BY CHARLES FINN

After several trips to Disney's California Adventure theme park, I finally managed to see the Aladdin stage show, officially titled Disney’s Aladdin– A Musical Spectacular. Based on the highly successful film, this one-act show is a full-scale, Broadway-style musical that lasts under an hour, and is presented three times a day at the Hyperion Theater.

The physical production is fully deserving of its title -- it is spectacular. This is not a typical theme park revue. This reduced version of the story retains most of the songs and signature moments from the film. The scenery, costumes, and effects would be quite at home on a Broadway stage. The cast is young and energetic but, sadly, anonymous. There is no program or published cast list.

The familiar story of the street boy who finds the legendary lamp is fast-paced and played mostly for laughs. The evil Jafaar and his parrot sidekick, Iago, are comic villains -- easily (and frequently) hissed at. The blue Genie appears to have come straight from the legendary Catskills, full of outrageous one-liners and puns.

Add a chorus of dancing palace girls, flying carpets, and parading elephants and you have a show reminiscent of an old MGM movie starring Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.

Regular theatergoers may blanch a bit at the audience participation, but it’s important to remember that this is not a $100-a-seat Broadway theater -- and the seats at the Hyperion are far more comfortable than the typical Broadway house! Besides, your ticket came included with the price of admission to the park.

Yes, it can get a bit raucous in the audience at times. But for many this is their first exposure to live theater, and young children have plenty of time to learn the niceties of audience deportment. Aladdin is family fun and, in that spirit, will be enjoyed by the entire family.

MouseSavers.com® is not an official site of The Walt Disney Company or of Universal Studios. Content of MouseSavers.com is © MouseSavers, Inc. 2001-2008. Website content may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of MouseSavers, Inc. Privacy Policy - Terms and Conditions of Use