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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2017 20:03:43 GMT
And I stand by it, Ryan. I'm firmly in the "loved it" camp on this one. For about the first third of the show I would have told anyone it was sh*t, but somewhere along the line it won me over inspite of all reason and its obvious flaws. Won't be rushing back any time soon, but got my money's worth. |
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Post by ali973 on Jun 22, 2017 20:09:50 GMT
It IS sh*t, but not torture. There are shows that are not sh*t, but hard to sit through. And those who are both horrible and hard to sit through.
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Post by mrbarnaby on Jun 22, 2017 23:17:32 GMT
This is just tacky and not a patch on what it should and could have been.
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Post by ali973 on Jun 22, 2017 23:23:04 GMT
I agree that it's tacky, but weren't you one of the first people here who saw it at a private rehearsal and thought it was good?
At any rate- I'm sure they don't care what we think. It's a massive hit in London, Broadway, tour, Australia and I think the German company is still on. With all the money they're making I'm sure they love every tacky minute of it.
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Post by Dawnstar on Jun 29, 2017 18:28:22 GMT
I am clearly not the target audience for this show. Just had this conversation with a programme seller.
Me: Just the programme please, not the souvenier brochure.
Her: You don't get the free magnet with just the programme.
Me (staring at her blankly): Um...that's fine...I just want to know who all the cast are.
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Post by sirdaniel on Jun 29, 2017 18:47:08 GMT
I am clearly not the target audience for this show. Just had this conversation with a programme seller. Me: Just the programme please, not the souvenier brochure. Her: You don't get the free magnet with just the programme. Me (staring at her blankly): Um...that's fine...I just want to know who all the cast are. Well I never got a free magnet with the brochure. Fuming. |
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Post by showtoones on Jun 29, 2017 18:48:01 GMT
Ha! Its Disney - I'm sure they are told to up sell...Im surprised they didn't try to con you into buying the genie doll
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Post by Dawnstar on Jun 29, 2017 22:22:51 GMT
Ha! Its Disney - I'm sure they are told to up sell...Im surprised they didn't try to con you into buying the genie doll Shouldn't the genie doll come free with the lamps they're selling? ;-) The show was about what I was expecting. The plot exposition in places had all the subtlety of a sledgehammer & some of the big productions numbers seemed to go on & on rather pointlessly. However it was fairly spectacular, giving "good bang for your buck", & it did do some things differently to the film. I thought Matthew Croke was good as Aladdin & it's good to see him in a leading role after he stood out for me in the ensembles of Funny Girl & Annie Get Your Gun. I was so-so on Jade Ewen but I don't think she's helped by the writers trying to graft extra feminism on to Jasmine. As everyone else has said, Trevor Dion Nicholas steals the show every time he comes onstage. I was very pleased to see Nick Cavaliere on stage again, not having managed to see him in anything else since my beloved Zorro closed 8 years ago. He's playing a pretty similar character in this to that: comic sidekick to the villain. I'm disappointed I missed him at stagedoor afterwards though, as this is the only time I'll see the show & it would've been nice to say hello after 8 years. Oh well. |
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Post by jadnoop on Jul 13, 2017 18:24:48 GMT
Went to see this recently. I know I'm really late here but I won't let that hold me back; gonna give my 2 cents even to any empty room.
I've not been to a Disney play like this before and am probably older than the target audience (saw the film with my parents in the cinema), but I really enjoyed it. It had something of a naff, panto feel in parts, but it was joyous, inventive, and fun. Plus some of the special effects were really incredible.
The crowd was mostly school kids, and at the start there seemed to be a near constant rustle of crisp packets. However, I think it's great that they seemed to really enjoy it so much; whooping at all the right moments, and booing Jafar when he came out to take his bow.
As populist and simple as it might be, I can't help but feel this is the perfect kind of show to get children excited about going to the theatre.
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Post by prophet on Aug 15, 2017 6:58:33 GMT
I won the Aladdin lottery for the Thursday matinee last week.
I'm not the target audience at all. However I went in with an open mind.
The theatre foyer was chaotic and the FOH staff seemed very stressed. Asides from 'A friend like me' and 'a whole new world' everything else was very poor.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2017 8:24:25 GMT
To be fair to this show I don't think it's attempting to be Sondheim and 'A Friend Like Me' has got more dazzle and pizzazz than some other productions manage in a whole show.
I really enjoyed Dean John Wilson's pecs the show when I saw it. 'Prince Ali' was pretty fabulous as well. Oh and 'One Jump Ahead' too.
Actually, I didn't really enjoy it at all. I loved it!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 11, 2017 18:30:40 GMT
I see they are doing TV advertising for this now... I’m certainly not tempted by this particular ad.
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Post by theatreian on Oct 11, 2017 21:21:05 GMT
I when I saw it , I thought it was by far the weakest of the Disney shows I have seen. A very lacklustre score and really poor production values. It certainly looked as if they had done it on the cheap.
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Post by shady23 on Oct 11, 2017 21:23:09 GMT
Previous to today it was two months previously that someone posted in this tread. I forget this show is out there!
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Post by anthony on Jan 9, 2018 23:25:58 GMT
Saw this tonight. So, I thought I was going to love it. It's not my type of theatre at all, really, but Aladdin is my favourite Disney movie, Jafar my favourite Disney character (odd, I know), I love Eurovision (like, I even watch all the National Finals from around Europe) so I was extremely excited to see Jade Ewan and I'm a Disney addict (even have a Disneyland Paris annual pass to prove it!). I hated it.
So, Jade Ewan. I feel awful for saying this, actually, but it was genuinely one of the worst vocal performances I've ever seen in my entire life. These Palace Walls was honestly a car crash. during the note at the end, I was cringing and you could hear murmurings in the rows behind me. There was even a delay in the applauses after the song. I thought, maybe, she couldn't hear herself. I was close enough that I could see that her eyes were darting around the stage like crazy and she honestly looked panicked.
Sets are great. Genie was great (had the u/s). Carpet was amazing. The writing, however, is just so off. I got the impression that the writers knew it was pretty bad, so it's been propped up by great sets and cheap jokes to get laughs.
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Post by musicalmarge on Jan 10, 2018 7:00:06 GMT
Saw this tonight. So, I thought I was going to love it. It's not my type of theatre at all, really, but Aladdin is my favourite Disney movie, Jafar my favourite Disney character (odd, I know), I love Eurovision (like, I even watch all the National Finals from around Europe) so I was extremely excited to see Jade Ewan and I'm a Disney addict (even have a Disneyland Paris annual pass to prove it!). I hated it. So, Jade Ewan. I feel awful for saying this, actually, but it was genuinely one of the worst vocal performances I've ever seen in my entire life. These Palace Walls was honestly a car crash. during the note at the end, I was cringing and you could hear murmurings in the rows behind me. There was even a delay in the applauses after the song. I thought, maybe, she couldn't hear herself. I was close enough that I could see that her eyes were darting around the stage like crazy and she honestly looked panicked. Sets are great. Genie was great (had the u/s). Carpet was amazing. The writing, however, is just so off. I got the impression that the writers knew it was pretty bad, so it's been propped up by great sets and cheap jokes to get laughs. Great sets???!!!!! |
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Post by anthony on Jan 10, 2018 8:50:09 GMT
Saw this tonight. So, I thought I was going to love it. It's not my type of theatre at all, really, but Aladdin is my favourite Disney movie, Jafar my favourite Disney character (odd, I know), I love Eurovision (like, I even watch all the National Finals from around Europe) so I was extremely excited to see Jade Ewan and I'm a Disney addict (even have a Disneyland Paris annual pass to prove it!). I hated it. So, Jade Ewan. I feel awful for saying this, actually, but it was genuinely one of the worst vocal performances I've ever seen in my entire life. These Palace Walls was honestly a car crash. during the note at the end, I was cringing and you could hear murmurings in the rows behind me. There was even a delay in the applauses after the song. I thought, maybe, she couldn't hear herself. I was close enough that I could see that her eyes were darting around the stage like crazy and she honestly looked panicked. Sets are great. Genie was great (had the u/s). Carpet was amazing. The writing, however, is just so off. I got the impression that the writers knew it was pretty bad, so it's been propped up by great sets and cheap jokes to get laughs. Great sets???!!!!! Obviously when I say great sets I'm referring pretty much exclusively to The Cave of Wonders (which to be fair, is pretty spectacular). |
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Post by shady23 on Jan 22, 2018 13:16:49 GMT
If anyone wanted to see Jade's fab understudy now is your chance...
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Post by daniel on Jan 22, 2018 23:54:58 GMT
Saw Lauren in the role a year or so ago - she really is very good, streets ahead of Jade.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2018 0:21:35 GMT
I liked Jade when I saw her, I thought she was perfectly fine!  I'm impressed that she has now been with the show two years and (correct me if I'm wrong), has never seemed to miss many performances barring holiday. Especially as herself and the show now come to two years in London, its great to see! |
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Post by Being Alive on Feb 7, 2018 23:35:54 GMT
I saw this tonight mainly to tick this one off the list. And I’m pretty irritated we lost Miss Saigon to this.
Firstly, the positives:
Trevor is fab as the Genie - the show comes alive when he’s on stage. Friend Like Me is a fabulous production number and kicks the show up into the gear it needs to be in.
Whole New World was good - the carpet is very impressive - I spotted how it was done at the last second but it didn’t spoil it.
Audience was a lot better behaved than I expected - I thought it’d be like a Saturday afternoon at the Lion King but the two young school groups were very well behaved.
However.
Who on earth cast Jade Ewan in this show? I don’t hate on people if I can help it, but her first song, I’ve got no idea what it was even called or about, because I didn’t understand a word she sang. Nothing to do with mic or sound levels, she just sang really weirdly, and continued to do so. She was just incredibly weak - it was one of the worst leading lady performances I’ve watched (not Sarah Harding bad I give you).
Sorry, I don’t like being mean, but it irritated me to the point of being cross - there are plenty of people who could do that better. This show doesn’t need a z list ‘name’ in it - Aladdin sells itself.
I’d give it a generous 3 stars - there was some good moments, but overall it’s an expensive pantomime that’s not done as well as it should have been.
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Post by Mark on Mar 23, 2018 9:37:02 GMT
Went for a third visit last night having not been since 2016. The show felt really fresh and I think that was mostly down to the casting. Matthew Croke infinitely better than his predecessor in all ways. His voice really suited the part. Understudy Lauren Chia was a fantastic Jasmine, great diction and a lovely voice.
Highlight for me though was 2nd cover Leon Craig as the Genie. He was just hilarious, had the audience in stitches and he brought a fantastic energy to the role.
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Post by Dr Tom on Apr 3, 2018 16:54:41 GMT
Just been to today’s extra matinee (second ever visit, first was early in the run).
Got a day seat about 12:30, centre circle row B, which would have been a premium seat otherwise, for £20. Couple in front of me were buying day seats as well. Seemed fairly full but not sold out. Excellent full stage view and the magic carpet looked really impressive, think they might have improved the effect. A nice theatre with decent size seats as well.
Was whisked I’m so couldn’t see the cast board but looked like the main leads were on. I didn’t get a sense of energy, but the crowd was very subdued as well, with barely a laugh at any of the jokes.
Somehow this just doesn’t feel as big a show as it should do, although it has a few excellent scenes and some neat effects. But certainly watchable. Definitely worth trying the day seat queue if you’re about on a quiet looking day.
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Post by timothyd on Apr 28, 2018 9:20:29 GMT
I'm looking into buying tickets for this show next month. I travel from outside London.
Would it be advised to buy tickets beforehand? Or are there cheaper options on the day?
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3,334 posts
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Post by Dr Tom on Apr 28, 2018 11:56:39 GMT
I'm looking into buying tickets for this show next month. I travel from outside London. Would it be advised to buy tickets beforehand? Or are there cheaper options on the day? The theatre uses dynamic pricing, so keep an eye on the Delfont Mackintosh site and, if the seats you want drop to a reasonable price, I'd say buy them. I don't think a lot of discounting goes on. They do offer day seats, but if you're traveling just for the one show it's a gamble. For day seats, I'd say your odds would be much better for a weekday during the school term, and if you only need one or two seats (or are willing to sit separately). And, the earlier you get there to ask, the better. |
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