Aladdin in Yardley!

It's been a busy three months since Ella was chosen to be part of the ensemble cast in her middle school production of the musical, Aladdin Jr. It's been SO fun to see her step out of her comfort zone and onto the stage to sing, dance, dress up in costumes, wear make up, and have her hair curled and hair sprayed (all the things she dislikes immensely). She did such a fantastic job and I was beyond proud to see her up on the stage giving it all she's got.

In addition to being part of the general ensemble singing and dancing throughout the play, Ella was also featured a fabric shop owner in the Agrabahn marketplace and got to try her hand as a sword fighter in a fight scene with the palace guards at the palace. And, to watch it all take place, Sugar and Jim flew all the way from AZ to see Ella's stage debut (and help me sew costumes!).

Its been a really great experience for Ella and I hope she (and Brooklyn?) gets to try it again next year.

My attempt at Arabian hair...

Ella had so many friends, neighbors, classmates, and church friends come to see the show. Her Mia Maid's leader, Maria Nusca, came to watch most of the Mia Maid class take part in the show. Ella, Rachel and Hannah were ensemble members, while Olivia and Tori were part of the lighting and stage crew...

Addison is another ensemble buddy...

Ella, Tori and Rachel...

Ella with Janki who was the perfect Jasmine in the play...

Congratulating Ella after the Friday night show...

Ella and Sugar...

Ella showing us her "lamp" on the Aladdin cast member wall-of-fame...

Ella showing us some of the amazing signs and posters in the school halls...

I never thought I'd see the day when Ella was doing THIS...

Ella and Rachel getting prepped and ready for the Saturday night show...

So proud of Ella for working so hard and taking it so seriously (while still having fun)!...

Ryan may have gone overboard on the flowers...

Rhonda came to see Ella, too!...

Hugs and congratulations from Sugar and Jim...

You can never have too many flowers...

Singing their hearts out on stage in the final number...

And that's a wrap...

Jasmine and Aladdin...

The Genie and the Sultan (Jasmine's father) to the right...

The genious behind all the costumes, Anna Moser, and her son (a palace guard) to the left...

Mr. Matt Snyder, co-director, with Ms. Allison DeKorte (not pictured), recieving recognition from the cast following the show. Jasmine in turquoise and gold, and Jafar in red and black...

The whole cast during a local newspaper interview...

Publicity...

A Whole New World Awaits as Pennwood Middle School Brings Aladdin Jr. to the Stage

By Jeff Werner; jwerner@21st-centurymedia.com; @jefwr1982 on Twitter

Mar 4, 2019

http://www.buckslocalnews.com/news/yardley_area/a-whole-new-world-awaits-as-pennwood-middle-school-brings/article_e7625c6a-3e84-11e9-9748-430187b30cb8.html

LOWER MAKEFIELD >> The public is invited to climb aboard as Disney’s “Aladdin Jr.” takes audiences on a fantastical magic carpet ride into the world of genies and Arabian mythology.

The musical journey hits the stage at the Pennwood Middle School for three performances only - Friday, March 8 at 7 p.m. and again on Saturday, March 9 at 2 and 7 p.m.

Based on Disney’s “Aladdin the Musical,” the truncated “Aladdin Jr.” tells a story about friendship, romance and being true to yourself.

In the show, Aladdin and his three friends, Babkak, Omar and Kassim, are down on their luck until Aladdin discovers a magic lamp and a wisecracking Genie who has the power to grant three wishes.

Wanting to win the heart of Princess Jasmine, Aladdin embarks on a magic carpet ride adventure where he faces the evil sorcerer, Jafar, and ultimately, himself.

Audiences can expect an enjoyable, energetic and entertaining experience, said Matthew Snyder and Allison DeKorte who are directing a cast and crew of close to 100 sixth, seventh and eighth grade students.

“They are going to be laughing. They’re going to be smiling. They’re going to be tapping their feet,” said DeKorte, adding that the show features all the well known musical numbers from movie, including the two big showstoppers - “Friend Like Me” and “Prince Ali.”

Adding to the performance will be challenging choreography and stunning costuming, said DeKorte.

“Matt has choreographed the show and he has not skimped. It’s really good, difficult choreography and the kids do it really well,” said DeKorte.

As for the kids, the co-directors said they are doing great and taking everything in stride.

“We’ve pushed them,” said Snyder. “And they’ve been right with us,” added DeKorte.

“It’s fun to give them the opportunity to perform it,” adds Snyder. “It also gives a lot of the kids a chance to have a lead.”

The show boasts 13 individual leads and a lot of chorus numbers for students to shine.

“There are so many opportunities for them to sing and dance,” said Snyder. “And to teach, especially these boys, that dancing is fun and it’s not all pretty, pretty ballet. It’s jazz. It’s Broadway. It’s Vaudeville.”

“Our leads have really good instincts. Our Iago is fantastic. Our Aladdin, our Jafar are fantastic,” said DeKorte.

Shining on stage as the charismatic, fun-loving Aladdin is sixth grader Nick Torres, who brings to the show a phenomenal stage presence and instant likability.

Torres said he’s enjoying the unexpected opportunity to play a lead role in the show and counts the musical number, “Babkak, Omar, Aladdin, Kassim,” among his favorites.

“This is going to be a fun, energetic and comedic production and it’s very entertaining,” he said. “It’s a good show to see.”

Madison Henn plays the role of the Genie, who she describes as having a very big heart and a fun-loving person who likes to meet new people.

“Living through this character it’s really fun to have a different outlook on life and try to experience that in this new way of being super animated and huge and very big. I greatly admire not only Robin Williams, but the Genie as well.”

Robin Williams was the voice of the Genie in the movie.

Avery Mackey plays the villain Jafar while Evan Capozzola portrays Jafar’s comedic sidekick, Iago.

“Many people view Jafar as evil. I just see him as having a very overbearing demeanor and is willing to do what ever he can to get power,” said Mackey. “So I’m trying to be loud.”

“Jafar, like the Genie, is this big character and it’s tough to fill those shoes. I have to commit myself fully to being Jafar,” notes Mackey. “It’s lots of fun.”

Then there’s that sidekick of his, Iago, who makes everyone laugh. “That’s kind of hard because it’s hard for me not to laugh,” admits Mackey. “But that’s part of the show that makes it very enjoyable.”

Capozzola said his role as Iago is very different from the film, where his character is an animated bird. “In this show I’m a boy so I try to be more expressive with my hands. I bow and hold his cape. I try to be more expressive than you can with an animated bird.”

Also starring in the show are Jacob Rabinowitz as Babkak, Finn Leventhal as Omar, Jacob Strockoz as Kassim, Janki Namboodiripad as Jasmine, Michael Hartman as Sultan, Abigail Moser as Rajah, Lily Erdogan as Isir, Taylor Lewis as Manal and Kieran Power-Shaw as Prince Abdullah.

“There are a lot of new faces this year,” said Henn. “There are amazing scenes throughout. There’s lots of action and lots of comic relief as well. Even if I wasn’t in this production, I would pay to see this one.”

“Every take on Aladdin is different - the movie, the plays,” adds Capozzola. “We’re going to be different from all the other plays because we have a different cast. So come out and see the show. It will be something new.”

If you go

Tickets are $10 each and can be pre-purchased on Tuesday, March 5 and Wednesday, March 6 from 5 to 7 p.m. or at the door.