Durban - The alluring magic and mystery of Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp will light up the stage in Durban this week when an international cast of singers, dancers and behind the scenes stars, bring the ancient fairytale to life.
Written and produced by Durban businesswoman Anjil Naidoo, it promises to be bigger, bolder and brighter than anything local audiences have seen.
“It’s a show for everyone, a mammoth spectacle of dance, music and colour. It’s beyond the imagination of even myself when I was putting it together,” she said.
The show features Cape Town couple Vash Singh and his real life partner Yasmin Hankel in the lead roles of Aladdin and Princess Almas, while Durban-based Tshediso Kabulu plays the Genie.
Naidoo told the Independent on Saturday that she wrote the script while undergoing treatment for cancer.
A survivor of three types of cancer and with several major operations which prevented her from undertaking her usual activities, Naidoo said feeling unwell for long periods and not having her usual energy left her feeling “mental”.
Confined to bed and unable to take oral medication due to allergies, she had to push through the pain, and through adversity, her version of Aladdin was born.
“I thought let me write a book because during the fight for survival you have to bring out some magic that’s inside of you.”
She tackled the story of Aladdin and when she sent it to a few friends they said it was good enough to be on stage.
“I just wanted to make it joyous and fun with a bit more hilarity,” said Naidoo.
As someone who has always loved the arts and who witnessed the impact they have on her children, especially when she took them to performances in different parts of the world like Broadway in New York, she wanted to create a theatrical spectacular like never seen in this country.
“I thought how amazing it would be to have something like this for South African kids to be exposed to,” said Naidoo.
Already an accomplished entrepreneur in the event management as well as the aviation industry( her company Skyy Aviation Academy trains cabin crew), Naidoo said she wanted to impart some of the joy that she had experienced through the arts.
Apart from sharing the magic of theatre, Naidoo also wanted to help resuscitate the industry after the Covid-19 pandemic left performers in dire straits.
“It taps into so many deep-seated human emotions, peppered with the magic and mysticism that brings with it excitement and intrigue. This is especially great at a time when the arts are in such immense need of revival following the difficult times we have all experienced,” Naidoo said.
For Singh, starring in Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp is “amazing and surreal”, because it’s an iconic character that everyone knows. He says there are many similarities between him and Aladdin as he too loves keeping people happy and is also close to his family.
“I'm a 90s kid and grew up with Aladdin. Those characters were our superheroes and so I feel like a kid again, the adventure, imagination and sense of magic is back,” he said.
He said having his wife Yasmin playing his love interest in the production was an absolute dream. “The love is really going to be there, every moment that we spend is a real love connection. The chemistry is there... everybody in the audience is going to say wow these people are really in love,” said Singh.
Rehearsals moved up a notch last week when the costumes arrived and the cast dressed up and did their make-up.
Singh promised that from the time you sit down until the time you leave the theatre, you will be taken through a roller-coaster of emotions filled with adventure, magic and awe.
“The costumes are massive; everything is so big and spectacular. Being part of the show is a blessing, to be honest,” he said.
The show premieres at The Globe at Suncoast on September 29 and runs until October 9. Tickets from Ticketpro and range from R270 to R450 for all ages.
The Independent on Saturday