Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...A good deal of that smugness has been corrected in this new company; a lot was achieved by adding a little more subtlety to the human aspects of the staging and by actually encouraging the actors to commit to the logic of every moment. You can't beat catching a first-class tour right at the start, before the weariness of the road has set in, but with a second company cast after the creative team really knows what it needs for this thing to work, which is rarely the case before a show opens on Broadway. The new "Aladdin" crew is committed and fun, which you would expect, but they also bring more emotional depth to a show naturally inclined to remain in the shallow end of the pool, which you would not."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...“Aladdin” is far from the first animated Disney movie to be transformed into a live musical, and it certainly will not be the last. But of all the shows that have made the transition from celluloid acetate to stage, director-choreographer Casey Nicholaw’s production of the tale, (very loosely) lifted from “The Arabian Nights,” might just be the one that most closely matches the furious speed, crazy energy and zany exaggeration of the animated version."
Daily Herald - Highly Recommended
"...There is much to applaud in this briskly moving show, beginning with the breezy, Broadway-friendly score. Along with five songs from the film by composer Alan Menken and the late lyricist Howard Ashman, it includes additional tunes by lyricist Tim Rice and book writer Chad Beguelin. Along with sly references to "West Side Story" and "Hello, Dolly!" and gentle sendups of Menken-Ashman hits "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Little Mermaid," the show tips its hat to Oprah Winfrey, "Dancing With the Stars" and "Let's Make a Deal.""
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...Not that it matters, but this live touring version of the Broadway musical based on a 1992 Disney animation is shrill, bombastic, and almost hysterically chipper. Everything the cast and designers bring to the tale of Aladdin--a petty thief who becomes a mensch and then a sultan--is top notch, from Jonathan Weir and Reggie de Leon's comic villains to Anthony Murphy's outsize Genie to the glinting, golden Cave of Wonders created by set designer Bob Crowley. But the tempo is so manic, the tone so ingratiating, the Alan Menken score so antiseptically good-natured that you end up feeling like you've been assaulted by the world's best party clown."
Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Most of the best-loved songs from the 1992 movie's score by composer Alan Menken and lyricists Howard Ashman and Tim Rice are present, along with some that were written for the movie but cut. The handful of brand-new numbers, by Menken with lyrics by the show's book writer, Chad Beguelin, are weak in comparison to the likes of "Friend Like Me" and "Prince Ali." (When Beguelin rhymes "Mutt and Jeff" with "BFF," it feels cheap and incongruous at once.)"
ShowBizChicago - Highly Recommended
"...Adam Jacobs fresh off of Broadway reprises his role of Aladdin. Jacobs embodies the spirit and personality of the role so easily, it is almost as if it were written for him. Jacobs skillfully masters his way through this lush Disney score penned by Alan Menken, the late Howard Ashman, Tim Rice, and Chad Beguelin. "Proud of Your Boy" is one of the most beautiful moments of the evening. Jacobs's chemistry with Isabella McCalla, who plays Jasmine, is so compelling and their voices blend beautifully. Their duet "A Million Miles Away" is one of my favorite additions to the score."
Chicago On the Aisle - Highly Recommended
"...How do you translate the film magic of Disney to the musical theater? In the case of “Aladdin” – which has launched a North American tour at the Cadillac Palace with future stops in Minneapolis, Seattle, San Francisco and points further – you cram the stage with sets, people, smoke, glitter, explosions, magic tricks, gold, jokes and outsized personalities, and let nostalgia do the rest. Sometimes it dazzles, sometimes it falls flat, but mostly “Aladdin” is great fun, a magic carpet ride."
Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended
"...“Open sesame” indeed! It’s “Abracadabra” times ten as the arrival of Aladdin in Chi-town feels as triumphant as Prince Ali’s magnificent entrance into Agrabah at the top of the second act. A theme park of a musical, Disney Theatrical Productions’ eye-popping transformation of the 1992 film into an Arabian Nights/Shangri-La/Alhambra-rich fantasyland can be seen but still not believed. Everything that worked in two dimensions now soars and shines in three. Beginning a paradisiacal national tour at, appropriately, the Palace Theatre, Broadway’s 2014 record-breaker earns its expectations by astonishing its audiences in glorious scene after sumptuous episode."
ChicagoCritic - Recommended
"...This is a fresh new musical that is a welcome addition to this spring and summer theatrical offerings in Chicago. Aladdin is worth seeing, so take the kids and those who grew up on this 1992 Disney film to the Palace Theatre."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Years ago, Chicago did get to see a version of "Aladdin" based on the animated film of the same name. In fact, twice! Once on the stage of Chicago Shakespeare Theatre and the other on the much smaller stage at Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire (in the round). These were 50-60 minute versions geared for the smaller children, and sort of geared to bring them into accepting "live theater". I know that this concept has been a great one for my grandkids, who love theater, and in my mind, it is due to these theater's bringing this type of musical adventure to life on their stages. For this, I thank both of the aforementioned venues, but also all others who make theater for younger audiences a part of their program!"
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...This wonderful National Tour, that was Broadway’s able successor to Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” is a musical bazaar featuring all kinds of dazzling delights. Casey Nicolaw’s traveling production isn’t a cut rate version of the original. It features all the color, spectacle and talent seen on the Great White Way. It’s a giant, energetic, kinetic musical that will entrance audiences of every age, presenting all the fairy tale magic of “A Whole New World.”"
Chicagoland Theater Reviews - Highly Recommended
"..."Aladdin has just entered its fourth year on Broadway and like "Wicked" and "The Lion King" it may never close. These family shows thrive on renewable resources of patrons, with a fresh pool of youngsters growing into audience potential every three or four years. The "Aladdin" book might not stand comparison with the books of those shows but as a festival of the theater arts at their most professional and imaginative the show at the Cadillac Palace Theatre is still a stunner."
The Fourth Walsh - Highly Recommended
"...Besides a well-rounded Jasmine, this live version of the fairy tale has other surprising improvements to make for a fuller experience. Instead of a monkey, Murphy’s sidekicks are three guys: Zach Bencal (Babcak), Philippe Arroyo (Omar), Mike Longo (Kassim). They help Murphy out of scrapes with their swashbuckling and slapstick. One of my favorite numbers is “High Adventure” for both the harmonies and the humor. Bencal, Arroyo, Longo start the song by running in slow motion and get hilariously lapped by an ensemble member. Instead of a parrot , Jafar (played by the wickedly great Jonathan Weir) has the animated Reggie DeLeon (Iago) nailing the punchline. Weir plays it straight deadpan as DeLeon lampoons to zany degrees."
Chicagoland Musical Theatre - Highly Recommended
"...Glitz, glimmer and a kaleidoscopic explosion of primary color, secondary to nothing ever before experienced, literally burst onto the stage during Broadway in Chicago’s six-month (at least) Cadillac Palace (how appropriate) resident, resplendent production."
Third Coast Review - Highly Recommended
"...If for no other reason than the acting and because, who are you kidding you totally love Aladdin, come see this musical for its impressive sets and beautiful costumes (Gregg Barnes).This musical is not written to be a serious love story or tale of adventure-instead, expect an extremely all-audience-friendly play, where the evil moments are contained, and the illustrious sets and vivid costumes bring your imagination to life. All in all, come out to the Cadillac, bring your kids and adult friends who still act like kids, and enjoy a night in Agrabah, which is conveniently located on Randolph Street."
Picture This Post - Highly Recommended
"...Everything about ALADDIN from the costumes, to the sets, to the lights, is bright, colorful, and full of life. The chorus is lively and fun in their opening number, “Arabian Nights” and gives the audience a taste of the bustling marketplace in Agraba. This set is impeccably detailed with the various wares offered by the street vendors. In the Cave of Wonders, we’re in awe as the stage is transformed into a completely gold room with food and dancers appearing and disappearing in the blink of an eye."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...The North American tour of “Aladdin” could not have kicked off with greater fanfare. Anyone with even passing familiarity with Broadway In Chicago knows well the company’s penchant for decadence but this production resembles what an ambitious producer might do if they discovered a magic lamp of their own. A production worthy of at least a thousand and one nights, “Aladdin” is a wish come true."
