Make a wish

A magical carpet is waiting - ready to fly cast and playgoers through "A Whole New World" at the Permian Playhouse.

Disney's 1992 animated film of an Arabian tale comes to life tonight, and its popular tunes will have audience members humming along through fictional scenes of Agrabah.

"Aladdin Jr.," a youth musical based on the original film, takes Aladdin, Jasmine and a special blue Genie to the theater stage for a story of adventure, romance, mystery and magic.

The show opens tonight with a one-time, captioned performance for the hearing impaired and continues through April 13.
Colorful costumes and award-winning music take viewers to a faraway land with the plot that's uniquely Disney.

Victoria Juarez, 16, who plays Jasmine for half of the showings, said she watched the "Aladdin" film as a child and appreciates its style of storytelling. The musical has a close resemblance, she said.

"It's Disney, but the culture is different from a lot of the other Disney movies," she said. "A lot of people grew up with Disney so this story is close to a lot of people."

A member of the Playhouse's Kaleidoscope Company, Juarez said the group of young actors works hard to maintain a standard of professionalism in their performances. In the Jasmine role, Juarez will sing a solo and duet with the Aladdin character in the show.
"It's a musical that people of all ages can enjoy," she said.

Arik Vega, 14, plays Aladdin opposite another Jasmine and said he was thrilled to get the part.

"I was excited ever since they told us about the auditions," he said. "People were telling me, ‘You look like Aladdin.' "

Whether he's the street urchin Aladdin or the lamp-inspired Prince Ali, Vega said the characters of "Aladdin Jr." really connect in the theater experience. He was already familiar with the rags-to-riches movie version.

"It's sort of like my most favorite movie ever," he said. "I already had ‘A Whole New World' memorized - I'm a sucker for love songs."
Educational Director Chad Cazee said he double-cast the lead roles because there were many students who wanted to be Aladdin or Jasmine.

On April 11, ticket holders can meet the full cast in a dinner fund-raiser called "A Night in Agrabah," which includes a private performance to raise money for the theater's youth programs.

Cazee said a musical is always a challenge to pull together, but the songs and dance of "Aladdin Jr." revisit a recognizable storyline through the theater's own Arabian marketplace.

"We're trying to keep it as close to the movie as you can," he said. "I hope that people will come out."

MEET THE CAST
>> Aladdin: Arik Vega and Joshua Lee Phillips.
>> Jasmine: Virginia Ormsby and Victoria Juarez.
>> Genie: Colton Hellums and Haley Houston.
>> Razoul: Kendra Sledge.
>> Jafar: Caleb Williams.
>> Iago: Zachary Vigil-Minyard and Nathan Juarez.
>> Sultan: Max Stanley.
>> Prince Baba of Ganoush: Nathan Juarez and Zachary Vigil-Minyard.
>> Prince Dahdu Rahn-Rahn: Tyler Lambdin.
>> The Prince formerly known as the Artist: Draven Hodgson.
>> Narrator 1: Jordan Burch.
>> Narrator 2: Melissa Baggett.
>> Narrator 3: Hope Boyer.
>> Narrator 4: Joshua Lee Phillips and Arik Vega.
>> Narrator 5: Abigail Hoffman.
>> Baker: India Lewis and Alexa Nease.
>> Thief: Nathan Juarez and Tyler Lambdin.
>> Butcher: Meagen Cortez and Alexa Nease.
>> Grocer: Camille Hubert and Brianna Lewallen.
>> Harem girls: Seneca Mick, Nicole Juarez, Alexa Nease, India Lewis, Meagen Cortez and Camille Hubert.
>> Matron: Melissa Baggett and Nicole Juarez.
>> Girl: Brianna Lewallen and Seneca Mick.
>> Guard 1: Nathan Juarez and Zachary Vigil-Minyard.
>> Guard 2: Draven Hodgson.

WANT TO GO?

>> ‘Aladdin Jr.' will be performed at 8 p.m. today and 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Permian Playhouse, 310 W. 42nd St.
>> The musical also will show next weekend at the same times, from April 11-13.
>> Tonight's performance will be captioned for deaf hearing-impaired audience members using CART - Computer Aided Real-time Transcription.
>> Tickets are $7.
>> ‘A Night in Agrabah' on April 11 includes a dinner with the ‘Aladdin Jr.' cast, games and a special evening performance. Tickets to the fund-raiser are $25 for adults and $20 for children. Reservations must be made by Monday and all proceeds will benefit the Kaleidoscope and Tadpole companies.
>> Call 362-2329 or 550-5456.