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CLEVELAND -- "Friend Like Me" alone may be worth the price of admission for the national tour of "Aladdin," which will be at the State Theatre for the next three weeks.
The musical number is a tour de force for Michael James Scott, who plays the Genie. Don't let the title fool you -- his character is the true star of the musical, just as Robin Williams was the star of the 1992 animated film on which it is based.
Scott's portrayal contains the same manic spirit of Williams' Genie while taking the character in a different direction. He has a drag queen's sass and attitude and a different collection of pop culture reference points, from Oprah to Christina Aguilera to "Black Panther."
Scott pummels the audience with one joke after another and races around the stage while singing the Alan Menken / Howard Ashman favorite. The exhilarating and exhausting performance earned one of the longest and loudest mid-show ovations I can ever remember hearing.
Saying Scott steals the show isn't a knock on Clinton Greenspan, who plays Aladdin, the street rat who hopes to win the heart of a princess with a little help from that Genie and his three wishes.
Greenspan's Aladdin is likable and energetic and incredibly light on his feet. He brings an acrobatic grace to his movements on "One Jump Ahead" and delivers "Proud of Your Boy" (the "Part of Your World" / "Somewhere That's Green" statement-of-purpose song that is a staple in every musical Menken has written) with a strong, appealing voice.
The production also nails the greatest technical challenge -- recreating the magic carpet ride that accompanies the Oscar-winning song "A Whole New World." Watching Greenspan and Isabelle McCalla float above the stage in front of a moon and stars backdrop is a truly magical moment.
Fans of the animated movie should be happy with its transition from screen to stage. Musical theater fans may be a little harder to please.
This isn't "The Lion King," a show that transcends its source material. And the source material isn't as strong as, say, Disney's "Beauty and the Beast."
Williams' stream-of-consciousness comedy and the way the Disney animators visualized it elevated what is a pretty simplistic fairy tale. It's a love story about two people from different worlds -- Aladdin, a lowly street urchin and Jasmine, a princess destined to inherit a kingdom -- and the bad guy (Jafar, played with appropriate menace by Jonathan Weir) conspiring to keep them apart so he can grab control.
The production has the visual panache that Disney regularly brings to its stage productions, but it generally is a straightforward adaptation of a second-tier Disney property. Except for the way the Genie has been reimagined, the changes from the source material largely are practical (Iago is a human sidekick to Jafar instead of a parrot; Aladdin's monkey Apu has been replaced by three human friends).
It's great family entertainment and nostalgic fun for those who grew up with these characters. It might not be the first choice for adults without a child or grandchild in tow, but Scott's total command of the stage will make it a joy for all ages.
agray@tribtoday.com