Playing at the Sands Theatre in Marina Bay until Sept. 1, the stop marks the first and only Asia stop on the musical’s tour Based on Disney’s 1992 film, “Aladdin” made its world premiere on Broadway in 2014 and quickly established itself as a crowd favorite The theater production of “Aladdin” has landed in Singapore and has already enchanted theater goers with its larger-than-life songs and nods to the local culture. Playing at the Sands Theatre in Marina Bay until Sept. 1, the stop marks the first and only Asia stop on the musical’s tour. Based on Disney’s 1992 film, “Aladdin” made its world premiere on Broadway in 2014 and quickly established itself as a crowd favorite. The production currently playing in Singapore opened in Sydney in 2016 and travelled around Australia and New Zealand before making its way to the island nation. “We’ve got such a diverse character cast here, there is someone from every nationality and different walks of life,” Gareth Jacobs, who plays the genie, said, referring to the importance of representation on-screen and on-stage. The show also stars actors Graeme Isaako as Aladdin and Shubshri Kandiah as Princess Jasmine. “My family background is South African, Graeme Isaako is Maori-Samoan and Shubshri Kandiah is Malaysia-Tamil,” Jacobs added to Arab News. The show is also peppered with Easter eggs about Singapore, from mentions of the nation’s Chilly Crab, a sweet savory national dish, to the Merlion figurine, which is the official mascot of Singapore, depicted as a mythical creature with a lion’s head and the body of a fish. Arab News was on-hand as the cast’s engaging performance won cheers and applause from the audience during one show. However, the star of the evening was the scene-stealing genie, with his larger-than-life personality that is said to be based on the jazz greats Cab Calloway and Fats Waller. The most jaw-dropping scene had to be the Oscar-winning hit “A Whole New World” number, sang by Aladdin and Princess Jasmine on a flying carpet that was made to look as though it was magically suspended on stage. “We all loved the film growing up… we just have so much fun up here (on stage) every night,” Kandiah, who plays the blue-clad princess, told Arab News. The entire production is a feat of ingenuity, with 20 tons of hanging scenery, more than 150 moving lights and over 100 special effects bringing the fictional city of Agrabah to life. Foot-tapping tunes and elaborate, lavish costumes and an overwhelmingly golden Cave of Wonders all do their bit to bring this much-loved tale to life on stage.