Lets Make Some Magic!

First rumored earlier this month, Disney Theatrical have confirmed that the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle will host the World Premiere of Aladdin: The New Stage Musical, with a pilot production running from 7-31 July 2011.

In the words of the 5th Avenue's website;

"Because of our recent successes with the Tony Award-winning musicals Hairspray and Memphis, the producing and creative teams at Disney have specifically selected The 5th Avenue Theatre as the one and only place to bring an all-new musical production to life – Aladdin: The New Stage Musical. We are thrilled to partner with Disney on this prestigious new project.
Aladdin will feature a cast and creative team drawn from Seattle and Broadway. Several 5th Avenue veterans return for the production, including acclaimed director and choreographer Casey Nicholaw. The 5th Avenue Theatre is where Nicholaw received his first professional choreography gig (The Prince and the Pauper, 2001) and where he later choreographed My Fair Lady (2002). On Broadway, Nicholaw won praise as the choreographer of Spamalot, and as the director / choreographer of The Drowsy Chaperone and Elf: The Broadway Musical, garnering three Tony nominations for his work.
Music for Aladdin is by Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Tangled), who has won a total of eight Oscars, more than any living person. Lyrics are by the late Howard Ashman (Little Shop of Horrors, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid) and Tim Rice (Jesus Christ Superstar, Chess, The Lion King). Librettist Chad Beguelin wrote the books for The Rhythm Club, Wicked City and The Wedding Singer, which premiered at The 5th Avenue in 2006. Menken and Beguelin contribute additional lyrics.
This new Aladdin incorporates all of the beloved songs from the film's Oscar®-winning score plus never-before-heard Menken/Ashman songs restored from early drafts of the score. It marks a return to the authors' original vision: a loving homage to the Hope-Crosby road pictures with a score invoking the jazz sound of stars like Cab Calloway and Fats Waller.
Based on the much loved animated film, Aladdin: The New Stage Musical tells the story of a street-smart commoner whose whole life changes with one rub of a magic lamp. The new stage production will be a feast for the eyes and ears and a magical treat fit for the whole family.
We look forward to seeing you soon at The 5th."

Tickets are not yet on sale, but I've seen one site reporting they will be tomorrow.  I'm not sure how reliable that is, but those who had tickets for the now cancelled Oklahoma are automatically being transferred to Aladdin, so tickets are likely to be on sale sooner rather than later.  Be sure to keep checking http://www.5thavenue.org/ for the latest information!

Sadly, it has also been announced that this limited run in Seattle is not an out of town preview before a Broadway opening.  It is instead a pilot production that Disney Theatrical intend to use to launch the show as a licensed production through Music Theatre International (MTI) for professional and amateur organizations.  MTI already licenses a wide range of Disney shows from full Broadway productions such as Beauty and the Beast, to single act Junior and Kids versions of popular animated classics such as Aladdin.

My aim with this blog is to follow the production and limited run of this show in as much detail as I can.  Mostly it's being done for me, as I love Disney Theatrical productions and Aladdin was my favorite film growing up, so this production is a dream come true for me.  At the same time, I'm hoping others will find it interesting and if (like me) you won't be able to see this for yourself, it may be the next best thing to being there... at least until the videos hit youtube ;o)