
One of the all time favorite
stories, this musical is filled with dancing, singing, and magical
antics. The story is told by Scheherazade and her sister, Donya, in an
attempt to convince King Shahriyar to spare the women of their country.
In their beautiful ballad "Love Will Find a Way", they cajole and
inspire the king with the tale of Aladdin’s courage and cleverness and
his love for the Princess Laya. Aladdin
begins as a poor, but spirited young man ("The King of Chaos") who is
tricked by the evil magician Darwah into going into a cave to recover a
magic lamp. Before he becomes trapped in the cave, not only does
Aladdin find the lamp but also the Genie of the Ring, who helps him
escape, as well as a magic carpet. He uses the power of the Genie of
the Lamp ("Wish") to make himself rich enough to ask for the hand of
the princess ("Come with Me"). Her parents, the Sultan and the Sultana,
are pleased with the match, and along with the royal astrologer sing
that it was "Written in the Stars". Unfortunately,
Darwah tricks the princess into giving him the magic lamp and takes her
and Aladdin’s entire palace off to a foreign land. But the princess and
her sisters are very clever ("She Can Can") and help Aladdin recover
the lamp. In return for her help, he gives the Genie of the Ring her
freedom and returns the Genie of the Lamp to her cave where she will be
safe.
There are three
sets- a market place, a palace, and an even grander palace. There is
also a cave scene which can be done all in blackout with a spotlight on
the lamp and the carpet. The cast is very flexible and the script
includes suggestions for decreasing or expanding the total number of
characters.
