Genie steals the show in Disney's Aladdin
Disney's Aladdin at Liverpool Empire | The Tung Auditorium's new season| Last minute Christmas gift ideas | Latest NW arts news
You know that thing where you learn something new and then the same fact keeps cropping up everywhere? I experienced this at the University of Liverpool’s Tung Auditorium this week when listening to the Chamber and UNIty choirs perform their Northern Lights lunchtime concert.
The night before I’d been reading about the introduction of our current calendar in Nick Groom’s book The Seasons. At one point Scotland adopted a different calendar to the one still being used in England - and when England swapped over in 1752 we jumped straight from Wednesday, September 2 to Thursday, September 14, with the days in between lost forever. If that hasn’t scrambled your brain then the next fact surely will - the new year used to start in March rather than in January.
Carol of the Bells - it was revealed during Northern Lights - is set to the tune of a Ukrainian song and given different lyrics. Shchedryk, which was beautifully performed at the Tung Auditorium, was an (old) New Year song telling the story of a swallow returning home for the warmer weather. How would our outlook change I wonder if we were greeted by spring at the start of the year rather than more cold weather. Would we still be giving up alcohol and setting step-targets or would we feel more Bacchanalian?
The Tung Auditorium also released its new season’s programme this week, so it’s a good time to book tickets. A wide range of musical styles are covered but, perhaps because it’s nearly Christmas, I’m feeling folky so I have my eye on Keith James: The Songs of Nick Drake, Spiers and Boden, and Saltlines - which pairs writing by The Salt Path author Raynor Winn with music by The Gigspanner Big Band.
REVIEW: Disney’s Aladdin, Liverpool Empire ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Aladdin may be the name of this musical but it’s really all about the Genie. Yeukayi Ushe’s kaleidoscopically-clothed, wish-fulfilling burst of energy deserves titular billing for a performance that stands out even in a show with Disney’s high production values.
“Don’t miss me,” he calls as he exits the opening scene - the narrative Arabian Nights, which is the first song taken from the original animation. But miss him we do, despite well-above-solid performances from the rest of the cast - including understudy Kerry Spark, who on press night stepped in as Aladdin at the last minute to cover for Gavin Adams.
There are surprisingly few songs in the 1992 animation - although they are all bangers - so Chad Beguelin (along with Alan Menken as composer) has stepped in to fill the gaps with pieces that hold their own but can’t, for the most part, steal the spotlight from the better-known originals. Once Tim Rice’s One Jump Ahead is out of the way in the first half, there’s a noticeably long run until the next recognisable song.
It’s worth the wait though because the Genie is back (“I may be dreamy but you’re not hallucinating”) with Friend Like Me - a dazzling, break-neck run through a series of comedy bits and show-stopping ensemble choreography.
As a character, Aladdin - friendly, honourable, a bit dull - works best as the straight man to the more complex personalities, so in the earlier scenes he definitely misses his cartoon monkey sidekick Abu. The lack of Jasmine’s tiger Rajah is barely noticeable however, and Iago the parrot is swapped out for a bouncy, squawky human version of Jafar’s ally, played with brilliant timing by Angelo Paragoso.
Instead of Ibu we have Babkak (Nelson Bettencourt), Omar (Adam Taylor) and Kassim (Nay-Nay), Aladdin’s three fellow “street rats” who come into their own in the second act’s High Adventure - the most memorable of the new material, and a gloriously slapstick-filled, comedy musical number which has them sword-fighting guards, duelling with kebabs and ultimately being captured in their valiant but vain attempt to rescue Aladdin as he attempts to woo Jasmine.
It’s refreshing to note that there’s nothing girlish about Desmonda Cathabel’s Disney princess. Jasmine is a smart, glamourous young woman - brighter and more capable than anyone else in the palace.
Aladdin isn’t a Christmas show but, with its old movie musical aesthetic (including tap-dancing numbers a la Crosby and Kaye, and feathery-fan wafting ensemble pieces), glitzy stage sets and panto-energy, it certainly feels festive.
Disney’s Aladdin is at the Liverpool Empire until Sunday, January 5.
Latest arts news
👩⚖️ Liverpool-born actor Jodie Comer (Killing Eve)’s West End debut in Suzie Miller’s gripping one-women play, Prima Facie, is available to stream on National Theatre at Home for an unspecified limited time. Her performance was captured live in 2022 during a sold out run at the Harold Pinter Theatre. Comer is Tessa, a young, brilliant barrister who has worked her way up from working class origins to be at the top of her game. An unexpected event forces her to confront the lines where the patriarchal power of the law, burden of proof and morals diverge. Further details on subscriptions here.
🎼 Further star casting has been announced for Hope Mill Theatre’s new concert version of Nine the Musical, starring Broadway and West End star Ramin Karimloo, at Lowry, Salford, on Saturday, February 1 and Sunday, February 2. Joining the cast are Ruthie Henshall (Chicago, Billy Elliot) as Liliane la Fleur, Amber Davies (Pretty Woman, Back to the Future) as Stephanie, Josefina Gabrielle, Victoria Hamilton-Barritt, Melissa James, Danielle Steers and Zizi Strallen.
📻 Gerry Linford’s new show about true love, real life and cheesy songs, The Peaceful Hour, will run at Liverpool’s Royal Court from Friday, February 14 to Saturday, March 8. in February 2025. Directed by Emma Bird, the production is named after Liverpool DJ Pete Price’s night owl radio show, which ran on Radio City for four decades and provides the backdrop for this unconventional love story, starring Ellie Clayton, Julie Glover, Michael Hawkins, Angela Simms, Jack Whittle and Lenny Wood.
In case you missed it
Last-minute Christmas gift ideas
I’m calling this last-minute, but only because I have very organised friends who have finished all their Christmas shopping well before the end of November. It seems to me entirely reasonable to be finishing up the list well into December, although this does run the risk of you chasing about like Arnie Schwarzenegger in Jingle All the Way for that elusive must-have gift.
Anyone else frantically refreshing the Boots website in the vain hope that Laneige Candy Cane-flavoured lip sleeping mask comes back into stock before the Big Day, while silently railing at influencer culture that is encouraging preteens to want unnecessary designer skincare products that you can only afford to get for them because you buy your own face cream at Aldi?
To ease my consumer guilt, here are a few Christmas gifts made in the North West by independent artists and creators.
Alphabet of Cheese by Becka Griffin: Becka is best-known for her skylines of towns and cities across the UK, which make great graduation gifts, but she has a strong festive offering too. There’s her Alphabet of Cheese print as well as cards, and vegetarian Christmas dinner wrapping paper. Find her on Etsy and make sure you place your order by 11am on Wednesday, December 18 if you want to receive it in time.
Dick Vincent Calendar: The perfect gift for an outdoorsy friend, or for someone who wants their life to slow down but hasn’t figured out how yet. The Macclesfield-based artist’s illustrations are calming and cosy - and filled with humour. You only have to look at them to imagine you’ve deleted the email app off your phone and are setting out on a muddy-boot walk with a flask of hot chocolate in your rucksack. Here’s his website.
Defiance Gin Academy voucher: Located in Oldham/Saddleworth, Defiance Distillery crafts a range of spirits including gin, rum and vodka. You can make your own bottle of gin (or whoever you give the voucher to can), at its academy, which includes a tour as well as a welcome gin and tonic. Book here.
Lake District candles: Late Cumbria-based artist Libby Edmundson’s art works are decorating these candle jars by Fern & Fell, inspired by Lake District scenes. There is a variety of scents available, including Fell (pine, juniper and bergamot) and Coast (sea pine and lime). Find them online.
Opening this week
Now in his 95th year, Liverpool-born Keith Grant is still painting in his home in Norway, where he settled in 1996. His subject is the natural world, inspired by his travels to the countries of the North, where he painted the aurora borealis, icebergs and glaciers; and to the tropics and the desert, where his focus was the landscapes of rainforest, sand and rock. Elemental Nature: Keith Grant builds on his local connection, and features paintings and a group of working drawings made over the past 70 years. The Atkinson, Southport, until Saturday, March 15, 2025.
Family pick
Award-winning magician Michael Jordan has brought his High Jinx show to Blackpool Tower Circus. This fast-paced family spectacular combines magic, illusion, juggling, escapology, stilt walking, unicycling and more. Christmas shows run until Sunday, January 5.
Thank you for reading the 110th edition of Stored Honey. If you enjoyed what you read then please hit the ❤️ button as it helps to get it shown more widely.
I’m off now to track down a missing elf costume. In the meantime, you can get hold of me on Instagram, on Bluesky, in the comments or by replying to this email.
Have a great week,
Laura
PS Do you remember Liverpool’s rave scene?
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