This summer, Disney’s “Aladdin on Broadway” came to Chicago. “Aladdin on Broadway” is not exactly the same as the original Disney movie because they add a few extra elements to get one jump ahead.

New characters are introduced as Aladdin’s friends, Babkak, Omar, and Kassim, who add more humor to the show. The original characters, including Genie, are still in the show and are portrayed uniquely and effectively. The sets for the show also pair quite nicely with the production.

In Chicago, jokes that are related to that location are added to appeal to the audience, and honestly, it was really cool to see the cast and audience laughing along with them.

Although this show is no longer in Chicago, it gives a great representation of how other shows are in Chicago. In 2015, Disney’s “The Lion King” was playing in Chicago and it gave the same homey feel. You feel a sense of connection to your home city when you go see a Broadway musical because you understand the jokes, accents, and references the cast is making.

The soundtrack to Disney’s “Aladdin on Broadway” is very similar to that in the movie, but there are some changes. Alan Menken is the same composer for most Disney movies and musicals, so the music is almost identical except for a few changes to make it work in a musical, and it flows very nicely. Reprises and new songs, such as “Proud of Your Boy (reprise)” and Babkak, Omar, Aladdin, Kassim, make the show different from the movie but also gives a sense of recognition to the original movie.