I can't find the right words for this. I was genuinely shocked this morning when I learnt that Aladdin will be closing in the West End next year, making way for a new production of Mary Poppins.
The first I knew about it was when I saw Facebook advert for Mary Poppins. My first thought was that it would be a limited run to tie into Mary Poppins Returns when that comes out this Christmas. A moment later I saw the date, 2019, and the theatre, the Prince Edward, and my heart sank.
Now, I want to say I am in no way wanting to take anything away from Mary Poppins. I'm happy for all the cast and creative team, and excited to see their new production when it opens. But Aladdin will always have my heart, and I am heart broken that the show is closing next year.
In the announcement of Mary Poppins' return it was confirmed that Aladdin will be granting it's final West End wishes on Saturday 31st August 2019.
I've saw the show on it's first West End preview, on opening night, and many more times since. But today's news really hit home that I haven't seen it anywhere near as much as I'd like to. I have just under a year to change that. And you can bet I'll be there on the last night too, even if they don't sell tickets and I have to sneak in through a skylight or something crazy, I'll be there.
You should be there to. Not necessarily closing night, but if you care about this show enough to read this blog, and you live in the UK, then you should go again (because I'm assuming most of you reading this will have already been at least once). We have one year left to experience the joy and magic of this show live on stage, and we should seize every chance we get to do so.
The silver lining is that the show's run hasn't really been cut short. Beauty and the Beast ran for 2 years in London, Mary Poppins' original run was just over 3 years. By the time it closes Aladdin will have also run just over 3 years. I'd need to double check the math but I believe Aladdin will have run just longer than Mary Poppins to be Disney Theatrical's second longest running show in the West End (and if you count the preview performances it definitely is).
And it's not closing mid-booking period. The show is currently booking through to February 9th, so there's at least one more booking extension to come, and the current cast contracts, based on the show's history, are likely to run through to June. Hopefully everyone will agree to extend for the show's final months, but it's nice to think that no one is having their existing contract cut short because of this.
So yeah, I'm trying to be positive. And on that positive note, both Beauty and the Beast and Mary Poppins followed their West End runs with a UK National Tour. So maybe the show, like Genie, isn't going away, it's just hitting the road. I know both Matthew Croke (Aladdin) and Leon Craig (Babkak, Stand By Genie) are Northerners, so I'm wishing with all my might that they get to headline a national tour together and play to their home crowd. I've said before I'd love for Leon to do a UK tour as Genie, sure this wasn't how I pictured it happening but I'd still love for it to happen.
For now though, we still have a year left with this amazing show and this incredible cast in the West End. I intend to be there an often as I can to both show my support and just to take in the sheer magic and joy that this show brings.
It's not over yet, so keep making magic everyone.
