Adi Roy will never forget seeing the musical for the first time Aladdin, On Broadway. “It was moving to finally recognize myself on a stage of this magnitude,” he breathes. A few years later, for the show’s new tour, the young American of Indian descent slips into the title character’s jacket and shreds himself.
Young Adi Roy was evidently no stranger to Disney’s work when he rediscovered it on stage at the New Amsterdam Theater in New York. As a teenager, he even played the role of Aladdin in a “junior” version (a watered-down adaptation for school programs) of the show performed by his high school.
But it wasn’t until he saw the Broadway production that he really understood the richness of the musical.
“There is definitely more depth and emotion than I imagined. I really rediscovered working with this show,” the 20-year-old actor told the Journal.
In force. Because if we all know the plot of Aladdin, at least briefly, the stage version of Disney’s work differs from the animated film in several respects. The main lines remain the same, of course: a young thug with a big heart falls in love with a princess in a tale worthy of the Arabian Nights. The lamp, the genie and the flying carpet also survived the leap onto the stage.
From animal to human
But the character of Abu – friendly monkey, Aladdin’s accomplice – has changed over time. Its essence was distilled and then spread across three characters, this time human. The same applies to the parrot Jago, who takes on the features of a man on the boards.
“We recognize the characters immediately as they have been meticulously customized. Her personality has remained intact, so the change was really successful,” says Adi Roy.
Another big difference? Many previously unreleased songs have been added to the storyline to make it a musical comedy in a good and proper form.
“In some cases, these were titles that were written for the animated film but had to be removed for various reasons. And there are particularly touching moments, it gives the characters a whole new dimension,” says Adi Roy.
In the same breath, the actor also ensures that the film’s magic is preserved. We’ll have proof of that on Tuesday, when Aladdin’s magic carpet lands in the metropolis.
musical comedy Aladdin will be presented at Montreal’s Place des arts from March 28th to April 2nd. The performances are in English.