50 shows later, cast of Disney’s Aladdin speak on routine, spontaneity, feminism and more

“What would the world be without Disney?” – Someone from the audience whispers as the Indian cast of the musical Aladdin takes the stage at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai. The notion put forth not only set the scene for the performance that ensued but also was the first link to a chain of thoughts. For a musical like Aladdin – where the story demands a number of fastidious changes like the set, costumes and backdrops – each scene transitions were made rather swiftly. Disney’s Broadway-style musical that kicked-off in April last year has charmed in Mumbai and Delhi for over 50 shows that sold tickets to more than 50,000 viewers. The third season of the musical will be in town till January 13. And yet, the cast only seems to be getting better with each show. “It feels like we’ve done over 90 shows, I’ve flown the carpet 90 times, danced and sang to the same numbers 200 times. This is excluding the four months of rehearsals. We sing the same songs in the shower and around each other. So you could probably double that number,” begins 24-year-old Kira Narayanan, who plays Jasmine. 

Having grown-up watching Aladdin, Narayanan identified with the strong, empowered, iconic, feminist princesses. “My VCR tapes got spoilt because I watched it (Aladdin) so many times. And I was overwhelmed with the thought that I would have to do this role justice because Jasmine is the woman of today.”

(The cast of Aladdin - scene in the market place where Jasmine first meets the hero.)

As the stage right entries turn into stage left exits, the audience waits with bated breath in Act II, to see how the production would bring the magic to fly a carpet. And their wait is not in vain. “My favourite audience reaction is when the carpet flies. The point when the set disappears and it looks like we’re flying, you can hear the entire auditorium being awestruck,” Narayanan says. 

But to tell a tale that's almost as old as time, there need to be a few tricks up the director's sleeves.  “The audience has heard the story of Aladdin in so many ways. We’ve read it in The Thousand and One Nights, we’ve seen the animation and on Doordarshan,” says Director Shruti Sharma, who pitched for a bilingual Genie. 

One of the missing elements from the show is Aladdin's lovable monkey Abu, who has been replaced by three of Aladdin’s friends – Babkak, Omar and Kassim. “The stunts Abu is capable of were not possible for any human to pull off,” Sharma says, adding, “We’ve done a tip of our hats to Abu as Aladdin wears a red vest, which was the colour of Abu’s hat.”

(Dancing to the song Prince Ali, Mantra, as Genie, takes centre stage.)

Giving the musical a desi touch is the Genie, played by Mantra Mugdh and Hitesh Bhojraj Malukani, who indulge in a little city-specific humour. "Genie is such a timeless character that he can belong to the town of Agrabah and still crack a joke about South Bombay. Mantra and Hitesh are such spontaneous actors that they can read the room rather well. On the opening night for Delhi, Genie (Mantra) says to Aladdin, ‘I’ve to get you two magic carpets. One odd and one even. It’s Delhi after all’,” Sharma laughs.

For Mantra the best part of playing Genie is, "getting a chance to walk in the shoes of my idol Robin Williams". The 35-year-old actor has done Piya Behrupiya (the Indian version of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night) and has also performed at the Globe Theatre in London. But still gets jittery before every show. The Genie's role requires animation, timely humour and a magical facade. In one of the dance numbers, the blue Genie with heavy eye make-up and a ponytail transforms into a woman. "Even after doing so many shows, I still get butterflies in my stomach before that scene," Mantra admits. 

But his spontaneous humour, tailor-made to suit every city, leaves the audience in splits. "Genie is the only character that can break the fourth wall and converse with the audience. When Mr Arvind Kejriwal was sitting in the first row in one of the Delhi shows, I modified one of the lines to say, "Every time I try to make sense it doesn’t go down the throats of a few people. Mr Kejriwal I’m sure you understand". And he laughed like a child."