4:48pm

Didn't that effect sort of rely on the fact that whatever mechanism was lifting the carpet was out of view of the camera? They can't really do that on Broadway.

[gypsy4]

Posted: 11/17/10 at 11:10pm

but Might I remind you that the 1992 theme Park Production of Beauty and the beast that Played in Disneyland (not Disney World) was helmed by the same Director and Choreographer who helmed the Broadway Production that same theme Park Production
was used as a Basis Vehicle Mr. Roth has quoted it himself which leads me to Believe the theme park Production of Aladdin has been simply a Basis Workshop all these years by the Way the Animal Kingdom Tarzan show was a Rock concert with acrobats while the show at DCA is Full-Blown out Broadway Style Show.

and just to make sure this is correct right?

Arabian Nights: Ashman, Menken
One Jump Ahead: Rice, Menken
One Jump Ahead Reprise: Rice, Menken
Friend Like Me: Ashman, Menken
Prince Ali: Ashman, Menken
A whole New World: Rice, Menken Updated On: 11/17/10 at 11:10 PM

[gypsy4]

Posted: 11/17/10 at 11:33pm

Aladdin! Updated On: 11/17/10 at 11:33 PM

[beautywickedlover]

Posted: 1/7/11 at 11:40pm

It's likely to come to Seattle.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/RIALTO_CHATTER_Disneys_ALADDIN_Headed_to_5th_Avenue_in_Seattle_20010101

[TheLadyoftheWood]

Posted: 1/8/11 at 4:41am

I third Hercules the Broadway Musical, and I'm sorry (not trying to be mean) but I don't think Charice is pretty enough to play the role of Jasmine. I do however think she could bring the house down with her vocals though.

[darquegk]

Posted: 1/8/11 at 11:05am

When Disney workshop developed Hercules as a stage show, and tried out an hour-long version on a cruise, it was not well-done or well-received.

Metatheatrical and fourth-wall breaking, the concept was that an ancient Greek theatre troupe was to perform the tale of Hercules. However, disaster plagued the cast as sets and props disappeared, and most of the leads got food poisoning, forcing the director to step in as Phil and one of the chorus boys step in in drag as a muse (extreme shades of Xanadu). Rather than go all-out on spectacle- perhaps for artistic reasons, or perhaps because of the venue- they instead made the show somewhat laughably intimate, poking fun at the cheapness of props and costumes.

[gvendo2005]

Posted: 1/9/11 at 5:59pm

Greg, is that what actually happened in the production situation, or was it part of the plot? Either way, it would be epic to include as a framework in the final version.

[darquegk]

Posted: 1/9/11 at 8:58pm

That was the actual concept, as the prologue, which was interrupted by the Muses in the film, was instead interrupted by the irate Director.