Aladdin, Jr. or Aladdin KIDS

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March 19, 2011
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Which production is more suitable for a more mature group of young actors? I am hoping to direct Aladdin at a middle school, and I would prefer the script that is more challenging.Typically, how much do rights and rental fees cost?
28 Answers

We just finished Aladdin Jr. yesterday, actually. It went really well and the kids had a blast! It's a great show and I wish you the best of luck. If you are looking to rent costumes, we have some beautiful ones that will be listed in community rentals soon! Let me know if you would like some pictures and other information. Best of luck!!! :) Claire

March 24, 2011
I assure you that I WILL have questions about renting costumes. "Tongue Thank you both for your help. I really appreciate it. I actually have a new set of questions. We called up MTI and found out we will be able to do Aladdin Jr. Unfortunately, we are on limited time and we have no choice but to schedule our auditions for next week. There is a possibility that I won't have a script when casting the show. I am not too worried about the audition process. I have a piano arrangement of Aladdin from the movie that students can sing from and I can type up sides from the film for students to read. All I need is to get an idea of talent, ability, and type for casting. What concerns me is the actual casting/assigning roles required for the show. The MTI website lists the following roles: Aladdin, Genie, Iago, Jafar, Jasmine, Magic Carpet, Razoul, Sulton, Visiting Princes, Narrators, Guards, Chorus. How many Visiting Princes are there and how many Narrators are required? Are there any other roles? Also, what's the rule on having girls play some of the male parts (such as the Genie)? I have to look into this because unfortunately only 5 boys seem to be interested in auditioning. Has MTI allowed any productions to add an Abu (the monkey) to the script? Thanks! As always, I appreciate any assistance you can provide.

March 24, 2011
Put your audition anxiety to rest, my friend. Go to Broadwayjr.com and click on Audition Central. You will be able to download and print out audition segments for all characters (script/score/view) and read audition suggestions for each character. You can even provide a link to your students to download and print it themselves! It's all leagal and perfectly on the "up and up" as long as you are leasing the materials. It's a perfect service for exactly this situation and one of the reasons I love MTI and Broadway Jr. 3 Visiting Princes (with entourage if you like), 5 Narrators. I had a girl play Genie - she was great - and it's allowed, no problem. I'd say if you have 5 boys, Aladdin, the Sulton, and Jafar are the 3 most important to cast as males. (Nearly implausible with a girl playing the part.) You could stretch the right girls into Razoul and even the 3 princes, if need be. Don't be above getting the girls in the cast to ask their brothers, boyfriends, etc. to participate. No guts. no glory!

March 24, 2011
I agree with Christie. We also cast a girl as Genie. She was wonderful. We had a great guy for Aladdin, a funnu guy for Sultan, and a strong actor for Jafar. I think we maybe had 3-6 other boys in the ensemble. It's a great show and I LOVE the broadway JR audition central.

March 23, 2011
Either show is AMAZING. Our production last year was a HUGE Success...and the costumes from our show rented out almost constantly since we made them available this fall. It was a beautiful show...and completely doable. :) I wish you all the best (break a leg) on your production and let us know if you want to know more about renting costumes!

March 21, 2011
Broadway Junior materials are typically appropriate for Middle School- aged performers and Broadway Kids materials are usually appropriate for Elementary to Upper Elementary-aged performers. That said, I think Aladdin Kids bears examination for your Middle Schoolers because of it's brilliant and fresh format. I produced and directed Aladdin Jr. a few years back and I'm reading the Aladdin Kids script now. Aladdin Jr. is a 70 minute show, while Aladdin Kids is about 40 minutes. So, Aladdin Jr. has more material and will require more blocking time, etc. I'm planning on doing the Aladdin Kids script this summer with an older group of kids because the format includes more story-telling (featues) within the ensemble. I also love the idea of the flying carpet being played by an actor/acrobat which is part of the Kids script. In the Junior script, the carpet is suggested to be puppeteered. Jafar sings more in the Junior script, but the characters of the lamp salesman (a narrator of sorts), the Tiger God, and the Junior Djinn are added in the Kids script. I think all of these have great possibility. Your favorite songs are part of each show, but some of the solos are spread out in the Kids script. Break a Leg what ever you choose! cj

March 21, 2011
Thank you for your reply, Christie. I believe we will be going with Aladdin, Jr. My school began the rights/royalty ordering process today. Typically, how long does it take for all that including scripts, librettos, scores, etc. to be squared away?

March 21, 2011
You'll be surprised how quick it arrives. I'll bet ya a roll of gaff tape you have it within 2 weeks. The books that each child receives include the entire script and libretto. It's really sweet (and easy) to hand out those books and not worry about collecting them in 4 months - mangled or lost! The Director's Guide is super helpful, as well. Enjoy your magic carpet ride - sorry, I couldn't resist. "Laughing"

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