Aladdin - Prince Edward Theatre

My expectations were high having seen it in NY last year and for that reason I came away disappointed.

Don’t get me wrong it’s an all singing, all dancing show, with wonderful sets and costumes, specially the scene in the cave – tap dancing, glitz and glitter galore. My problem was, the show has been rejigged for the English audience which means it is far more pantoesque than the US stage show.

Also I was bitterly disappointed in the two leads, Dean John-Wilson and Jade Ewen, both of who I felt were not up to it vocally. Dean has a lisp which was very evident last night, it’s funny because I’ve seen him only recently in Atomic Bomb and not noticed it before. Obviously it’s only been on a short time, but I didn’t get any chemistry between the two.

Some of the ‘tricks’ were fantastic, the flying carpet I thought was done very well, I looked for strings etc and couldn’t see any but the song, A whole New World, which is the song of the whole show was so disappointingly sung, very quiet and out of tune and the two voices, in my opinion, did not blend well.

Not much I can say about the Genie, played with great energy, so much so that there were times that I felt he was going to ‘run out of puff’ and for a ‘larger’ man I thought he coped very well with the choreography, at one point he even did a cartwheel across the stage, however, sadly for me I remember the Genie as being a ‘larger than life’ character and I didn’t get that last night. The genie magic he performs on stage is done really well, you’d expect that from a Disney production, fireworks and streamers etc and at the end when Jafar makes 3 wishes and has 3 costume changes actually onstage on a platform raised above the stage it’s amazing and will blow the minds of children in the audience.

Aladdins 3 friends have quite a physical role, lots of dancing, fighting. They seemed to have ‘gelled’ well and I got the feeling that on (and off stage) they were friends, also I thought that Kassim, Omar and Babkak, Stephen Rahman-Hughes, Rachid Sabitri and Nathan Amzi had great chemistry with Aladdin, which will only get stronger as the show continues.

So for me, it felt like a very glorified extravagant panto which I did enjoy but didn’t come away ‘raving’ about it. For kids it will have the wow factor and I’d certainly go back again but just not yet – and also maybe when Dean’s cover is on!!!

DJW is 27 and I too thought he was ok, just didn't stand out (nor Jade who I actually thought was the u/s!)

I hate the cast screen, same at Wicked too shoved above the box office. The old cast boards were (and are) nostalgic and I love seeing them!

I think Aladdin is supposed to be young, but he had to pay his price for living on the street so he should look somewhat older and wiser. And DJW looks way too young. I wouldn't even sell him booze without proper ID...

I get absolutely flummoxed when I'm reading people saying Dean isn't a strong singer! His technical ability is incredible and I personally love his tone too, though appreciate it might not be for everybody. I'm not sure what other people are hearing sometimes. His voice blows me away.

I have to agree with Michael. Dean can clearly sing, at times he has a nice tone true, but he loves to riff esp. whenever I've seen him in concert or other in other shows and it happens in parts of Aladdin but his main problem (and this applies to lots I've seen him in) is he very often flat, maybe one of the main reasons he riffs around the note instead but he does consistently lose pitch. So although I agree he has a nice voice I don't think he is technically incredible. Also thinking about it's probably why I was underwhelmed with Jade & Deans charisma as they didn't blend nicely.

He'll have two more shows today and tomorrow Evening to win me over

I've seen the show two more times since Thursday.

All my seats were in the £50 price range. Yesterday, I was up in the Grand Circle row B. Not recommendable as the legroom is extremely cramped. I had an aisle seat so could at least stretch one foot towards the aisle, but it was still very uncomfortable. Actually, they needed to pay the audience to sit up there. It was also pretty distant from the stage, and it was unpleasantly hot. Halfway through the first act, I noticed some fresh breezes of air, but it didn't help much. On Friday, I had a fifth row outer seat in the Stalls. Slight side view, but the biggest problem is the non-existent rake there. My favourite seat was, in fact, the one from Thursday in the Loges at the front of the Dress Circle. Close to the stage, no-one in front of you and good legroom. You'll miss a few things because of the side view, but that apart, these are very good seats.
Still wish they were doing dayseats instead of a lottery, but what can I do...

I still think Aladdin, as a show, is perfect, apart from the odd A Whole New World arrangement.

However, after seeing the show three times, I can still not warm to the two leads. Trevor Dion Nicholas is a good - no, great - Genie. Yes, he's pretty much of a carbon copy of James Monroe Iglehart, but I thoroughly enjoyed his Genie. That said, I'm sure there are plenty of British actors who could have been an equally amazing Genie, so I'm no quite sure why he was brought over.

I'm still not sure what I don't like about Jade Ewen's Jasmine. I really thought about it but still can't nail it down. Sometimes, especially on the higher notes, I found her voice squeaky - and overall not too strong but rather thin and breathy. She just didn't wow me.

I really tried liking Dean John Wilson's Aladdin, but I think he's miscast. He's too clean and polished for living on the streets, lacks charisma and, how shall I put it, street credibility / cleverness. And he looks way too young. More often than not, his voice is flat (thanks, theatremadhatter, that's the word I was looking for). I really think that Stephen Rahman-Hughes would have been a much better Aladdin - and I don't find him too old.

Before seeing the show, stupid me has already rushed in booking three more tickets (one in August and two in September) as I love the show, but after that, I'll be taking a break until I either know for sure that the Aladdin understudy is on - or after cast change. I will however see it one more time on Broadway in December.

I really thought this could be my new guilty pleasure. Too bad it isn't

Also, seeing the same show Numerous times in a matter of days? The thought of it makes me die a bit inside.

Sorry but these people need to get a life.

I'm surprisedAladdin isn't selling better- lots of availability on the Delfont website. Maybe people put off by the steep prices.

Late to the party, but yesterday's Sunday Express gave this 2 stars (Daily Express had given it 5 stars).

"Its creators attempt to flesh out the two dimensional characters by adding a dismal combination of schmaltz and camp. Too arch for children and too trite for adults, it is hard to see at whom this slick, cynical show is aimed."

"The phoniness of the exercise is underlined by the fact that although the cast list their birthplaces as Middlesbrough, Bolton and Orpington, they adopt mid-Atlantic accents. That said, the most irksomely ingratiating performance comes from the one genuine American, Trevor Dion Nicholas as the Genie. Apart from the cost of the sets and the cost of the seats, there is nothing to distinguish this."

I'm really quite shocked at all the criticism - I thought it was a really professional and strong show with some very magical moments. I thought both leads were great and sang well.

Perhaps I was just mesmarised by the beautiful and toned partially dressed guys (and possibly, to a lesser extent, girls).

She's a revelation. I don't think I'd be able to concentrate for 5 minutes with DJW's pecs waving about in front of me, she manages to do it for a whole show. Every. Single. Night.