Disney’s Aladdin: Magical, captivating and the highest quality of talent

The magic carpet has flown Aladdin right into Sunderland, providing the North East audience with an exceptional, dazzling show. 

The Disney musical theatre production opened at the Sunderland Empire on Thursday, February 16 and will run until Sunday, March 10, giving those in the North East plenty of time to catch the absolutely unmissable show before it flies to another venue.

From the very beginning of the show, I was completely captivated by the show, due to the fabulous cast, beautiful costumes and the incredibly detailed set design. 

Gavin Adams makes his professional theatre debut as Aladdin, and performs as the lovable street urchin who falls in love with a princess. 

Adams was the perfect casting choice for Aladdin, mostly due to his cheeky attitude as well as fantastic singing and dancing skills.

Joining Adams as Princess Jasmine is Desmonda Cathabel. I was very excited to see Cathabel perform after watching her compete on ITV’s Mamma Mia I Have a Dream last year.

Cathabel did not disappoint, and was certainly the perfect choice to play Princess Jasmine on the stage. While she also had incredible acting and dancing skills, it was her beautiful vocals that really left an impact.

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Sunderland’s very own Adam Strong performed as Jafar, alongside his companion Iago played by Angelo Paragoso. Despite being the villain characters we are supposed to loathe, you can’t help but fall a little bit in love with them, as they make the most hilarious, camp duo. 

Although every single performer in the production provided the show with the highest quality of talent, Yeukayi Ushe was certainly the standout performer as Genie. 

It’s a huge role that absolutely requires a performer who is able to command the stage, captivate the audience and demonstrate the most impressive talent. Ushe did exactly that and every time he was on stage I sat up straighter in my seat, eager to see what he was going to do next. 

His performance of Friend Like Me was clearly the best of the entire show, due to Ushe’s absolutely amazing singing, dancing, and comic abilities. The number seemed to last forever, and yet I still didn’t want it to end.

Supporting characters included Jo Servi as Sultan and Nelson Bettencourt, Adam Taylor and Nay-Nay as Aladdin’s friends Babkak, Omar and Kassim. Again, they were all absolutely incredible!

Bettencourt, Taylor and Nay-Nay provided us with some of the most hilarious moments, while showcasing their magnificent talent. 

The ensemble cast helped to elevate the performance, helping to bring together what is definitely one of the best musical theatre productions I have ever seen. 

Disney’s Aladdin is a show that I will never forget, and I’m still feeling the effects of the magic. 

For more information or to book tickets for Aladdin at the Sunderland Empire, please visit the ATG Tickets website.