David Bintley's ALADDIN – New National Theatre Tokyo, National Ballet of Japan

Much loved by children of all ages, Aladdin and his adventures are here brought to life in a glittering production, featuring lavish sets and costumes, stunning special effects and beautiful choreography. Expect extra magic when the Djinn of the Lamp appears from a cave of dancing jewels with a larger-than-life Chinese lion.

Created by David Bintley for the National Ballet of Japan in 2008, this production has been a favourite with Japanese audiences (this is the fourth revival), while also winning a place in the repertoire of Birmingham Royal Ballet and Houston Ballet. Bintley succeeds in presenting a familiar story with great clarity, whilst finding rich allusions to the nineteenth century classical form. It was Carl Davis’s score that convinced Bintley – listening on a single car journey – to make this ballet. The music captivates throughout, detailed in its description of the scènes d’action and lusciously romantic for the pas de deux. While it is widely recognized as an Arabian story, the tale of Aladdin in Arabian Nights is set in China. This production depicts him as a Chinese descendant in Old Arabia and beautifully incorporates Chinese elements including Lion and Dragon dances with settings inspired by the Arabian world. The stage designs by Dick Bird are magnificent, starting in a lively Arabian town square complete with fortune-tellers and merchants. Bintley, Bird and costume designer Sue Blane are much influenced by Chinese design, seen in the dragon and the palace interior. Aladdin and his mother’s clothes show that they are also Chinese, which helps to set the story at a cultural crossroads. With a magic carpet ride before the happy ending, David Bintley's Aladdin is a spectacle for whole-family viewing.

Full performance streamed on OperaVision from 20 September 2024 at 19:00 CET to 20 March 2025 at 12:00 CET: https://operavision.eu/performance/al...

CAST

Aladdin
Yudai Fukuoka

Princess Badr al-Budur
Ayako Ono

The Maghrib
Masahiro Nakaya

The Djinn of the Lamp
Takafumi Watanabe

Aladdin’s Mother
Misato Nakada

Princess’s Father, the Sultan
Shunya Nakajima

Aladdin’s Friends
Yoshito Kinoshita
Kenta Hara

Desert Winds
Ai Kawaguchi
Haruna Nakajima
Yui Negishi
Rui Tamai
Momoka Hijikata
Shanaya Kishiya
Akiho Seki
Hinako Tokunaga

Onyx and Pearls
Moeko Iino
Haruka Soutome
Aoi Hirose
Yu Onodera
Kazuki Sano
Hiroyuki Uka

Gold and Silver
Atau Watanabe
Naoko Asaeda
Jaebum Cho
Yuzaburo Shimizu

Sapphire
Risako Ikeda
Ai Kawaguchi
Ayano Akai
Momoka Hijikata
Tomoko Kato

Emeralds
Maiko Harada
Yuko Masuda
Mizuki Nakajima

Rubies
Yuri Kimura
Shun Izawa

Diamond
Kasumi Okuda
The National Ballet of Japan

Princess’s Attendants
Maiko Harada
Ai Kawaguchi
Yuko Masuda
Yuzuki Hanagata
Momoka Hijikata
Tomoko Kato

Guards, Djinn’s Entourage, Maghrib’s Harem, Dragon Dance
The National Ballet of Japan

Orchestra
Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra

Choreography
Sir David Bintley

Music
Carl Davis

Conductor
Paul Murphy

Sets
Dick Bird

Costumes
Sue Blane

Lights
Mark Jonathan

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