Disney’s Aladdin the Musical Soars into Sydney

When news started flooding my social media that Disney’s Aladdin the Musical was heading to Sydney all the way from Broadway, I was overcome with nostalgia. In my early adolescence, Aladdin was one of the first movies I watched at the movie theatre….without my parents. Each and every song is committed to memory. I may even know the entire script!

On a wet Thursday evening during opening week, we headed to the Capitol Theatre in Sydney by foot. After cloaking our umbrella we stocked up on the Capitol’s famous choc tops (I can’t resist their mint flavoured version) and found our way to our seats ready to be taken on an amazing adventure through Agrabah.

For those of you who have watched Disney’s animated Aladdin, you will be familiar with the narrative. It tells the story of Aladdin, a poor man whose only friend is a monkey called Abu. He meets and falls in love with Jasmine, the princess of Agrabah. Her father, the Sultan, is busy trying to find her a royal husband whilst Jafar, his Grand Vizier continues to thwart every opportunity as he has his eyes on the position. Aladdin finds a lamp, rubs the lamp and becomes master to an all powerful genie. A little deception, a magic carpet ride…..and by the end of the movie, Aladdin successfully woos Jasmine and frees the Genie.

Disney’s Aladdin the Musical is a little different from the animation although the central arc remains very similar. The monkey, the tiger and the parrot have morphed into humans who boast some of the original character’s attributes although there is no sign of the elephants. There are also some additional songs. I found that this made the production a little too long: the film ran for 90 minutes, the theatre production now runs for around 2.5 hours, a long time for children to sit and watch even with an intermission. Stock up on those choc tops!

When the opening song beings, vibrant colours flash across the stage. The Genie introduces the story and hypnotises the audience. What Disney’s Aladdin the Musical has that the animation could never have is the most amazing use of sequins, crystals and beading every to grace the Capitol Theatre. I hear that over 500,000 Swarovski crystals were ordered with many of them hand sewn onto the costumes. The set design is beyond amazing and has the ability to transport you into Agrabah from the very moment the curtain opens. The cast are also predominantly Australian, albeit all with fake American accents.

Throughout the production, the audience was mesmerised by a whirling haze of colour The highlights for me were, Aljin Abella who plays Jafar’s sidekick Iago (you know, the parrot) and of course Michael James Scott who plays the Genie. And then there was the magic carpet. Oh my gosh….I can’t even begin to describe how amazing the carpet is and I’m still trying to figure out how it works. It turns around! It can’t be on wires. Unfortunately how it is done it is a trade secret! Magic, right? I’m reluctant to provide full details of the show because you need to see it yourself. By the time the show drew to a close I knew that it was one I would be telling everyone to go and see.

With a few trips on the cards, I decided to stick to a budget when it came to sourcing our tickets. Luckily tickets to Disney’s Aladdin the Musical can be procured via Ticketmaster which allows you to trawl for tickets via their seating chart. I’ve been spoilt for a long while now and typically get STALL tickets. I was open to dates and times so searched based on this, finding $60.00 tickets during opening week. They were in the stalls too. Bargain! If you’re dates and times are flexible, I highly recommend this method if you’re on a budget BUT like the better tickets. It doesn’t always work, but it’s worth trying. 

Edited to add: I know a few of you are curious…..I self funded our adventure to Disney’s Aladdin the Musical using the Ticketmaster site as I’ve described above to source tickets within budget. All opinions are my own.