A whole new world — St. Mary of the Lakes School presents Aladdin Jr.
By: Melissa Riker
Tags: Musicals, New Jersey, Disney

A whole new world — St. Mary of the Lakes School presents Aladdin Jr.

The musical will take place on April 5, 6 and 7.

Noelle O’Hara, Erin Bailey, Kayla Kalinowski, Lily Marinello and Grace Martin rehearse their roles in Aladdin Jr. premiering on April 5.

An adventure into a whole new world will take place at St. Mary of the Lakes School as students take the audience on a magic carpet ride for the “Aladdin Jr.” musical.

The musical premieres at the school on April 5 at 7 p.m., followed by performances on April 6 at 7 p.m. and April 7 at 2 p.m. at the school located at 196 Route 70 in Medford.

Producer Kim Martin explained the musical as a journey of following both Jasmine, princess of Agrabah, and “street rat” Aladdin through their endeavors. Jasmine longs to leave her palace to explore the world outside, while Aladdin longs to have the life of those in the palace, and, when the two meet, the audience will be taken on the ride of their lives.

Director Emily Cheney said the musical skews closer to the original script of “Aladdin,” and in this unique version the audience hears both Jasmine and Aladdin’s inner conflicts, with both of them having groups of friends to guide them along the way.

When motivating the students, Cheney encourages them to fully get into character while realizing that Agrabah is “a world that’s different, but it’s not unlike ours.”

She recommends each student discover what drives their character. She said each character goes through a shift of growth throughout the performance, and the students need to ask questions on how and why their character got there.

“A lot of these kids, their enthusiasm is so wonderful, it’s so huge it’s bubbling over. And to watch them go through some of these scenes, as a director you’re thinking ‘they’re really getting it,’” Cheney said.

Sixth-grader Grace Martin, who plays Jasmine, described the character as very independent and strong, refusing to marry for any reason other than love.

“She breaks the idea that the princess has to be rescued by the prince, she’s just so strong. For a lot of princess characters, they wait to be rescued by the prince, and Jasmine doesn’t do that, she goes out into the world and sees what she’s missing,” Grace said.

Aladdin, played by seventh-grader Tyler Baird, was described by Baird as someone who “means well, but has trouble executing that.”

There to assist him in finding a “better life” is the magical creature, Genie, played by seventh-grader Gianna Giegerich, who will grant Aladdin three wishes.

Throughout the process of preparing for this musical, Giegerich said she has learned valuable skills she can take with her throughout life and in future performances.

“I’ve learned stage presence, how to really express myself through my character and build my personal character through my theoretical character,” Giegerich said. “I’ve had so much fun doing this so far, and I really look forward to it every year.”

Tickets to the musical can be purchased online at smlschool.org/theater.

In addition, a character breakfast will be held at SML on March 16 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Kids are welcome to dress up for a character meet and greet, photo opportunities, storytime and more. Contact Millie Daverso at milliezumba@gmail.com to purchase tickets.