Musical comedy: Aladdin's flying carpet lands in Montreal

UPDATE DAY

Adi Roy will never forget the first time he saw the musical Aladdin, on Broadway. “It was moving to finally recognize myself on a stage of this magnitude,” he breathes. A few years later, the young American of Indian origin dons the title character's jacket and fez himself on the occasion of the show's new tour.

The young Adi Roy was obviously no stranger to the work of Disney when he rediscovered it on the stage of the New Amsterdam Theater, in New York. As a teenager, he even performed the role of Aladdin in a “junior” version (a watered-down adaptation intended for school curricula) of the show, put on by his high school. 

But it It was by seeing the Broadway production that he really grasped the richness of the musical. 

“There is definitely more depth and emotion than I imagined. I really rediscovered the work with this show, ”says the 20-year-old actor, in an interview with Journal. 

Indeed. Because if we all know – at least briefly – the plot of Aladdin, the stage version of Disney's work deviates in several respects from the animated film. The main lines remain, of course, the same: a young thug with a big heart falls in love with a princess in a tale worthy of a thousand and one nights. The lamp, the genie and the magic carpet all survived the jump to the stage as well. 

Animals to Humans

But the character of Abu – friendly monkey, Aladdin's accomplice – has metamorphosed along the way. Its essence was distilled and then distributed through three characters, this time human. The same goes for the parrot Iago which takes on the features of a man on the boards.

“We immediately recognize the characters as they have been meticulously adapted. Their personality has remained intact, so the change is really successful,” assures Adi Roy.

Another major difference? A number of hitherto unreleased songs have also been added to the plot, to make it a proper musical comedy. 

“In some cases, these are titles that were written for the animated movie, but had to be pulled for various reasons. And it gives particularly touching moments, it adds a whole new dimension to the characters,” says Adi Roy. 

In the same breath, the actor also ensures that the magic of the film has remained intact. We will have proof of this from Tuesday, when the flying carpet of Aladdin will land in the metropolis. 

The musical Aladdin< /em> will be presented at Place des arts in Montreal from March 28 to April 2. Performances are in English.