Okay so you *MIGHT* have heard that Aladdin the Musical is opening in Sydney.
And by ‘might’, we mean that if you’ve spent any time around Sydney’s Hyde Park, you’ll have seen 50+ bright purple flags waving the ‘ALADDIN’ name. The Broadway musical is here and in an extremely big way.
But as anyone who grew up with Disney‘s original movie (i.e. all of us) knows, the late + beloved Robin Williams as the Genie was the absolute heart-and-soul of that film.
So in what feels macabrely appropriate on today, the two year anniversary of his death (*pause for chest pains*), how do you do Aladdin without Robin?
“The Genie was supposed to be a Cab Calloway, musical theatre character,” the show’s associate director + choreographer Scott Taylor told PEDESTRIAN.TV. “Then Robin Williams came on board and the whole vehicle turned into another thing because of what a genius he was and how specific he was. It rearranged what the movie was going to be.”
So to do a version of Aladdin without the spirit of Williams imbibed into every facet of it is pretty much impossible. And why would you want to? Williams’ involvement gave us the character that we all fell in love with as kids: a big-hearted yet anachronistic Genie who riffs on everything from air travel to Jack Nicholson actually led to a wild conspiracy theory that Aladdin was set in a post-apocalyptic future.
“He’s just a big kid!” said Michael James Scott, the Broadway actor bringing the Genie to life in Sydney who’s brought elements of everyone from Williams to his own father to the role. “He’s a big ol’ kid who wants to have fun and get outta that lamp!”
“It’s a different version but the same essence of the role is still there.”
He says that the whole show is a tribute to Williams, purely because without him, the film and therefore show just wouldn’t be what it is.
“The essence of Robin Williams of course is still there, and all the amazing foundation that he laid upon this role,” says Michael. “He made it such an iconic role, and was why people fell in love with Genie.”
Michael promised us that everything we loved about the movie is in the musical, after after watching, we can confirm this is absolutely the case – and then it adds another level that only a musical could. (Without giving too much away, fans of other Disney classics will be ridiculously happy.)
And yes, we asked how they made the carpet fly. Their answer? “Disney magic.” SMH.
In fact, Michael’s favourite songs from the musical is one of several extras that were written especially for the stage.
“Obviously ‘Friend Like Me‘ and ‘Prince Ali‘ and all those songs are incredible and to get to do ‘Friend Like Me’ every night is a joy, a workout, a beast, it’s a lot and I love it,” he says. “But ‘Somebody’s Got Your Back‘ has this old school sort of song-and-dance man about it, and [choreographer] Casey Nicholaw just has this old school Broadway / comedy element to his work, and I am such a fan of his, and of that style.”
What you end up with is a Genie that has all the heart and flamboyance of Williams’ original character, but with an extra circus ringleader / narrator element – essential stuff, really, because in the musical far more so than the film, it’s the Genie driving the whole story along.
“The Genie is the only thing in the entire show that can be anachronistic, that can be all knowing,” says Scott. “Initially we had characters in the show saying things, making contemporary references, and it just didn’t sit true. But as long as it’s the Genie, he can make references to Britney Spears, or Madonna, or Oprah, because he is completely anachronistic, he is all time, all knowing, he is definitely the heart of the show.
“A narrator with a heart of gold… and theatre chops.”
