Review: DISNEY'S BROADWAY HITS, Royal Albert Hall, 23 October 2016

Celebrating over 20 years of successful Disney shows on Broadway, the West End and around the world, including smash hits such as Mary Poppins, The Lion King and Aladdin, as well as shorter-running productions like King David, Tarzan and Aida, an all-star cast brought the magic of the movies to the stage at the Royal Albert Hall last night in the European premiere of Disney's Broadway Hits.

Led by conductor Keith Lockhart, the magnificent 74-piece BBC Concert Orchestra performed a symphony of Tony and Academy Award-winning scores sung by the cream of Broadway and West End stars, alongside special guests from the cast of London's Aladdin. Joining emcee John Barrowman - famed for his roles in the likes of Beauty and the Beast and Phantom of the Opera - were Ashley Brown (Mary Poppins, Broadway), Merle Dandridge (Aida and Tarzan, both Broadway), Scarlett Strallen (Mary Poppins, West End and Broadway), Josh Strickland (Tarzan, Broadway), and Alton Fitzgerald White (The Lion King, Broadway).

The night went off with a bang as iconic ballads from one of Disney's best-loved films, Beauty and the Beast, were performed by Brown and Fitzgerald White. The evening showcased the talent of some of the world's most celebrated composers and lyricists, including Elton John, Tim Rice, Phil Collins and Alan Menken, who wrote Disney hits including "A Whole New World" (Aladdin), "Colours of the Wind" (Pocahontas) and "Something There" (Beauty and the Beast).

Eight-time Academy Award-winner Menken made a special guest appearance during the one-off show, honouring an upstanding audience with his touching rendition of "Proud of Your Boy" from Aladdin, a song he originally penned for the 1992 film that was cut, later debuting in the stage production.

It's easy to see how Disney tunes have become so much a part of our culture, with poignant, yearning songs including "Part of Your World" (The Little Mermaid), "Santa Fe" (Newsies) and "Feed the Birds" (Mary Poppins) resonating with us all. Surprise guests Jade Ewen and Dean John-Wilson, who currently play Jasmine and Aladdin in the West End show, joined the cast to perform a pitch-perfect version of "A Whole New World". Alongside well-loved scores, audience members were treated to a preview of Broadway's highly anticipated new musical, Frozen, when the entire cast came together to sing modern cult classic "Let it Go".

The show's finale was no less impressive thanks to Trevor Dion-Nicholas, Genie in Aladdin, London, who brought it home with "Friend Like Me", accompanied by a gold-clad ensemble of tap dancers and flashy pyrotechnics, which gave us the Disney happy ever after we were all waiting for.

Photo: Manuel Harlan

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