A tribute to Robin Williams as Genie and Popeye

Today, the world lost an amazing, hilarious, and all around good natured man. A man who got his film start portraying a live action version of a certain sailor who ate spinach to gain strength, and a role that really resonated with me from childhood up until now, the genie in Aladdin. Ladies and gentlemen, I am of course talking about Robin Williams, and in memory of him, I am going to review the two films I mentioned before because as a child, these films were what I thought of when I heard the name "Robin Williams". Robin had a very distinct style of acting, one could give him a script and he would not stick to it at all, giving all sorts of improvisations. It is a well known fact that a majority of his dialogue in Aladdin and Popeye was improvised out of the blue. There are cut takes from Aladdin that exist of him improvising dialogue based on a box of props beside him while recording, and can be heard if one looks at the "Making of Aladdin" DVD featurette. That role also was the inspiration for broadway actor James Monroe Iglehart to pursue a career in theatre, eventually becoming the same role that inspired him twenty-two years ago, currently playing Genie in the stage adaptation of Aladdin. (A role he is totally awesome in at that) It was also Williams that partially inspired me to pursue making my own fan adaptation of Aladdin. (Release Date: Unknown)
I do not know much about his role as Popeye when it comes to production history like Aladdin, but I do know that from watching the film that started his  career, he managed to both stay true to the source material as well as making the role his own. He stepped into the role of the iconic sailor and was able to convey to the audience the beginnings and origins of Popeye as well as allowing us to feel genuinely towards the character and garner respect for Robin as well. It was through Robin we were able to learn how Popeye lost sight in one eye and began to talk in the way he does, while also making the role his own like he would with Genie years later. Robin Williams was a man of comedy and happiness whenever he stepped into a new role, whether it was an android fighting to be human, a doctor using comedy to cure patients, crossdressing as a woman,  Theodore Roosevelt, or even the aforementioned topic roles in this post. He allowed us to feel sympathy for the characters he portrayed and actually care about them, which is not an easy task for an actor. I close this post by saying, "We will never forget you, Robin Williams." Your passing may have been too soon, but you will always be remembered by your fans and followers, as well as the family you have left behind. Farewell.

Analysis of the two soundtracks: Aladdin's stage musical adaptations

In July of 2011, Aladdin made its debut on the stage at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre. Initially, the show was not intended for Broadway at all, but to be licensed for smaller regional productions, such as the later St. Louis and Utah Productions. A downside of this was that fans would not get an official, cleaned up soundtrack of the Seattle cast that started it all, but I had my sources and was able to get my hands on a very rough, low quality version of the Seattle soundtrack. I must say that it is a great recording and gives you a great idea of what the show was like until it was changed significantly for the Broadway stage. Unlike the later broadway production which consisted of mainly original material written specifically for broadway, the original intent was to have the show consist of songs that were written for the original film, but cut as production progressed. This also meant that three characters deleted from early production, Babkak, Omar, and Kassim, were finally able to see the light of day after almost twenty years of being locked away in the Disney Vault. Luckily these characters were retained despite the significant changes for Broadway, which will be covered later on. Originally during the show's early run, Babkak, Omar, and Kassim served as the narrators of the story, singing Arabian Nights and its restored reprises as well as giving witty commentary throughout. However, their role was reduced and now the narrator role has been given to Genie, a nice throwback to early drafts of the 1992 film in which the deleted Genie of the Ring served as the narrator disguised as the peddler. Along with significant plot changes, the songs got changed between the two versions of the stage adaptation, in both order and in some cases, lyrics. For the preference of the Seattle version (due to its use of the film's cut songs), I will be using the song order of that particular adaptation in my comparison. Also, I have not seen the Broadway version of the show, I have only seen the Seattle version, so if I miss anything please comment and let me know.

• Arabian Nights, aside from the obvious change of having Babkak, Omar, and Kassim replaced by Genie, had some lyrics switched around in some spots.
• Babkak, Omar, Aladdin, Kassim was moved from before One Jump Ahead to when Aladdin and Jasmine first meet in the Marketplace, something my friend Chris says is actually a better spot. I literally have no preference to either spot in the song order, as both work in their own way. Placing the song before One Jump allows the audience to be introduced to all four characters as originally intended, however placing it during the scene in which Aladdin and Jasmine first meet allows for Aladdin to seem unfocused and distracted while performing with his friends as he is seeing Princess Jasmine for the first time. The Broadway adaptation has the spectators on stage singing along with the four, as opposed to BOAK singing the entire song on their own.
• One Jump Ahead actually has no changes song and lyricwise. I do not know at this moment if Kassim frames Aladdin for stealing the loaf of bread like in the Seattle version on Broadway.
• One Jump Ahead's reprise is also the same, not only in the Seattle and Broadway versions, but it is also unchanged from the 1992 animated film. It's purpose in the show is a lead-in to what I consider the best of the cut Aladdin songs, Proud of Your Boy.
• Proud of Your Boy, I am going to say a few words before I compare, I LOVE this song and I wish somehow they could work it into the film. When people such as my friends and family ask me what my favorite song is, I always say Proud of Your Boy, because it gives a better motivation for the character, and I love that they take this route in both versions of the stage adaptation. The song shows Aladdin's motivation to change his ways and make his deceased mother proud of him from above. Lyric and songwise, it is identical and is a powerful piece of music no matter how you listen to it.
• Arabian Nights Reprise 1 as well as anything related to Call Me a Princess are cut and replaced by a single song for Jasmine known as These Palace Walls. It is sad that all three of these songs had to be cut, but it seems that These Palace Walls is indeed a fitting replacement. Once again I do not know if the three suitors that Jasmine scares away are involved in this scene either before or after this song in the Broadway adaptation, but in the Seattle version, Jasmine pretends to act spoiled and vain when singing Call Me a Princess in a successful attempt to scare them away. To be honest, I prefer Palace Walls over Princess because it makes Jasmine seem more like her film counterpart and not like how she was originally intended in early drafts of the 1992 film.
• Why Me was also cut and replaced with a later song, but I shall get to that later when I talk about Diamond in the Rough.
• A Million Miles Away was thankfully left in, as it expresses Aladdin and Jasmine's desire to "want much more than this provincial life".
• Arabian Nights Reprise 2 was replaced by the aforementioned song Diamond in the Rough. I do not know if Jafar pretends to be Aladdin's uncle like in the Seattle version, but what I do know is that the scene involving Aladdin being lead to the Cave of Wonders is essentially the same in both versions.
• Friend Like Me is also essentially the same aside from a few lyrical changes, including a medley of Disney songs in the middle. (Another Genie medley is included as a bonus track on the Broadway recording) Also cut from Seattle is a parody of Deal or No Deal.
• Arabian Nights Reprise 3 is also cut from the broadway production.
• Act One Finale is also the same aside from a few dialogue changes.
• Prince Ali seems to have taken a more jazzy 1920s style as opposed to being closer to the 1992 film. Genie now interacts with the people in Prince Ali's entourage and like the Seattle version, Prince Ali does not appear until the end (I saw the previews of the Broadway show on ABC's Good Morning America.)
• Once again A Whole New World remains essentially the same in both versions in both plot and music.
• High Adventure is identical to the Seattle version and is left unchanged.
• Somebody's Got Your Back is left unchanged as well.
• The moments leading up to the finale are significantly different in both song structure and in song order. In the Seattle version, the "Wedding Day Suite" consists of a reprise of High Adventure and the classic reprise of Prince Ali  from the film. The Broadway version actually cuts the High Adventure reprise and replaces it with an amazing and beautiful reprise of Proud of Your Boy. Next comes two reprises of Prince Ali, one sung by the Sultan (that is so catchy that I cannot get it out of my head) and the classic reprise sung by Jafar. The Seattle recording also includes the final confrontation between Aladdin and Jafar which (spoilers for those who have not seen the film) causes Jafar to wish to be an all-powerful genie himself, ultimately causing his downfall.
• The finale also has received some significant changes, actually for the better. Instead of Babkak, Omar, and Kassim singing the reprise of Arabian Nights, it is actually Genie who sings it, symbolizing the entire production coming full circle in both versions depending on who is the narrator. Unfortunately Aladdin and Jasmine have no involvement vocally in the finale in the Seattle version, which was thankfully corrected in the Broadway soundtrack. Unfortunately, Genie STILL sings the last few lines in A Whole New World's reprise, which I feel is best reserved for Aladdin and Jasmine.

Overall, which do I like best? Seattle or Broadway? I can honestly say that even though Broadway's version has made some significant improvements, I love how the show was adapted in Seattle just a bit more. I apologize if this angers any people, but this is my own opinion and I am sticking to it. However, on my iPad, I have actually made a playlist combining the two adaptations. If you live in New York, I would highly recommend seeing what the show has become. From what I can hear on the official soundtrack, the show really has come a long way since the Summer of 2011. It can only go up from here, and who knows, maybe someday they will find a way to restore those songs that were cut in Seattle. "I doubt it, but it would still be awesome!"

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