Aladdin

​Whew.  Amongst my crazy busy weekend, I managed to stop and take the time to see Aladdin on Broadway.  The New Amsterdam theater, while absolutely beautiful, isn't much made for larger people.  I don't even mean those with larger butts like mine…just in general.  I'm six feet tall and I had to work really really hard not to knee the gentleman in front of me directly in the head.


That aside the show itself was spectacular.  If you asked me to hook you with three things; I'd go with costumes, the flying carpet, and the genie.  If you're familiar with the original movie (or the new live action movie), you already know the plot and the majority of the songs you'll hear.  There's a somewhat unnecessary song about Aladdin wanting his mother to be proud of her boy that refrains throughout the show, but it's honestly not needed.


The costuming was beautifully done.  Sequins and crystals adorn almost every piece of clothing you see and the colors are bright and vibrant.  The sets are beautifully rendered as well, with the palace/Jasmine's room being one of my favorites.  The lattice work alone is worth the cost of admission.


The real shining star of the show is the actor playing the Genie.  I found myself wondering what was missing from the production and then the Genie arrived and I realized what was missing.  His energy lights up the stage and the entire show changes.  It changes so much that I spent the rest of the time feeling his absence.


One of the things that I love about Broadway shows is that they don't hold back with the effects.  When the magic carpet scene arrives, I did sort of expect them to fly out over the audience.  Even though they did not, the wire work was so impeccable that I couldn't tell that they were attached to anything.


I really enjoyed this show and I'm glad that I chose it for my Saturday night viewing while in NYC.