WEST END WRITE UPS: Aladdin

For my boyfriend’s birthday, I surprised him with tickets to go and see Aladdin in London. We both love Disney, and we had both said we wanted to see it, so I thought it was the perfect opportunity!

I had seen a few promotional pictures from the show and heard snippets of the songs, but nothing compares to seeing the show for yourself…… it met all my expectations and then some! It truly captures the Disney Magic, I had a smile on my face from the very first notes of Arabian Nights until the curtain close at the end of the show. I managed to get us seats down in the Stalls, a few rows from the back and we had a perfect view of the stage, we didn’t have to keep looking from one side to the other. I would definitely recommend trying to get seats at the back of the Stalls if you can, they weren’t too expensive either which I know theatre tickets can be.

You can tell they really did their research for this show, the sets transport you to the Middle East and into a whole new world (excuse the pun….). Each set reflected the personalities of the characters that frequented them. For example, the marketplace, which is where we predominantly see Aladdin, was a bit rough around the edges, block shapes creating the building, whilst also being full of colour from the market stalls, the rugs, jewels and food being sold.

The cave of wonders was the most stunning set of the whole show. I’d seen a few pictures, but they do not do it justice. The whole set was gold and then you had the piercing green eyes of the lion’s head contrasting against it. It was very extravagant and over the top, but still awe-inspiring. Everywhere you looked on the stage there were tiny little details which just added to the majestic nature of that part of the show.

For me, and I’m pretty sure my boyfriend agrees with me on this, the best part of the whole show was definitely when Genie sang Friend Like Me. I don’t want to give too much away or spoil anything for people who are planning to see it, but it’s a little mini show all in itself! If you know the animated movie, you will know that the Genie and the Friend Like Me scene is very over the top and flamboyant, in a good way, and this production did not disappoint! It takes the song from the film and just takes it to a whole new level, adding in new lyrics, dance moves, multiple costume changes and a dazzling set, it was the highlight of the show!

Another thing that made me appreciate the effort that went into creating this show was the special effects. From the tiniest detail such as turning the pages of a book to making the carpet a magic one, it was all flawless, I honestly could not tell you how it was done! And that, I feel, is always a good thing as it keeps the magic alive. After all, that is what Disney is all about!

Overall both my boyfriend and I thoroughly enjoyed Disney’s Aladdin in the West End, and I would highly recommend everyone goes to see it! We both came out with huge smiles and we were stuck singing Friend Like Me for the rest of the day (and a few days after).

As the Genie sings in the finale;

It’s the plot that you knew,

With a small twist or two,

But the changes we made were slight!

So, Salam, worthy friend

Come back soon, that’s the end,

Till another Arabian night…….

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