The first time I ever went to the cinema was to see the Disney movie Aladdin. I must have been 4 or 5 years old and I still remember sitting in those huge seats staring at that enormous screen, I loved every minute of it. After that, I must have re-watched the movie a hundred times, at least. It really was a magical story for me and I used to pretend I owned my own flying carpet. So when we got tickets for Aladdin the musical, I was a bit nervous. What if it is not as good as I remember? What if it is not magical? What if they don't have a flying carpet?

Well... I needn't have worried! What an amazing show! The stage is stunning and what they do with it... I can only describe it as magic. You feel like you are in Agrabah yourself, following Aladdin and his gang in the colorful market and streets. And how they created the cave where Aladdin finds the magic lamp was just stunning. This show is really impressive visually! Even better than other big shows like The Lion King.

Then, we have the songs. I was completely transfixed during some of the most famous ones and 5-year-old me would have been over the moon seeing the genie come to life! Now, let's talk about the flying carpet. I don't know how they did it but that carpet was actually flying. What a moment.

See more photos on https://aladdinthemusical.co.uk

For the actors, all my praise goes to Trevor Dion Nicholas, who plays the genie. He is definitely the star of the show and his sassy performance, smooth moves and incredible voice were mesmerizing. What a showman! I also liked a lot the performances of Aladdin and his three loyal friends. These are not in the movie but were a great addition to the story, creating mayhem when needed. 

The only thing missing from this play adaptation were the two pets. Abu, Aladdin's kleptomaniac monkey, was one of my favorite characters but it's sadly not present in this show. But as I said, they give Aladdin a gang of friends so it's not too bad. And then, there's Lago, Jafar's sarcastic parrot. In this version, he is an actual person, which was quite a good compromise as he was just as annoying and talkative as the parrot. 

Last Friday I had the pleasure of going to the Cambridge Theater to see Matilda the Musical and I absolutely loved it, so I thought I'd share my impressions with you.

As a kid, I was a huge fan of Matilda. I don't know how many times I must have seen the movie! I think she is one of the reasons I love books so much. She taught me that books are important, they can be comforting, a place you can escape to but they also give you strength and self confidence. So, as you can imagine, I was bit worried that I'd be a bit disappointed if the musical didn't deliver the magic in this story. 

As soon as we entered the theater though, I could tell I was in for something special. The stage was beautifully decorated with blocks with letters. We spent several minutes trying to spot words, like Acrobat, Rage, Escape or Malice.