Review: A WHOLE NEW WORLD OF ALAN MENKEN, London Palladium

A Whole New World of Alan Menken, a concert written and performed by Alan Menken (with additional material by Jennifer Lucy Cook and Richard Kraft), was an evening of stories and songs for fans of Menken’s work, whether they’ve heard it in Disney films or on stage on Broadway. Directed by Kraft, the show promised audiences the opportunity to hear all the hits they know and love with some revealing anecdotes from Menken’s life, as well as getting to listen to some cut songs from a range of his works.

Menken made a grand entrance, sitting down at the grand piano to the roaring of cheers and applause and began with “Prince Ali” from Aladdin. After this introduction, we began to get into the show, which (mostly) chronologically followed Menken’s career of over four decades. The set was quite simple - the only thing on stage was the piano, and above it were three screens which showed photos and videos related to the songs and stories Menken is sharing. 

One of the main focuses of the first act was Menken’s relationship with Howard Ashman, a lyricist Menken worked with from 1979 until his passing from AIDS in 1991. Most of Menken’s greatest hits came from his collaboration with Ashman, with the Disney films they worked on being considered the driving forces of the “Disney Renaissance,” as well as the stage hit Little Shop of Horrors, which was later made into a film. We heard snippets from Ashman and Menken’s first collaboration, an adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut’s God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, as well as a scathing review that Menken himself has memorised. 

But, even with all of the happy songs like “Be Our Guest” and “A Whole New World,” there were some more sombre moments, with Menken telling the audience about working with Ashman as his health declined, knowing that he did not have much longer to live. He performed a heartbreaking rendition of “Sheridan Square,” a song the pair wrote about those they knew who had lost their lives to HIV/AIDS. The performance was a beautiful tribute to Ashman and the work he and Menken did together. 

In Act Two, Menken moved on from his time with Ashman, discussing the struggles of working with new lyricists collaborating on Disney films like Pocahontas, Home on the Range and Tangled. There were also more songs from the stage hits that Menken has been involved in, including one of my personal favourites, Newsies, and other stage versions of Disney classics like Beauty and the Beast. 

Looking for a little bit of Disney gossip? Menken had some to share, including confirmation that he is working on both a stage and a live-action film version of Tangled. The audience also got a sneak peek at one of the new songs for the stage version of Hercules, which arrives at Theatre Royal Drury Lane in June. 

Of course, there is more to Menken than just his involvement with Disney, which was illustrated more in the second act of the concert. There were songs from several of the shows Menken has been involved with on Broadway including Leap of Faith, A Bronx Tale and Sister Act. A wonderful surprise was getting to hear the theme song for one of my favourite shows, Galavant, which had Menken write over sixty songs for eighteen episodes!

A Whole New World of Alan Menken was an absolutely magical concert that will have delighted Menken fans of all ages. At 75, Menken still has a truly incredible voice and it felt like an honour to hear him perform and share stories of musical moments, big and small. 

A Whole New World of Alan Menken ran on 9 March at the London Palladium.