Premiere report: Aladdin the musical is a rare hit
It had been in the agenda for 45 days and I had been looking forward to it for exactly that long. Friday night to Tina, the musical, and Sunday afternoon just going full steam ahead to the premiere of Aladdin. And all of that in the company of my test panel: Daniëlle (my sales hero friend), her daughter Moya, and two of my girls Igoné and Belize. Because Tina, well, we just had to see that. So much power, so much talent, so many life lessons, and Aladdin is of course a family musical. Let me go through the highlights with you.
Stanley Burleson a.k.a. Genie
Oh Stanley, you took three extra breaths of oxygen when you ran onto that stage. Just as normal mortals need food and water to live, you cannot exist without an audience. I saw every pore of your body soak up the attention. Because you got it. Because you are the very, very, very best. There may be only one downside to so much advantage: you stand at such a lonely height that the rest (the difference between you and Princess Jasmine's father, for example) looks a bit pale next to you. On the other hand: they have the best example around them, so they surely draw on your experience and talent.
The decor
I just want to live in the Circus Theater. The mystical light, the desert, the palace, the marketplace… Even the cave where Aladdin meets Genie is a designer piece. And. It. Just. Keeps. Going. If you think the maximum has been reached in singing, outfits, bombast, and power, then the director still squirts a dollop of whipped cream on the cake. And a cherry on top, and a mound of marshmallows. Think of the saying ‘to finish something off with a jantje-van-leiden’, take the complete opposite, and you come a little closer to the work ethic of the creators of Aladdin.
The carpet
The flying carpet is what was whispered about during the break. You really wouldn't see how it moves, and everyone wanted to pry the secret of the carpet out. Long story short: we didn't succeed. The carpet is a slightly fuller version than that of the cartoon, but that makes sense, because all that technology has to be hidden somewhere. But listening to ‘A New Beginning’ while you see Aladdin and Jasmine flying past the moon and the starry sky just makes you instantly happy.
The audience
Everyone was craving a party and even though it was Sunday afternoon with kids, that didn't stop anyone from pulling out tuxedos and floor-length skirts from the walk-in closets. It was a grand parade of silk, tulle, heels, and bows. Who was there? Irene Moors, Froukje de Both, Vivian Slingerland, Splinter Chabot, Nikkie Plessen, Natacha Harlequin, Mari van de Ven, Albert Verlinde, and so on.
And then the dessert
After the applause, so long and so loud that my palms tingled, we were awaited outside with trays of Magnums (which our test panel was really looking forward to) and each duo also received a beautiful bouquet. In the most beautiful tour bus (from Beuk, those people deserve a compliment too) we were transported to the parking garage where we happily and upliftedly basked in the glow of the entire return journey in the car.
Do you want to treat your family (or yourself) to an afternoon you won't forget? Here you can order tickets.
Image credits: by Deen van Meer © Disney
