Once again, the creative people at W!LD RICE Productions have successfully put together a refreshing take on a classic tale. – this time in a parody of one of our favourites from Walt Disney – Aladdin .

Prior to this, they have put together numerous pantomimes such as CINDEREL-LAH!, Beauty and the Beast, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs with some of the local industries’ best talents like Gurmit Singh, Chua Enlai.

Aladdin begins withWidow Wong Kee (Darius Tan),  – Aladdin’s mother whose presence immediately lit up the stage the moment he started interacting with the audience, subtly yet cheekily introducing the cast members and telling the audience to “Boo” whenever they see someone dressed in an old fur robe.
Wizard ABBA-kadab-rah! (Karen Tan) wants to take over the world and in order to do that, he needs his to be granted by a genie in Malacca. He enlists the help of the boy Aladdin (Hady Mirza) for his mission. Aladdin makes a deal with the wizard and they travel to the Blue Mansion in Malacca to steal the jade ring from Grandma Neo (Jo Tan). As the story unfolds, the audience is treated to a whimsical musical adventure.

The story builds up when Aladdin finds a girl in Malacca by the name of Jasmine (Sylvia Ratonel) and is smitten by her beauty and charm. Wanting freedom, she flees with Aladdin and is onboard with the adventure to find the genie that will grant the wizard his three wishes.

Music

The production contains a wide array of musical arrangements. – ear candy complete with funky catchy tunes that will have you grooving in your seats. Using copyrighted music and spicing them up with additional tunes, Elaine Chan – musical director best known for the 2005 National Day Parade’s theme song, “The Future is Ours to Make” – has done it again and creatively married the most current pop songs together with old classics. Classic hits include ABBA’s “Dancing Queen”, Queen’s “I Want To Break Free” juxtaposed against modern pop songs by Grammy nominees Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga.

Set/Costumes

The costumes were exquisite. Perfectly fitted to show off the myriad of personalities and characters on the show. It is no wonder that the clothes created such beautiful silhouettes. Created by Moe Kasim, a self taught designer responsible for costumes in Royston Tan’s 881 and previous W!LD RICE productions like 2007’s Blithe Spirit, and in the 2007and 2008 Chingay parades. Not a stranger to the industry, Moe had been invited to showcase a fashion show for his modern interpretation of the Kebaya in 2010.

Lighting

The lights were warm, and beautifully played into the production. The play of the lights onto different parts of the stage also highlighted the special moments you do not want to miss, punctuating the cheeky dialogue while bringing out the vibrant colours in the play.

Universal Themes

One recurring theme throughout the production was the stress on the importance of family values. Strains on relationships between Aladdin and his mother, as well as in the Blue Mansion household is representative of the relationships we have in our own lives – which is why we like and can appreciate it so much. In the words of the playwright, the show is all about you.

Actors

Making their theatrical debuts, Singapore Idol Season 2 winner Hady Mirza and the first female finalist Sylvia Ratonel put up nothing but a promising show. Hady looked stiff in the first few scenes but after a while he managed to loosen up and just go with the flow. Sylvia surprisingly seemed comfortable on stage and her vocals were great as well. Other members of the cast include Karen Tan as Wizard ABBA-kadab-rah! Darius Tan as Widow Wong Kee and Halimah Kyrgios as Genie of the Ring have had theatre experiences and their dedication to this pantomime is to be admired.

To the fans of theatre and Singapore Idol (and basically to those who want to have a good time), this is something you should watch. If you’re a dreamer, one who wants to discover magic – in a theatre performance or in amusing puns – watch Aladdin at the Drama Centre Theatre. Take a night off from your schedules and give back to the community because Ivan Heng’s vision and reason for staging plays is for the sole purpose of committing to the community.

Aladdin is playing at the Drama Centre Theatre, from Nov 24 to Dec 17. Tickets are available from SISTIC.