Attend this Disney musical on Aladin that promises to enthrall its audiences

The cast for Disneys Aladdin From left Roshan Abbas Kira Narayanan Taaruk Raina director Shruti Sharma Siddharth Menon and Mantra PicAtul KambleIn its second Broadwaystyle outing in India Walt Disney has chosen a production that many a 90s Indian kid would have held dear to hisher heart As one of the original stories from The Arabian Nights the centuriesold tale was reimagined by Disney in the memorable animation film Aladdin The worldwide success of the 1992 film was revived in the form of Disneys musical which premiered in Seattle in 2011Set to stage in Mumbai this month the musical has introduced a new cast and crew some of whom we had the opportunity to meet at the National Centre of Performing Arts NCPA last week The director is Shruti Sharma who was associate director for Disneys first musical in India Beauty and the Beast In a quiet moment before the bustle of rehearsals begins Sharma tells us Aladdin is a very complex story I watched the film as a child and now when I see it again as an adult I interpret it differently and see that there are more layers to itWe couldnt agree more The layers that Sharma alludes to is something that possibly makes Disney tales of a certain league such as The Lion King have a classic timeless allure It is a sentiment shared by the lead cast who are of different ages Kira Narayanan who plays Jasmine saw the film much after it was released while former RJ Roshan Abbas remembers taking song requests especially from the Hindi adaptation of the film There was a time when I had several callers requesting for Sapno Ka Jahan the Hindi version of A Whole New World Sonu Nigam had sung that song wonderfully says Abbas The musical produced by BookMyShow for India has some hits from the film composed by Alan Menken with some more thrown in for good measureFor the cast some do feel that they have pretty big shoes to fill with this show Puranjit Dasgupta who goes by his radio jockey name Mantra tells us Genie was scripted around Robin Williams not the other way around I try not to watch the film too often for I wonder if I can do justice to the role Besides Genie is a very interesting character Aladdin and he share a bond What would Aladdin want besides Genie in his life Jasmine quips AbbasThe evil Jafar and Aladdin have two sets of actors Abbas and Vikrant Chaturvedi play the villain while Siddharth Menon and Taaruk Raina play the hero The young heroes tell us that the best part about the play is that its the story of hope an underdog who finds a life of fullness And what would Aladdin be without Princess Jasmine of singleminded pursuit and the one who made offshoulder croptops a fashion statement She is bads This has been special that way for me We have a strong director helming it who happens to a woman along with Tess Joseph casting director and Suzane DMello vocal coach Narayanan saysThe cast and the director are tightlipped about details regarding costumes there was a whisper that these may not be the same as the designs from the film and stage production However we have been told that despite the differences and logistical challenges between the musical and the film we can rest assured that there will be a magic lamp a flying carpet and sorcery So here are our three wishes from Disneys Aladdin blow our minds with song transport us with spectacle and give us some good ol romanceWhere Jamshed Bhabha Theatre NCPA Nariman PointWhen April 20 May 6 730 PMEntry Rs 750 Rs 7500Call 22845350Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates