he bilingual, theatrical adaptation of Disney’s Aladdin recently premiered in Pakistan, at Ali Auditorium in Lahore. The fantasy tale of Agrabah’s famous thief who wins over his lady love, the sweet and radiant Princess Jasmine, with help from a blue-doused genie who is trapped in a lamp, was revived in a riveting musical performance. There were three shows every evening, which speaks volumes for the all-out commitment of the play’s entire cast and production crew.

Aladdin is essentially a rags-to-riches story. The characters you meet are either good or evil, or they are plain goofy. And, as with any story whose protagonist rises from being a pauper to a prince, Aladdin continues to fascinate us.

The Disney musical was brought to Pakistan in a licensed agreement with United Studios, under a special arrangement with the Musical Theatre International. As one of the stories from Arabian Nights, the grandeur of Aladdin’s tale makes it eminently watchable. Song and dance, colourful costumes, talking animals and good old magic are just some of the reasons for the production’s continuing success.

As the play opens, the narrator introduces Agrabah (the fictional city in Aladdin) and the leading characters. Bilingual and adapted to the local context, the production made for a fun and exciting watch. The premise remains the same, but the ‘language twist’ adds some complexity to it. The princess can only speak Urdu (thanks to Jafar’s magical menace) and Aladdin, English. Hence, the need for the palace interpreter (the story’s narrator). However, as with all earlier adaptations, Aladdin breaks all barriers with the help of the genie and sings his way to Princess Jasmine’s heart.

Before discussing what was admirable about this adaptation, it may be suitable to talk about the aspects that went a bit off. For a Disney production, the set design lacked in grandeur. The cast members performed their characters to near perfection, but one couldn’t help notice that they all seemed too young for their parts. Jafar, for instance, churned out a notable performance, but his act wasn’t menacing. The fictional Jafar is an eerily threatening figure, but the Jafar of this adaptation, though powerful, did not make the audience uncomfortable.

Perhaps, the most memorable performances were by those who played Abu, Iago, Rajah and Genie. Their comic timing was on point. Iago’s high-pitched, parrot-like and shrill dialogue was a delight. It was also reminiscent of the movie’s conniving, red, fussy parrot perched on Jafar’s shoulder.

Even though the gowns designed for Princess Jasmine neither looked Middle Eastern nor had the Chinese aesthetic (considering that the original tale is set in China), they were mostly pink and white, reflecting her naïve innocence.

Abu, the kleptomaniac monkey and Aladdin’s best mate, had the audiences cheer and clap with his wit and comic timing. His was undoubtedly the most exciting performance of the night.

Genie had a similar magical effect on the audiences. Dressed in blue and ready with clever commentaries, the character turned out to be another star performance. So much so that everyone wanted to take pictures with him after the curtains fell.

The growling Rajah and his ability to make Abu jump every time they are in a scene together elicited big laughs.

The actor who played Sultan could have been older. However, he performed well and successfully cut a royal figure.

Finally, both Aladdin and Princess Jasmine, looked endearing. Considering this was a musical, the characters singing the songs needed to be good at the craft. Thankfully, Jasmine and Aladdin sang beautifully through their meet-cute, courtship, separation, and, finally, wedding.

The costumes were beautiful. Even though the gowns designed for Princess Jasmine neither looked Middle Eastern nor had the Chinese aesthetic (considering that the original tale is set in China), they were mostly pink and white, reflecting her naïve innocence.

Aladdin, similarly, transformed into a prince aided by a scintillating waistcoat and robes. All in all, Disney’s Aladdin was a delight to watch. Well choreographed and well-performed, the musical achieved its goal of making the audiences relive the much-loved tale. But is one play enough for the revival of theatre? Perhaps, not. But it was a start, and a good one, for sure.

The writer is a staff member