A stage adaptation of Disney’s 1992 animated film version of Aladdin has been delighting audiences for more than a decade. A high-flying spectacle boasting comedy, colour and a memorable musical score, the show is currently doing the rounds as part of its first-ever UK tour and stops off in Birmingham this month. What’s On recently caught up with two of the production’s cast - Adam Strong, who plays the evil Jafar, and Desmonda Cathabel, who stars as Princess Jasmine...

Actor Adam Strong shares his dressing room with a cuddly toy. It’s an official Disney character from the film Aladdin which dates back to when Adam was a child growing up in Sunderland. But Adam didn’t want a cuddly Aladdin or Princess Jasmine; he wanted his very own baddie - the evil royal vizier, Jafar.

Adam has been intrigued by the character ever since he first saw the animation. And now he is living his dream, playing Jafar on the UK tour of the stage musical, which comes to Birmingham Hippodrome this month.

Based on the hit Disney movie, Aladdin The Musical premiered in the US in 2011 and features well-known songs from the film, including A Whole New World, Friend Like Me and Arabian Nights, as well as new tracks created for the stage production. The show has played worldwide to audiences of more than 14 million people and enjoyed a run in the West End from 2016 to 2019.

“I first saw the film as a child,” Adam recalls. “It came out when I was about four years old. I’m half Middle Eastern, and Aladdin was the first time I’d seen someone on the screen who kind of looked like me. 

“And as much as I saw myself in Aladdin, I wasn’t interested in him. I just gravitated towards Jonathan Freeman’s interpretation of Jafar. And now to be playing Jafar is just amazing.

“Ironically I have a teddy-bear Jafar in my dressing room that I’ve had since the movie came out. He’s in quite good condition. Bearing in mind it was 1992, he’s quite old now, and he comes with me on every tour I’m doing. And I also have many figurines which I get sent, which I love.”

Adam trained at London School of Musical Theatre and has appeared in a host of top shows - including We Will Rock You, Rock Of Ages, Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Jesus Christ Superstar - as well as pantomimes and concerts in theatres across the UK.

“I’ve always gravitated towards the villain. I’ve played quite a few now. I like those roles because it’s so far removed from who I am. And you get to have so much fun playing the villain.” 

Adam has wanted to play Jafar ever since he first caught the acting bug as a child, but it’s a role which for a long time proved elusive.

“I always thought I was too young. When it was in the West End, I was never considered for the role because it’s normally played by a much older actor - but thankfully our director, Casey Nicholaw, and the team took the chance on somebody younger. 

“I mean, we’re all actors, so I can portray older. For Jafar, I wear a lot of make-up to make me look not just older but gaunt and creepy.”

For Desmonda Cathabel, taking the role of Princess Jasmine is also an acting dream come true.
“You grow up watching Disney movies and Disney animation,” she says, “so you’re really familiar with the characters. It feels like you’re almost a part of that world. So to be actually playing the part feels very natural. With knowing Aladdin, knowing Princess Jasmine, knowing the Genie, knowing Jafar, knowing the magic carpet as you grow up, you just accept that that’s a magical world you strive to be in. I know these characters. I grew up with them. I knew them a lot.

“And for me it’s special because the original singing voice of Princess Jasmine was Lea Salonga, and she is a South Asian icon. She was the first one to do it, and for me to be in this position as another South East Asian woman - although I’m Indonesian rather than Filipino - is quite unbelievable. I’ve always looked up to her, and now I get to play the same role that she played.”

Born in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, Desmonda trained at the Royal Academy of Music in London and has gone on to take roles in shows including Miss Saigon, From Here To Eternity and Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends. She is keen to ensure her Jasmine is a feisty and independent princess.

“I think Jasmine has always been a strong character, even among the princesses that come within that Disney renaissance in the 1990s. And with our show in particular, she has more to show. She has more dialogue, more solo songs, and we get to see her more than we see her in the animation. 

“I’ve found it really easy to play Jasmine because she feels like a modern girl. She has modern wants and needs - although actually these things aren’t necessarily really modern. Girls have always had these aspirations, and that’s how we’ve got to where we are today;  because of all the women before us wanting and having these aspirations.”

Having grown up with Disney princesses, Desmonda is also very conscious of the responsibilities that come with such an iconic role.

“Jasmine has always been that character for me. It’s just a real privilege to play because I know there are a lot of young children watching, of any age and gender, and they get to see this really famous princess, but they can see her as a real girl with real sides to her. She’s joyful but she’s also determined. She has vulnerability but also strength within her. It’s a really good role to play.

“With our production, we’re lucky to work with directors who really allow me to bring my own interpretation to Jasmine. They never said ‘You have to do it like this’ or ‘This is a Disney princess and you have to be a certain way.’ They really wanted me to bring my interpretation to the character, and that’s what I really love about it.”

Feature by Diane Parkes

Disney’s Aladdin shows at Birmingham Hippodrome from Wednesday 9 October to Sunday 3 November