1-85, restraint is also employed by Spencer Plachy as Scar, who’s more dark and calculating than sneeringly evil. Yet here I am, breathless, gushing, overjoyed. Never thought I’d be over the moon again about a Disney musical. Thanks to its timeless sound and lavish look, I predict it will carry its weight in gold for years to come. I don’t believe that “Aladdin” will suffer such a fate. Now it feels dated and is frequently satirized for its one-dimensional look at sprawling Africa. As well it should: Two score and one year ago, Julie Taymor’s “The Lion King” was lauded as clever and innovative. Personally, I don’t see that I think Disney vetted material to within an inch of its life.
Inevitably someone will say “Aladdin” is loaded with Middle Eastern stereotypes. But that Magic Carpet is one smooth little ride, and I’m not sure how they created the illusion, either. Filigree on top of filigree.īarnes’ costumes accentuate the supple bodies of the dancers, yet he uses enough silk, satin, and sparkly fabric to drape the Taj Mahal.
As for that enchanted cave, I’ve never seen anything like it. Crowley stretches the figureless, geometric architecture of the Islamic world toward infinity, and paints his vision in ultra-vivid Day-Glo colors. I can’t say enough good things about the design tool kit. One of the rare false notes is “A Whole New World,” a saccharine number with Rice’s signature scribbled all over it: “shining, shimmering, splendid.” Yuck. It’s Gershwin meets Ellington meets Xavier Cugat, with a Disney-referencing musical-theater montage to boot. “Friend Like Me,” a solo for Genie, unpacks screaming horns, jive talk, bebop, gospel. “One Jump Ahead,” for instance, has the frantic, syncopated rhythm of a classic cartoon. Though there are Arabian flourishes to be sure, the score is at its heart a valentine to the golden age of jazz and vaudeville. Unlike much of the meaningless dreck that cheapens Broadway today, it is grand and lustrous. His style is virtually impossible to pin down. The genius of his comedy is the way he resists cliches and incorporates references from the whole of African-American pop culture. From his Braves-cap gag at the top of the show until we last see him, in a Hawaiian shirt and shorts, he’s a stitch.
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