It may be a whole new world, after all. This tale is a bit different than the 1992 animated classic.
“This is not Disney’s ‘Aladdin’ at all,” Producer Jamie Cisco said. “This an original script that kind of adapts the story of ‘Aladdin’ from ‘The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1,001 Nights.'”
More Top Picks Best Fingertip Pulse Oximeters For Seniors
The story is different, she said, in that it has two genies.
“We have a Genie of the Ring and a Genie of the Lamp,” she said. “So it is kind of a different twist on the story. And we don’t have one evil sorcerer; we have Nefarious and her two sisters. So we have an evil trio who are trying to take over the world.”
The musical tale will unfold onstage when Children’s Theatre of Elgin presents its production of “Aladdin” Oct. 21-25 at the Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin. The Oct. 21-22 morning shows are for school groups, and performances Oct. 23-25 are open to the public. Public performances are at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 23-24 and at 2 p.m. Oct. 25.
Originally written by CTE co-founder Peter Akemann in the 1990s, Cisco said, his adaptation was adapted by director Sarah Robertson, who was a sixth-grader when the theater produced it in 2002.
“Now she’s come back as a director,” Cisco said. “And she adapted the play that she was in.”
Some of the characters and dialogue were changed, and the music was updated. While the audience won’t hear the Disney tunes, several songs in the show are ones currently heard on the radio. The Genie of the Lamp sings “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon and Aladdin sings “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction.
“It’s all more contemporary music, but the lyrics are changed to make sense with the show,” Cisco said.
In the musical, Nefarious possesses the Genie of the Ring, she said.
“But the Genie of the Ring is not powerful enough for her, because she wants to rule the entire world. So she is on a search for the Genie of the Lamp,” Cisco said.
Long ago, Aladdin’s father received the Genie of the Lamp as payment for a cloak he made. And that lamp has been hidden in a cave. Nefarious comes to the city of Shemar seeking Aladdin to get this lamp, but he has no idea of its powers or that it contains the genie.
“In our version, there is also a Sultan and a Sultana, so Jasmine has a mother and father in this production,” Cisco said.
Jasmine is guided by three of her friends, and Aladdin by one of his. And his pet monkey is not named Abu, but rather Alakazam.
“We have a whole chorus of monkeys that sing,” Cisco said. “They sing about being the monkeys of Shemar, and it’s set to the rap of ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,’ so it is just hilarious.”
The musical, she sad, is very family-friendly and appropriate for all ages.
“There is no inappropriate lyrics, inappropriate jokes, inappropriate language,” she said. “It’s set for children and adults.”
That, she said, is in keeping with the theater group’s mission to bring theater to as many children and different situations as possible. The group partners with local schools to host field trips at a discounted rate.
“We’re hoping when the students see the show, they want to bring their parents and siblings back for the weekend for our public shows,” Cisco said.
As of press time, the shows for school groups were just about sold out, Cisco said.
“If the school show attendance is any indication, people are going to want to get their tickets as soon as they can,” she said.
Tickets can be purchased at CTElgin.com.
“We do all of our own ticketing now, so you do not get your tickets through the Hemmens Cultural Center. You get them through CTElgin.com,” Cisco said. “You can select your own seats exactly where you want to sit, and you can print out your tickets right from your home computer and you have your tickets immediately.”
Often, she said, students who come to see a show later audition and appear in future productions. This production of “Aladdin” features 97 cast members, which includes students from second through ninth grade.
More Top Picks Best Undercut Saws With Battery
“We try very hard to include as many children as we can,” Cisco said. “We want theater to be a very positive experience in their life and something very accessible for everybody.”
Kathy Cichon is a freelance writer.
“Aladdin”
When: Oct. 23-25
Where: Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin
Tickets: $12 adult; $10 students and seniors
Information: 847-214-7550 or ctelgin.com/