Broadway musical “Aladdin” celebrates its 10th anniversary

The musical “Aladdin”, one of the most successful on the billboard of broadwaystarts from this Monday the celebrations for its tenth anniversary as it marks nine years in a row on the billboard on this date, with the obligatory exception of the closure due to the covid-19 pandemic.

“Aladdin”, produced by Disney, is based on the animated film of the same title from 1992, and has practically the same characters -with the exception of the monkey Abu and the parrot Iago- without even missing the flying carpet, which at the time of its appearance on the scene constitutes one one of the most magical moments of the musical and elicits long “ohhhhhh” from the children present.

It is already among the 20 productions that have lasted the longest on Broadway -where it recently recorded its 300th performance-, but it is showing simultaneously in Madrid, Mexico City and Tokyo, in addition to having a tour of the United Kingdom scheduled.

In these nine years, Aladdin has had nine productions on four continents and has attracted 16 million viewers, many of them children who come to the performances accompanied by their entire family and who are amazed by the display of color, decoration and all special effects.

“Aladdin” has eight-time Oscar winner Alan Menken as musical director, while the lyrics of the songs are by three equally “Oscar-winning” authors: Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice.

The production company highlights “Aladdin” for its mix of “classic comedy and timeless romance”, and that is how it is in this story without edges where everything is nothing within the politically correct, very much in line with the most contemporary Disney where there is no lack of nods to empowerment female.

Although it is far from equaling the records of the other great Disney production, “The Lion King”, which for its part has just turned 25 on the billboard, the two works together highlight a children’s side of the phenomenon of Broadway musicals. which is manifested not only in the diversity of the public that attends, but also in the profusion of paraphernalia (in the form of “merchandising”) in memory of the musical.

WITH INFORMATION FROM EFE.