Broadway Philadelphia presents 'Aladdin'

Director/choreographer Casey Nicholaw’s production catches the eye, with colorful costumes (by Gregg Barnes) and glittering — some would say gaudy — lighting (by Natasha Katz). Bob Crowley’s set design, replete with minarets, mosques, and open-air markets situates us in a desert kingdom long ago and far away.

Failure to launch

But the ornate elements of Crowley’s mise-en-scène caused more problems than pleasure. On opening night, technical difficulties necessitated two extended holds, one lasting over 20 minutes. The audience sensed issues when, during “A Whole New World,” the aforementioned levitation device didn’t ascend.

It would be inaccurate for me to say these mechanical failings broke the performance’s spell, since there was none to begin with.

In many ways, Aladdin exceeds expectations for a standard musical juggernaut. The show features a large ensemble of diverse performers, many of whom — though not all — transcend age-old stereotypes. The titular “street rat,” played by Clinton Greenspan, displays a kind spirit and a heart of gold. He sings of his desire to be a good and honest person in the sweet-natured ballad “Proud of Your Boy,” one of the final songs written by legendary lyricist Howard Ashman. (The remaining songs, set to music by Alan Menken, were completed by Tim Rice and Chad Beguelin, who also supplied the libretto.)

Princess Jasmine (Isabelle McCalla) emerges as an empowered woman, a proto-feminist who asserts her right to marry for love and to have an equal partner “who isn’t afraid to change a few royal diapers.” That she does so clad in a bra and revealing harem pants is its own kind of cognitive dissonance, but at least her message isn’t cringe-worthy.

Aladdin enlists Genie (Michael James Scott) to realize his dream of marrying Jasmine, but he must also elude the Machiavellian machinations of Jafar (Jonathan Weir), the kingdom’s wicked vizier. The plot overflows with love and intrigue, and scene after scene seems guaranteed to stop the show.

Why doesn’t it work?

Although Nicholaw keeps the action moving briskly, the production often lacks any stakes. Conflicts are resolved before a sense of danger is even recognized. Perhaps this choice was meant to preserve a family-friendly environment, but it severely hampers the dramatic potential of the musical’s darker elements. And even the youngest children should be able to handle a little excitement.

Jafar should be truly villainous, but as played by Weir with a sniveling voice and a Mac counter’s worth of makeup, he seems more the comic relief. This kind of characterization renders his bumbling sidekick Iago (Jay Paranada) largely expendable.

The principal actors turn in polished, professional performances, although Greenspan and McCalla both tend toward flatness in their singing. But I sense they’ve been directed to replicate the familiar animated archetypes on which their characters are based, leaving as little individual stamp as possible. The only time they truly came alive was in a perfectly timed ad-lib after the second mechanical malfunction, when McCalla’s Jasmine seemed incredulous at the idea of boarding the magic carpet once more.

Scott has energy to burn as Genie, and he manages moments of genuine pathos when communicating the character’s state of captivity and servitude. Musically, though, he often seemed out of time with the orchestra, and I barely caught a word of his roof-raising solo “Friend Like Me.” Sound quality was generally an issue throughout the performance.

The only truly first-rate voice I heard among the principals belonged to Jerald Vincent, who plays Jasmine’s royal father. Unfortunately, he only sings a handful of lines.

I’d be lying if I said the audience didn’t react in delight to nearly every moment of the show, unleashing the kind of whoops and hollers one typically hears at Lincoln Financial Field. Aladdin will surely please crowds during its stay in Philadelphia, but to this critic, the magic-carpet ride feels regrettably earthbound.