This summer, Tuacahn Amphitheatre will present the second production of Disney’s Aladdin following its world premiere at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre last year.
“What we hope to achieve is add more of the spectacle and Disney magic,” said Artistic Director Scott S. Anderson, who will direct the show.
One way in which he plans to accomplish this is by incorporating flying into the production, including over the audience. He also plans to use a new technology called Interactive 3D Live, which has been used in Europe and China, for the Cave of Wonders scene. “We’re going to combine live actors and a 3D effect that I think is really unique and never been seen before” in the U.S., Anderson said.
“You never want the effects to overshadow the story, though,” Anderson said. “This show is really funny. It is one of the funniest Disney scripts.”
Anderson praised the 5th Avenue Theatre production, which was very theatrical in its presentation style, and its direction by Tony-winning Broadway director Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon). “His timing and the way they put it together was really clever,” Anderson said.
This regional premiere of Aladdin comes at the heels of Tuacahn’s successful productions of Disney shows Tarzan and The Little Mermaid over the past two seasons.
Tuacahn had no relationship with Disney Theatrical Group until Anderson attended Tarzan on Broadway and realized the show would work well at Tuacahn’s outdoor amphitheatre. Then, over an extended period of time, he approached Disney about the possibility of producing it by sending multiple emails as well as photos and videos of past Tuacahn shows to spark their interest. Eventually his efforts were successful, and a valuable partnership was born. Outside of Broadway, Tuacahn’s is the only U.S. production of Tarzan to date.
“They came out and saw it and really enjoyed it,” Anderson said. Thomas Schumacher, president of Disney Theatrical, enjoyed it enough to offer Tuacahn the rights to The Little Mermaid the following year, and now Aladdin.
“Disney’s been amazing about it,” Anderson said. “They’ve given us some freedom” in the staging. “I’m really excited about the challenge.”
Based on the acclaimed 1992 Disney film, Aladdin will be performed in repertory with Hairspray. Performances will be each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evening, June 1–October 18. Tickets are now available at the Tuacahn box office, by calling (435) 652-3300/(800) 746-9882 or online at tuacahn.org.
The music for Aladdin is written by eight-time Academy Award winning composer Alan Menken (Tangled, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid); lyrics are by the late Howard Ashman (Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Little Shop of Horrors), Tim Rice (The Lion King, Jesus Christ Superstar, Chess) and Chad Beguelin (The Wedding Singer), who also crafted the new book for the show. Variety hailed this new full-length stage version of Aladdin as “fresh, funny and very entertaining.”
This new stage adaptation of Aladdin incorporates all the beloved songs from the film’s Oscar-winning score plus never-before heard Menken/Ashman songs restored from early drafts of the score. It marks a return to the authors’ original vision: a loving homage to the Hope-Crosby road pictures with a score invoking the jazz sound of stars like Cab Calloway and Fats Waller.
Released in 1992, the animated film Aladdin received critical acclaim and grossed more than $504 million worldwide becoming the #1 film of the year. Adapted from the classic Middle Eastern and Asian folktales in One Thousand and One Nights, Aladdin tells the story of a quick-witted young street dweller that uses the magic wishes from an omnipotent Genie to pursue the hand of a beautiful princess. The beloved film featured the Oscar-winning song, “A Whole New World,” and “Friend Like Me” and was praised for its clever script and show-stopping score.
