Theater Review By Edgar Lopez
Los Angeles, CA – The new expanded production on the stage of the Los Angeles Theatre Center, Aladdin Dual Language Edition in association with El Centro Del Pueblo and Casa 0101, opened on Friday, September 8 and runs until September 17th
First presented at Casa 0101 in January of this year, this special edition produced by Conrado Terrazas and directed by Rigo Tejeda, founding artistic director of TNH Productions, returns to the world-class arts center located in the heart of Downtown L.A. Once again the multi-cultural population of Los Angeles will be able to enjoy a stage production full of love, magic and lots of music.
This story takes place in the Middle East, where a young couple find true love in the streets of a fictional city of Agrabah. Jasmin, a beautiful princess fell in love with a commoner named Aladdin, but the evil Jafar and the rules of the palace which is governed by her father, represent a barrier to their love. The young couple are helped by a group of peculiar and generous characters who also live in the city, a tiger owned by Jasmin, Aladdin’s monkey, a genie and a charismatic magic lamp. When the evil Jafar finds the lamp where the genie is held prisoner, he wishes to divide Agrabah by language so people of the place can speak one language and the people of the palace another(English and Spanish respetively). Royal translators serve as narrators to facilitate the communication, while the multi-lingual animals translate more intimate conversations.
Aladdin Dual Language Edition Photo: Ed Kreiger
The multicultural cast of 24 people led by Daniel Sugimoto(Aladdin) and Valeria Maldonado (Princess Jasmin) make this 80-minute popular Disney’s musical come alive. Based on the 1992 Disney’s animated film, this magical production set, at a much larger stage, does not leave behind the energy and professionalism put in the previous presentations at Casa 0101. This is not only an excellent opportunity for the young local actors in the play, but also a treat for the community of Los Angeles. English-speaking and Spanish-speaking audiences will enjoy this dynamic musical production.
I was impressed by the time and care the choreographer, Tania Possick put into every single move in the musical. The enthusiasm the performers bring to the production energizes the audience immediately. The unique style of these young dancers definitely takes you to a new whole world. The music and sound effects are also very special for those who love live theater, especially these type of fantasy tales that captivate adults and children alike. A good sound operator is so important in this kind of shows and Aladdin, Dual Language Edition definitely hits the mark. The musical score was written by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Race, music adapted, arranged and orchestrated by Bryan Louiselle, with lyrics translations by Walterio Pezqueira.
The costumes are an amalgamation of color and every single detail is supervised by costumer Abel Alvarado.
All in all, a good production.
Presented by Los Angeles City Council member Gil Cedillo and TNH Productions. Tickets here
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