Aladdin...

[skynyc]

Okay...it's not going to surprise anyone who has read any of my reviews in the past couple of years to discover that I had a great time tonight at Disney's newest hit.

 

First of all...getting to walk around the New Amsterdam Theater is almost worth the ticket price in itself. It really is the crown jewel of Broadway, and although not the oldest theater in town, (that's the Lyceum which opened earlier that same year - 1903), it's just a stunning venue for any show.

 

Now, one must hope that the average theater-goer doesn't walk into a musical production called Disney's Aladdin, based on a Disney cartoon, and think "ahhh, at last an edifying evening of sophisticated entertainment."

 

Other than some of the special effects, and some of the internal lyrics in the Ashman/Menken/Beguelin score, there's not a lot of sophistication to be found. But there's plenty of entertainment...and it's the kind of entertainment that thrived at this venue during Ziegfeld's day. Broad comedy, lavish costumes, buddy acts, clever choreography, beautiful people wearing scanty (but lavish) costumes, lots of breaking the fourth wall, love songs, impressive scenery, high melodrama, and did I mention the lavish costumes? There's even a staircase for the stars to descend! (albeit a small one.)

 

I don't want to give too many spoilers, but the score is very strong...the last by the team of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, which reinstates four songs that were cut from the movie, and adds four new ones. Smart lyrics and hummable melodies...in fact I am humming "Proud of Your Boy" as I type this.

 

The special effects are great fun, especially the magic carpet. I know there must be wires...but I couldn't see them...and I was looking.

 

The costumes didn't get a Tony nomination. Probably the biggest upset of the year.... I would hazard a guess that there are almost 100 costumes in the second act opener alone...(impressive since the cast is about thirty). Unlike many shows, you can see where every dime of your ticket price has gone.

 

And most of all: a very appealing cast. Adam Jacobs is too adorable. A great body, a great singing voice and a 10,000 watt smile. (I tried to attach a picture, but was unsuccessful...google him.) James Monroe Iglehart as the Genie has been getting a lot of Tony buzz and it's understandable...I think he's the one to beat. His turn in Friend Like Me is unflagging. And yes, they uphold Robin Williams' standard of modern cultural references with great success...including a really funny homage to a current reality competition...and a marvelous homage to one of Broadway's greatest shows. Jasmine has a lovely voice, and good stage presence.

 

Jonathan Freeman plays the villainous Jafar, a role whose voice he originated in the film. It must be great fun for him to bring it to life now. And his henchman from the film (the Gilbert Gottfried voiced parrot, Iago), has been replaced with a human Iago, (Don Darryl Rivera) who is a great foil...especially as they try to out-laugh each other...Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!

 

Yes, they are ALL playing cartoon characters. This isn't about LBJ, or your dead lover's mother, or a cross-country bus trip. It's an amusing romp that will be enjoyed by your children, your mother, perhaps even your brother-in-law...providing they go in allowing themselves to be carried away. (However, Donald Sterling would hate it...it's one of the most ethnically diverse casts I have ever seen.)

 

I usually end my reviews with logistics...I got my ticket at the box office last week. Paid full price for a rear orchestra seat (82.00) and had a great view. Although there are partial view prices for less than $50, and standing room is sold on nights the performance is sold out. My friend, who had never seen the movie, enjoyed it as much as I did. The show will be ensconced on 42nd Street for a long time. I will be seeing it again.

[MrMiniver]

Glad you enjoyed it but, of course, I found it absolute dreck despite the rather winning performance of the lead. There's just no real material there and the songs are pure Disneyfied pop.

[foxy]

And it will make a fortune and run for years. There's show business and art and entertainment. Two out of three ain't bad.

[MrMiniver]

And it will make a fortune and run for years. There's show business and art and entertainment. Two out of three ain't bad.

 

You are exactly right. I got a bootleg of the pre-Broadway tryout in Toronto and I tried to watch it ... but I simply couldn't although the lead has a megawatt smile and a talent for this sort of thing. I'd love to see what he could do with really good material.

 

But this is the kind of crap that the tourists want: Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Billy Elliot, Mamma Mia! The only thing this crap does is make Wicked appear to not be as bad a show as it really is ...

[bostonman]

Smart lyrics and hummable melodies...in fact I am humming "Proud of Your Boy" as I type this.

 

Yes, but I assume you knew the song already, before seeing the show? (It's hardly a "new" song, even though it was cut from the movie. In fact, I would assume it's already on a bunch of "Do not sing this song for auditions" lists, as it had tended to be a very overdone audition song for a number of years now.)

 

Hummability has much more to do with familiarity than anything else. If you had never heard the song before last night (and hadn't heard it again since), I doubt you'd be humming it today.

 

Also, in my experience, the song that tends to stick in your head is the one you hear last, as you leave the theatre - either the finale of the show, or the bows/exit music, etc. I started realizing this when I was doing a production of Grey Gardens, and the song I went out (sometimes literally) "humming" each night was "The 5:15" - an energetic tune that is close to the the top of the show, but hardly one of the "big star" songs one would expect to be remembering - well, of course, the reason was that it was the song used in the exit music, and we had just finished playing it.

 

Of course a well-crafted, "pretty" tune is eminently "hummable," but probably not with only one hearing. Classic songs like "Night And Day" and "All The Things You Are" were at first considered "unhummable" in their day because of their musical complexity. Can you imagine that now? The more those songs were heard, the more familiar they became. THAT'S hummability.

 

Jukebox shows thrive on the hummability factor. You know the entire score before you've ever seen the show. That's brilliant marketing, whatever we may think of the shows themselves.

 

Yes, Menken (and the late Ashman) are very good at what they do. (Menken is absolutely first-rate; Ashman is irreplaceable.) But one can listen to almost any Broadway score a few times and start humming the melodies you pick up. Chances are, if a show is instantly hummable on first hearing, it's because you've actually heard it before.

[foxy]

And then there are those songs you can't stop humming and you want to kill yourself.

[bostonman]

And then there are those songs you can't stop humming and you want to kill yourself.

 

Ha! yes - "earworm" is one term for a melody you can't (but would like to) get out of your head...

[MrMiniver]

And then there are those songs you can't stop humming and you want to kill yourself.

 

Like "Defying Gravity" from Wicked. It seems to be played everywhere I go in Manhattan. I never feel like killing myself, but I've thought about killing any random tourist who happens to be nearby

[bostonman]

Like "Defying Gravity" from Wicked. It seems to be played everywhere I go in Manhattan. I never feel like killing myself, but I've thought about killing any random tourist who happens to be nearby

 

...which is also a great example of a song which is musically complex enough to be "unhummable" in many respects, but because it has a catchy hook, and of course because it's become quite, um, "popular" over the last decade, it's become a very recognizable tune. (But some of those pitches and rhythms are much harder to sing accurately than they may sound.)

[MrMiniver]

...which is also a great example of a song which is musically complex enough to be "unhummable" in many respects, but because it has a catchy hook, and of course because it's become quite, um, "popular" over the last decade, it's become a very recognizable tune. (But some of those pitches and rhythms are much harder to sing accurately than they may sound.)

 

Musically complex? Sorry, but that one made me laugh out loud. That song is about as "musically complex" as Do-Re-Mi. But it's easier to sing or should I say "screech" which is what every performer I've heard do it does to it?

 

The song is written in a way that those "pitches and rhythms" don't matter. A singer just does anything they want to that song and no one is the wiser. It's emblematic of most contemporary pop in that way.

[bostonman]

 

The song is written in a way that those "pitches and rhythms" don't matter. A singer just does anything they want to that song and no one is the wiser.

.

 

Ah yes - just like Netrebko trying to sing coloratura. ;-)

[MrMiniver]

.

 

Ah yes - just like Netrebko trying to sing coloratura. ;-)

 

LOL. That's a good one

[Cooper]

Aladdin

 

Disney has a new musical hit on Broadway and it's called Aladdin. It's playing at the very ornate and regal looking New Amsterdam Theatre on 42nd St. near Broadway.

 

I saw it tonight and enjoyed it from the start. It opens with a very lively dance and singing number that gains your attention and appreciation. And, the entertainment doesn't stop there... The costumes are colorful and the sets are most creative, especially the cave scene. A wonderful and very talented cast. Even the villains are likeable... This isn't a show just for kids. It has all the Broadway glitz and never a dull moment. It's also very funny with lines that go right over the kids heads... I enjoyed everything about it, the singing, dancing, acting, effects, lighting, the flying carpet, tap dancing, streamers, sparks, sword fights, those amazing songs, etc....

 

The last line of the show before they close with the song "A Whole New World" is said by Genie, "I like happy endings"... This play not only has a happy ending but a happy beginning to end. I'm certain that Aladdin will be playing for a long time.... The show has received 5 Tony nominations including Best Musical.

 

Something I noticed on my Playbill. At Disney shows, the Playbill is called "Showbill".

[bostonman]

Something I noticed on my Playbill. At Disney shows, the Playbill is called "Showbill".

 

"Showbill" is essentially the contents of "Playbill" without liquor ads, to conform with Disney's advertising mandates. But I believe that this is not an issue of Disney shows, rather Disney theatres - specifically, the Disney-owned New Amsterdam Theatre, where Aladdin is playing now, and Mary Poppins and The Lion King used to play. (I believe now that The Lion King is at the Minskoff, not a Disney-owned theatre, they are required to use "Playbill", not "Showbill". "Showbill" is unique to the New Amsterdam.)

[Cooper]

"Showbill" is essentially the contents of "Playbill" without liquor ads, to conform with Disney's advertising mandates. But I believe that this is not an issue of Disney shows, rather Disney theatres....

 

Thanks Bostonman, I wasn't aware of the reason.

[Cooper]

Showbill not Playbill for Aladdin

 

http://www.playbillvault.com/images/cover/A/l/Aladdin-Showbill-02-14.jpg

[Frankly Rich]

"Showbill" is essentially the contents of "Playbill" without liquor ads, to conform with Disney's advertising mandates. But I believe that this is not an issue of Disney shows, rather Disney theatres - specifically, the Disney-owned New Amsterdam Theatre, where Aladdin is playing now, and Mary Poppins and The Lion King used to play. (I believe now that The Lion King is at the Minskoff, not a Disney-owned theatre, they are required to use "Playbill", not "Showbill". "Showbill" is unique to the New Amsterdam.)

 

From Playbill itself:

 

Question: What is the difference between a Playbill and a Showbill?

 

Answer: To answer this question, Playbill.com spoke with Philip Birsh, the President and Publisher of Playbill Magazine.

 

At all Broadway theatres, theatregoers receive a Playbill — except at the New Amsterdam Theatre (currently showing Mary Poppins) where theatre attendees receive a Showbill.

 

Playbill prints programs for theatres nationwide, but not all of them have the trademark Playbill at the top. Some are called Stagebill, On Stage or Showbill. Stagebill, in fact, used to be a separate company, but when it went out of business, Playbill assumed its trademark.

 

Each of these titles reflects a different arrangement with the theatre where the programs appear. On Broadway, Playbill pays the theatres for the privilege of having its Playbills handed out, as the advertisers value the Broadway audience. A Stagebill is generally used outside New York, for a commercial job — when a theatre pays Playbill to print its program. The title On Stage is generally used for commercial jobs within New York — perhaps for Off Off-Broadway or smaller Off-Broadway theatres.

 

Showbill is another one of these titles, and there's a specific use for it: The New Amsterdam Theatre is owned by Disney, which has a worldwide policy that prohibits the promotion of liquor and tobacco products on its property. Therefore, Showbill is similar to Playbill, but with the prohibited advertisements omitted. (For the record, Playbill no longer accepts tobacco advertisements.)

 

Why not just call it a Playbill? Well, Playbill does not want its advertisers showing up to Mary Poppins and rifling through the program, confused as to why their ad is not there. They use the Showbill brand to signify that the mix of advertisers is different.

 

By the way, Cooper, thanks for the review. It makes me want to see Aladdin, and I am glad that you enjoyed it!

[Cooper]

From Playbill itself:

 

Question: What is the difference between a Playbill and a Showbill?

 

Answer: To answer this question, Playbill.com spoke with Philip Birsh, the President and Publisher of Playbill Magazine.

 

At all Broadway theatres, theatregoers receive a Playbill — except at the New Amsterdam Theatre (currently showing Mary Poppins) where theatre attendees receive a Showbill....

 

By the way, Cooper, thanks for the review. It makes me want to see Aladdin, and I am glad that you enjoyed it!

 

Frankly Rich, Thank you for researching this inquiry. Aladdin was the 1st time I noticed "Showbill" and not "Playbill". I knew there had to be a reason for it. Again, thanks for posting the answer and for enjoying my review of Aladdin.

 

Coop