| What: Aladdin – by Fred Abrahamse and Marcel Meyer Where: Canal Walk Theatre, Canal Walk Shopping Mall in the Centre Court When: June 28 to July 20, 2025 Performance times: Three shows daily at 11am, 12:30pm and 2pm. Closed Mondays. Tickets: From R110. Family packages available Running Time: 55 minutes Recommended age: All ages (under 2s free if seated on laps) Bookings: Webtickets. Or buy at the box office on site – depending on availability Please note: No prams or trolleys allowed in the theatre. A pram and trolley park is available. Under 2s, sitting on laps do not require a ticket Cast: Anzio September (Aladdin), Mekaila Mathys (Princess Jasmir), Onela Metuso (The Genie of the Lamp), Graham Bourne (Abanazer/The Sultan) Edith Plaatjies (Widow Mustapha). Ensemble: Caleb Felix, Nkosinathi Mazwai, Kaira Naidoo, Kaylah Solomons |
A gorgeous Aladdin is on in Cape Town, at Canal Walk Theatre June 28 to July 20, 2025. Three performances each day – 11am, 12:30pm and 2pm. Closed on Mondays. Fabulous, fabulous musical theatre, by Fred Abrahamse and Marcel Meyer of Abrahamse & Meyer Productions. Love. Love. Loved. There is so much detail: Gorgeous costumes and music – sensational orchestration and soundtrack by Mayer and Jaco Griessel. Sensational cast of nine – including Fleur du Cap Theatre Award winning Edith Plaatjies, bass wonder Graham Bourne, Anzio September, Mekaila Mathys, Onela Metuso and Nkosinathi Mazwai – who is also the choreographer and has created athletic and cirque inspired dance. Ahh the puppets – a charming camel and a 10 metre cobra – and flying carpet – levitating carpet, to be precise.
The multi-levelled set (Abrahamse) is made up of light boxes which are lit like jewel boxes, bathed in exquisite shimmering lighting by JP Willson. To quote Meyer: “Inspired by the delicate lattice work of Islamic art and architecture from its golden age, the set has been conceived as a series of glowing ‘lightboxes’, their intricate patterns illuminated in shifting jewel tones.”
Purple is used symbolically in Meyer’s gorgeous costume design. Historically, purple has figured in numerous cultures as symbolising royalty, beauty, rarity and transformation. The Princess and Aladdin are garbed in purple. She is a royal. He is from the street, a commoner. But the colour purple transcends demographics. Meyer mused in an interview, that purple creates “a visual thread between the seemingly separate worlds of palace and street.” Purple is also used in the costume of The Sultan (dad of the princess) and revealed in the costume of Aladdin’s mom, the Widow Mustapha. Watch out for the magic of purple as a leitmotif in the production.
The setting is in Baghdad. It is hot and the protagonists are clad in silky flowing fabrics, allowing their flesh to breathe in the heat. A contemporary zeitgeist is developed in Abrahamse and Meyer’s book. Yes, all the right stuff is there – the timeless stuff about self-belief, aspiration and having a true heart but in tandem with that is a lovely sense of being now which is beautifully conveyed by Aladdin (Anzio September) and Princess Jasmir (Mekaila Mathys). They are a sultry and sassy couple, funny and relatable and quickly navigate their differences. Princess Jasmir quips: “Let’s pretend that I am an ordinary girl and you an ordinary boy.” It reminds me of the film, Notting Hill with Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant. Onela Metuso is charming as the quirky Genie and the ensemble is a delight, taking roles as palace guards and puppeteers.
Delicious lines by the parents – Aladdin’s mom (Plaatjies) and Jasmir’s dad (The Sultan – Bourne) with parental affirmation in guiding the romance of their offspring. The choral work in The Parents Duet by Plaatjies and Bourne is magic – two great musical theatre voices and actors together on stage as they sing and urge their offspring to follow their hearts. Bourne also plays Abanezer – the Wizard, sorcerer, with his gorgeous gritty bass voice. He is a baddie who is somehow fun. Abanzer channels shades of a punk, gothic Sweeney Todd into this role. This is opera meets punk musical.
Scene changes are cleverly evoked by the dynamism of the multi-levelled set in conveying spatial changes and to specify locations, images are screened onto an LED projection screen which include Aladdin’s home with his mom working as a washerwomen, street scenes in Baghdad, the palace, the sunset, Cave of Wonders. What I like about this production is that the LED screen is contained into a relatively small space. We are not overwhelmed with a digital overload, engulfed by a surround scroll of images. It is cinematic but the images are framed within the play. This is live theatre, not a movie. Love that.
Talking of theatre, keep your eyes peeled for the 10 metre mambo puppet for a breath taking piece of theatrical magic, with the snake in a thrashing dance (stunning choreography by Nkosinathi Mazwai). This extraordinary puppet has been designed and constructed by Fred Abrahamse and Marcel Meyer. The head and hood is made out of Sondor foam. The body is made out of ducting covered in a stretch gold and black fabric. Amazing.
Aladdin is an exceptional production and I have only touched on some aspects of design and concept which have gone into creating this original musical with songs with catchy lyrics. I must mention the sound which is reminiscent of a big musical and there is good reason for this. Meyer told me that Jaco Griessel has scored Aladdin for “an 80 piece orchestra, which you would have if you were doing, so it sounds like a big musical.” Griessel has used a digital orchestra to make create the vastness of the score. A shout-out to Thinus Viljoen as assistant musical director. The detail in the songs and score is phenomenal. For example, the music riffs off a Middle Eastern aesthetic but Genie’s music in the end resonates with a big Broadway Musical oompah.
This is the 23rd production by Fred and Marcel for Canal Walk Theatre. They staged the first production when Canal Walk opened 25 years ago. Covid halted two years of productions. If it hadn’t been for Covid, this, Aladdin 2025, would have been the 25th production. It is a celebratory milestone show, with the cast of nine and as mentioned gorgeous costumes, set, music, puppets and magic carpet. It is a rave from me. A must-must see. You don’t need to have kids to go and see this. Please just go.
