Aladdin, the musical: Exclusive first look behind the scenes of the new West End musical

It took more than 100,000 crew hours to build the stunning new set 

The musical re-imagining of Disney's Aladdin is set to open in the West End this summer, and the Standard have a first glimpse at the very set which is soon to light up the Prince Edward theatre.

The new production, a staging of the 1992 animated film, stars Dean John-Wilson as Aladdin, former Sugababe Jade Ewen as Jasmine and, measuring up against Robin Williams' iconic performance, Trevor Dion Nicholas as the Genie. Nicholas was the understudy for the part in the successful Broadway run.

The video above reveals the huge scale of the production and the mammoth effort required to put it together: the set took more than 100,000 crew hours to build, and involved hoisting 47 pieces of scenery and 400 lights above the stage, as well as constructing the 30ft tall Palace Gates. Interestingly, the shimmering Palace of Wonders is covered in the same material as Star Wars droid C-3P0.

As well as songs from the original film, Aladdin also features numbers penned by Tony, Olivier and eight-time Oscar winner Alan Menken, with lyrics from Oscar winners Howard Ashman and Sir Tim Rice, and four-time Tony Award nominee Chad Beguelin.

Aladdin will run at the Prince Edward Theatre from Wednesday 15 June, with previews from Friday 27 May. For tickets, visit tickets.standard.co.uk

Follow David Ellis on Twitter @dvh_ellis

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