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Springfield Little Theatre's New Production of 'Disney's Alladin Jr.'

(Poster design courtesy Springfield Little Theatre)

Springfield Little Theatre at the Landers, 311 E. Walnut, presents "Disney's Alladin Jr." February 18-28, based on the 1992 Disney animated film.  This is actually LT's second go-round with this version of Alladin, designed specifically to be performed by a cast ages 18 and younger, and intended for family audiences with an approximately 70-minute running time.  LT first performed Alladin Jr. in 2007.  Lorianne Dunn, the show's director, was also at the helm in '07, and she says that, if possible, this year's production is "even bigger! It's bigger, it's brighter, it's more beautiful than ever before."

Even with the Disney name attached to the property, Lorianne says her new Alladin, Jr. production is markedly different than the previous one. "I give myself quite a bit of leeway. There are some contemporary references"--rather like in Shrek the Musical--"and so we push that a little further and updated those, and have a little fun with the Genie. There's some room for improvisation there. And of course the movement, that's not pre-packaged, that's all invented fresh every time, and that's unique to every production. And every actor is distinct.  So it's not going to be the same show. Even a show that I've directed before, if you try to lock into what you've done before, 'because it worked before,' you will find yourself beating your head up against a brick wall in rehearsal because it's not going to work that way again."

Interestingly, says Lorianne Dunn, this version of Disney's Alladin--specifically tailored to young performers and young audiences (hence the "Jr." in the title)--pre-dated the full Broadway production of Alladin, which had its premiere in Seattle in 2011.

Anna Marie Leo, a senior from Marionville High School and a member of Little Theatre's YESTroupe, is cast as the Genie in this new LT production. She's part of a cast of 93 (!).  The production sports a flying carpet, an inflatable elephant, and much more, says director Lorianne Dunn. "The props are beautiful and the sets are beautiful, the costumes are stunning, the lights--it's extremely visual." And she points out that, as with all Little Theatre productions, "our auditions are open to the community"--in other words, kids did not need already to be part of LT's YESTroupe or their other youth programs in order to audition and get cast in this show.

Disney's Alladin Jr. runs through Sunday February 28th at the Landers Theatre, with evening performances Thursday through Saturday at 7:30pm; Saturday mornings at 10:30am; and Saturday and Sunday afternoons at 2:30.  The Saturday Feb.20 matinees (10:30am and 2:30pm) are sold out, but Lorianne says plenty of tickets remain for other performances in the run.  Also, on Friday nights Little Theatre offers a "Magic Carpet" event for kids starting at 6:00pm, for which there's an extra charge on top of the ticket price. "It's a chance to party with Princess Jasmine, Alladin and Abu, and we have refreshments and prizes and gift bags and games.  And we even take them on a 'Magic Carpet' ride--they get to ride around the stage on the contraption we use in the show."

For ticket information call the Landers box office at 869-1334 or visit www.springfieldlittletheatre.org.

Randy Stewart joined the full-time KSMU staff in June 1978 after working part-time as a student announcer/producer for two years. His job has evolved from Music Director in the early days to encompassing production of a wide range of arts-related programming and features for KSMU, including the online and Friday morning Arts News. Stewart assists volunteer producers John Darkhorse (Route 66 Blues Express), Lee Worman (The Gold Ring), and Emily Higgins (The Mulberry Tree) with the production of their programs. He's also become the de facto "Voice of KSMU" in recent years due to the many hours per day he’s heard doing local station breaks. Stewart’s record of service on behalf of the Springfield arts community earned him the Springfield Regional Arts Council's Ozzie Award in 2006.