In love with the music of Disney's Aladdin

For hours I can listen to Disney music: I seriously can't get enough of it. I also love to sing along (although I don't do my surroundings much good with that) and I know all the biggest hits by heart. In fact, I have a few Disney playlists in my favorites on Spotify. I often put those on while working, and then I usually don't even realize that I'm humming or singing along (again to the great displeasure of my surroundings).

Seeing the songs live is really a whole different experience, I've discovered. I went to Disney's Aladdin at the AFAS Circustheater in Scheveningen with a few friends. Now, that musical itself was already a special experience (read all about it here), but I still want to talk about the music in particular. I really enjoyed that.

And when you talk about Disney's Aladdin, you're of course talking about Stanley Burleson. He plays the Genie and I really advocate that this man deserves a Tony, alongside the — rightly so — recently won Musical Award for Best Male Lead. They should just make an exception in America for a Dutch musical to get one, because this all-rounder is so good. Singing crystal clear, and how: dancing in the Cave of Wonders. ‘You ain't never had a friend like me‘: quite a challenging number (especially with all that dancing), but it was truly a joy to watch. I found this number the ’most exciting‘ to see, because Robin Williams as the original Genie really set the bar sky-high. Thanks to Stanley Burleson and the delightful script translated by actor/cabaret artist Erik van Muiswinkel, these worries soon proved unfounded.

By the way, those were all the songs: ‘De wereld wacht’ (the Dutch translation of ‘A Whole New World’) on the flying carpet brought a few tears here and there in the audience. Okay, okay, me too. And with the opening, where ‘Arabian Nights’ was sung, you’re immediately in it: this is totally Disney. With the live orchestra, it feels just as grand and captivating as the films: so well done.

And even more than that, by the way. Because in this musical, a number of songs have been added that are not in the animated film. A solo by Jasmine, for example, about the life she would like to lead outside the palace walls. Or Aladdin's solo, in which he sings that he wants to make his deceased mother proud. Fun detail: this song was originally supposed to be in the animated film, but was cut.

Experience these songs in real life too? Buy your tickets here. A must if you're as much of a Disney lover as I am. Or a music lover in general, because these singing skills were really impressive. This was already recognized by several people: the musical won the Musical Award for Best Music (and also the one for Best Production, by the way).

One last fun fact for the Disney fans: the songs from this musical were composed by Alan Menken. Does that name sound familiar? Besides this music, we owe him many world-famous songs, such as those from Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid. He won no less than eight Oscars for his work and is therefore a very big name when it comes to Disney films.