Chatelech students got a chance to shine on stage last weekend as the school's drama society presented their rendition of Aladdin and His Magic Lamp to a packed audience.
The story of Aladdin is one of the most famous tales from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights. The well-known tale consists of a mix of love, adventure and magic, elements the drama society captured perfectly.
When the house lights went down, the stage lights came up, revealing well-built and impressive Middle Eastern themed stagecraft.
As dancers dressed in elaborate and finely-detailed costumes filled the stage, the audience was immediately enveloped in the medieval Arabian era.
The first scene saw the introduction of the evil, powerful magician Jammal and his wicked sister Halima. Played by Quinn White and Belinda Dinsmore, the actors quickly revealed their characters' ominous tones and desire to find the magic lamp in order to attain riches and power.
The audience was then taken to the mythical city of Shemar and introduced to Aladdin, a young man from a poor family, often getting into trouble due to the goofball and mischievous antics of his pet monkey, Alakazam. Connor Desharnais played up Aladdin's sweet nature while Maize Longboat, a perfect monkey-suited Alakazam, provided hilarity throughout the show.
Jammal sets out to find Aladdin. Upon their meeting, Jammal poses as the brother of Aladdin's deceased father. Acting as his uncle, he enlists the naïve Aladdin to help in his quest for the magic lamp by giving him an alluring magical ring.
After an antic-filled hunt, Aladdin finally stumbles upon the lamp. Weary of his magician uncle, Aladdin takes the lamp, rubs it with his magical ring, and genie-infused hijinks ensue.
With dialogue full of clever and witty one-liners, Aladdin uses the help of the genies to win over his beloved Princess Jasmine while impressing her royal family, particularly Jasmine's overbearing and materialistic mother, Queen Sultana, excellently played by Zoe Hadeler-Lund.
Through a few mishaps and near disastrous return of the evil Jammal, the comedic cast cohesively exemplified the love story between Aladdin and the princess as well as the importance of love over wealth.
Beautiful costumes, wonderful dance scenes and near perfect dialogue from the actors made this high school production stand out as a high-flying, fun take on a classic folk tale.
