The Same Old World

Disney’s movie musical renaissance produced some of the biggest hits in Disney movie history.
Aladdin, released in 1992, was one of them. Closely following the success of the films came a rebirth on stage. Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King both hit the stage in the 90’s but Aladdin did not get the musical treatment until 2011. The stage adaptation is decent if not amazing but it has seen success thanks to one thing: Genie.

The musical version of Aladdin does not mess with success. Other than cutting out some non-human characters the stage adaptation stays very true to the movie. I cannot be the only one dismayed to learn that the magic carpet is now merely a prop (I was so obsessed with the notion of flying that as a kid I wrote a magic carpet themed book. I also had a plush Raja so…). Aladdin is the story of the titular character, a “street rat” orphan who, after he awakens a genie, is granted three wishes. In hopes of winning the heart of Princess Jasmine, Aladdin uses one of his wishes to become a prince. 

The story is simple enough but some the magical elements surrounding Genie lend themselves to a little theater magic. When Genie comes up from below the stage and Aladdin and Jasmine fly on the magic carpet the audience is in awe, but overall the set design lacked the spark of some other Disney stage musicals. Nothing in Aladdin even comes close to feeling as unique or breathtaking as The Lion King. 

Major Attaway as Genie

The vibe of the show gives the impression that all of the creative juices went into one thing: Genie. The result of that is spectacular. Genie is a quick-witted, fast-talking ball of energy. Anything other than a superb performance would sink the show. Luckily, Major Attaway was born for this role. His voice is strong, his comedic timing is spot on and his stage presence is magnetic. Attaway had the audience in the palm of his hands.

In comparison to the bright spot that is Attaway in the role of Genie the rest of the show underwhelmed. The classic, hummable songs are there but the addition of dance breaks and new songs did not contribute anything of note. They seemed to be filler, a way to avoid complaints about the cost of the ticket versus the length of the show. Telly Leung as Aladdin and Arielle Jacobs as Jasmine are acceptable if not groundbreaking. Jonathan Freeman, who provided the voice for Jafar in the movie, does a good job as the villain and Don Darryl Rivera as a human Iago gets some laughs.

Aladdin is certainly acceptable family-friendly entertainment. There is a place for that. But inside the New Amsterdam Theatre on 42^nd Street it should and could be so much more. A whole new world it is not.

The Roofs Scrape the Sky

I had mixed expectations last week before heading to New York City for the first time. The city has a certain reputation, that of a good place to visit for a short time knowing that you'll soon return to a quieter, greener, less pungent reality. But I was traveling with two people who had been before and had fallen hard for its' bright lights. I was ready for anything!

The best surprises:

• The Subway - Cleaner than imagined. A couple of the stations we visited were gross and I certainly would never use a public restroom in any subway station but overall the subways were decent.
• The People – All of the people we interacted with were polite and cordial. Either they are naturally great people or their hospitality training was top notch (if I’m honest we almost exclusively interacted with individuals in the service industry).
• The Smell – The smell was better than expected. Jokes are often bandied about that seem to indicate that the city smells exclusively of garbage (it is everywhere) and urine (in reality we only witnessed one instance of public urination) and that did not seem to be the case.

No surprise:

• The People – People are everywhere. We spent most of our time in heavy tourist traffic areas and literally the sea of people never subsides. Crossing the street is like going into battle: a wave of people on opposite sides of the street colliding in the middle. Be nimble, be quick or risk being swept back to your side. 
• The Noise – It is always noisy. The honking, sirens and other traffic sounds that you hear carefully edited in film and TV is an understatement. Why honk at someone ahead of you who is stopped to allow pedestrians to cross the street? No answer? Yeah, me neither.
• The Advertising – Every space is a space for an advertisement. It may be a large LED or a small sign in the subway, don’t waste space. Manahattan cannot grow out, only up, so use the space you have to get the people (there are just a few million of them hanging around) to buy your wares.

To paraphrase Daddy Warbucks: it’s big, it’s loud, it’s tough, but no other town in the whole forty eight can compare. The High Line was great, Kellogg’s NYC was a great place for this proclaimed cereal lover to relax and get away from the crowd (did I mention the sea of people?) and when I go back I will devote more than a couple of hours to The Metroplitan Museum of Art. It crowds, it cramps but it's still the champ. Why not, it's NYC.