Twisted | |
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The Untold Story of a Royal Vizier | |
Music | A. J. Holmes |
Lyrics | Kaley McMahon |
Book | Matt Lang Nick Lang Eric Kahn Gale |
Basis | Aladdin by Ron Clements, John Musker, Ted Elliott, and Terry Rossio Wicked by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman |
Premiere | July 4, 2013 : Greenhouse Theater Center, Chicago |
Productions | 2013 Chicago |
Twisted: The Untold Story of a Royal Vizier is a musical with music by A. J. Holmes, lyrics by Kaley McMahon, and a book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Eric Kahn Gale. It was produced by StarKid Productions. [1]
A revisionist parody of the 1992 film Aladdin , the musical tells the film's story from the point of view of the film's villain, Jafar (spelled "Ja'far" in all official materials), in a nod to the musical Wicked , which told the familiar story of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the point of view of The Wicked Witch of the West. In addition to Aladdin and Wicked, the musical also parodies several other Disney films and stage musicals, as well as the history of The Walt Disney Company.
Twisted opened in Chicago's Greenhouse Theatre on July 4, 2013, and closed on July 28, 2013, as part of a limited run. The original production was directed by Brian Holden. [2] The group put the entire musical up on YouTube on November 27, 2013. The musical's cast recording debuted at No. 63 on the American iTunes Top 100 albums chart. [3] [4]
Sherrezade introduces the audience to a Magic Kingdom (an analogue of The Walt Disney Company) that prospered for many years thanks to its commitment to "the two Ds: duty and devotion". Following a period of prosperity, the Kingdom fell into the hands of a corrupt sultan and entered a dark age. The only man who can rescue the Kingdom is the misunderstood royal vizier Ja'far.
Ja'far walks the streets of the Kingdom while the citizens jeer him. While Ja'far tries his best to be a sensible and scientific planner, the citizens prefer to wish for their unrealistic dreams to come true and blame Ja'far for all their problems ("Dream a Little Harder"). Ja'far is informed by the captain of the guards that while attempting to pursue a thief who stole a loaf of bread, several men were injured or killed, and furthermore that the thief insulted visiting dignitary Prince Achmed. The selfish, shiftless and callous thief, Aladdin, explains his philosophy that everything in the world is his to steal ("I Steal Everything").
Ja'far returns to the palace but is greeted by Achmed; the ruler of the Kingdom of Pik-Zahr, angered by the Princess setting her pet tiger upon him. Insulted, Prince Achmed declares war on the Magic Kingdom. Ja'far berates the Princess for her carelessness while she naïvely longs for a life of freedom ("Everything and More").
Distraught to learn of his 2Ds department's sacking, Ja'far wrecks his room. He finds a scarab necklace that reminds him of the past when he was beloved by the citizens ("Sands of Time"). In an extended flashback, Ja'far teaches them about "The Golden Rule" of always treating others the way one wishes to be treated ("The Golden Rule"). On arriving at the vizier's palace for his first day as an assistant, Ja'far discovers that the vizier and his court are corrupt and only care about money ("The Golden Rule (Evil Reprise)"). Ja'far wonders if he will ever effect real change without the Sultan's audience. His mood is lifted when he meets the palace storyteller Sherrezade, who tells him stories including the Tiger Head Cave, which among other riches contains an oil lamp housing a wish-granting Djinn. Despite his skepticism of the stories, they fall in love and marry ("A Thousand and One Nights"). Months pass, and the Sultan finally gives Ja'far an audience; Sherrezade accompanies him. The Sultan, a babbling fool who tells the court he inverted his penis, is immediately taken with Sherrezade and claims her as his concubine. Sherrezade gives Ja'far the scarab necklace and vows that they will be reunited one day. In the present, Ja'far sadly notes that she died in childbirth before they could reunite. Though not fully convinced of the power of magic, Ja'far decides to seek out the Tiger Head Cave and the wish-granting Djinn ("If I Believed").
Meanwhile, the Princess meets Aladdin and is entranced by his free lifestyle and lack of respect for royalty, oblivious to his sexual advances. Aladdin explains how he never had a chance to become a valuable member of society since his parents died earlier in the year ("Orphaned at Thirty-Three"). Before they can kiss, they are caught by the royal guards, who throw Aladdin in prison and take the Princess home. Ja'far releases Aladdin on the condition he retrieves the Djinn's lamp from the Tiger Head Cave, claiming it to be an ordinary lamp. He also promises that Aladdin can keep all the other treasures he finds. The Princess, Aladdin, and Ja'far reflect on what they want most ("Happy Ending") before Aladdin exits the Tiger Head Cave and flees with the lamp, having discovered the Djinn and wanting it for himself, leaving Ja'far distraught.
Prince Achmed returns to the kingdom of Pik-Zahr and informs his soldiers of his meeting with the Princess (Although, his soldiers misconstrue his story, believing that he had sexual intercourse with the Princess' tiger). Achmed despairs that he will only be remembered as a throwaway joke. Believing that destroying the Princess' kingdom will win her affection, he and his soldiers march to war ("No One Remembers Achmed").
Ja'far has a heart-to-heart with the Princess about her future as a leader. Ja'far tries to warn her about Aladdin's true intentions but is called away when The Captain tells them that an unknown wealthy prince is leading a parade through the market, causing untold mayhem and injury. The prince visits the Princess, who immediately recognizes him as Aladdin. He nevertheless manages to convince her that the prince is his true persona. He takes the Princess on a magic carpet ride and unsuccessfully tries to convince her to have sex ("Take Off Your Clothes"). The Princess realizes that Aladdin's claimed great armies could help against Achmed's invasion. She proposes marriage, which Aladdin lustfully accepts.
The Sultan introduces his future son-in-law, Aladdin, to Ja'far, who impatiently explains that Aladdin is not an actual prince. Aladdin manages to convince the Sultan that Ja'far is a sorcerer who is using hypnosis, prompting the Sultan to sentence Ja'far to death. Ja'far grabs the lamp and escapes. Alone with the lamp, Ja'far is visited by various Disney villains from Sherrezade's tales. They claim they are not evil and that their stories have become "twisted" throughout the years. (save for Cruella De Vil who everyone hates.) Ja'far accepts that he has to take the "twisted" path himself, or his sacrifices will have been for nothing, and uses the lamp ("Twisted").
Prince Achmed invades, and Aladdin and his army are nowhere to be found. Achmed calls for the head of the Sultan, and Ja'far, having used his first wish to become the Sultan, enters. He releases the Djinn, who speaks entirely in movie quotes, incomprehensible to Ja'far, and uses his second wish to make himself a powerful sorcerer. The Princess finally realizes that Aladdin is a fraud, and rejects him. Aladdin takes the Princess hostage, and as Ja'far pleads with him to release her, he realizes that the Princess is his own daughter, as the Sultan's inverted penis would not allow him to have a child. Aladdin reveals a darker, more sinister split-personality who murdered his parents when they attempted to force him out of their house to find a job. Ja'far agrees to hand over the lamp in exchange for the Princess, but before Ja'far hands it over, he uses his final wish to free the Djinn and take its place in the lamp.
Now a Djinn himself, Ja'far gives the lamp to the Princess, believing her youth and passion make her the only one who can use the lamp's power to its fullest potential. The Princess wishes to bring a peaceful end to the war with Pik-Zahr, and for the Kingdom to have a Sultan that will make it prosper again. Finally, she tries to wish that Ja'far did not have to return to the lamp, but he cannot grant that wish, so she instead wishes Ja'far happiness, and they part ways ("The Power In Me"). News arrives that the Sultan has died, naming the Princess the majority stockholder and sole ruler of the Kingdom. Achmed's troops arrive in the throne room, and the Princess buys the entirety of Pik-Zahr with Ali Baba's treasure, discovered during the battle.
In the lamp, Ja'far has resigned himself to his fate before suddenly being greeted by Sherrezade, brought back to life by the Princess's last wish. She explains that the lamp exists outside of time and space, which is how the Djinn had knowledge of movies from the future. Ja'far sees that Aladdin will become a Peddler who spends his days telling a warped version of the story, until his ironic death at the hands of a thief over a loaf of bread at the age of 55. The couple then decide to live happily ever after ("Finale / A Thousand And One Nights Reprise").
Character | Original Chicago Cast 2013 | Feinstein's/54 Below Concert 2014 |
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Ja'far | Dylan Saunders | A.J. Holmes |
Princess | Rachael Soglin | Andrea Ross |
Aladdin | Jeff Blim | |
Prince Achmed / Vizier | Joe Walker | Rebecca Spigelman Holly Grossman George Salazar Tyler Brunsman |
Sultan / Djinn | Nick Gage | |
Captain | Jim Povolo | |
Sherrezade | Meredith Stepien | |
Monkey / Ensemble | Lauren Lopez | |
Bird / Ensemble | Denise Donovan | |
Sea Witch / Ensemble | Jaime Lyn Beatty | |
Ensemble | Robert Manion Alex Paul |
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The official video of the original production ends with a faux-pop remix of "A Thousand and One Nights" performed by StarKid contributors Carlos Valdes and Britney Coleman.
Twisted was funded entirely via a Kickstarter campaign launched by creators Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Eric Kahn Gale. The campaign opened with a fundraising goal of $35,000 and ended up raising $142,564. [5]
The musical was performed July 4–28, 2013, at the Greenhouse Theatre in Chicago, Illinois. The group put the entire musical up on YouTube on November 27, 2013. The recording has since received over 8.4 million views as of October 2024.
On March 17, 2014, the show was performed abridged in two sold-out concerts at 54 Below, with composer A. J. Holmes playing Ja'far and Andrea Ross playing the Princess. The production included an introduction by StarKid co-founder Darren Criss. [6] [7] [8]
A cast recording of the production was released on November 28, 2013, on digital platforms. The recording included all songs (except "A Song is a Dick in Sheep's Clothing") as well as two instrumental cues, "Sultan's Fanfare" and "The Scarab". [9]
A karaoke album was released on November 28, 2013, exclusively on iTunes. [10]
An EP of bonus studio recordings and demos entitled Twisted: Twisted was released on December 4, 2013. [11] The album was produced by Andrew Fox, Michael Hart, and Stacks of Wax Productions, and featured Andrea Ross, Britney Coleman, Carlos Valdes, and Cluster. [12] In addition to multiple demos, it also features a punk version of "Everything and More" performed by Andrea Moss, a cover of "The Golden Rule" performed by a cappella group Cluster, and Pop/R&B versions of "Take Off Your Clothes" and "A Thousand and One Nights".
On Hypable, Danielle Zimmerman called it "smart, lively, and just outright hilarious". [13]
Aladdin is a 1992 American animated musical fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution under Walt Disney Pictures. It is based on the Arabic folktale "Aladdin" from One Thousand and One Nights. The film was produced and directed by John Musker and Ron Clements from a screenplay they co-wrote with the writing team of Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio. Featuring the voices of Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Linda Larkin, Jonathan Freeman, Frank Welker, Gilbert Gottfried and Douglas Seale, the film follows the titular Aladdin, an Arabian street urchin who finds a magic lamp containing a genie. With the genie's help, Aladdin disguises as a wealthy prince and tries to impress the Sultan of Agrabah to win the heart of his free-spirited daughter, Princess Jasmine, as the Sultan's evil vizier, Jafar, plots to steal the magic lamp.
Aladdin is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with One Thousand and One Nights, despite not being part of the original text; it was added by the Frenchman Antoine Galland, based on a folk tale that he heard from the Syrian storyteller Hanna Diyab.
Jafar is a fictional character in Walt Disney Pictures' animated film Aladdin (1992). He is voiced by Jonathan Freeman, who also portrayed the character in the Broadway musical adaptation. Jafar also appears in the 1994 sequel to Aladdin, but he is not in the 1996 third film or the television series, although he does return in the latter's crossover Hercules and the Arabian Night.
The Return of Jafar is a 1994 American direct-to-video animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Television. It is the first sequel to Disney's 1992 animated feature film, Aladdin, made by combining the planned first five episodes of the Aladdin animated television series into a feature-length film.
Arabian Nights is a two-part 2000 miniseries, adapted by Peter Barnes from Sir Richard Francis Burton's translation of the medieval epic One Thousand and One Nights. Mili Avital and Dougray Scott star as Scheherazade and Shahryar respectively. Produced by Dyson Lovell and directed by Steve Barron, the serial was produced by Hallmark Entertainment and originally broadcast over two nights on 30 April and 1 May 2000 on BBC One in the United Kingdom and ABC in the United States.
The Thief of Bagdad is a 1940 British Technicolor historical fantasy film, produced by Alexander Korda and directed by Michael Powell, Ludwig Berger and Tim Whelan, with additional contributions by William Cameron Menzies and Korda brothers Vincent and Zoltán. The film stars Indian-born teen actor Sabu, Conrad Veidt, John Justin, and June Duprez. It was released in the US and the UK by United Artists.
Jaʽfar ibn Yahya Barmaki or Jafar al-Barmaki (767–803), also called Aba-Fadl, was a Persian vizier of the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid, succeeding his father in that position. He was a member of the influential Barmakid family, formerly Buddhist leaders of the Nava Vihara monastery. He was executed in 803 at the orders of Harun al-Rashid.
Aladdin is a 1992 animated fantasy film. It is based on the classic Arabian Nights story Aladdin, translated by Antoine Galland. Aladdin was produced by Golden Films and the American Film Investment Corporation. Like all other Golden Films productions, the film featured a single song, "Rub the Lamp", written and composed by Richard Hurwitz and John Arrias. It was released directly to video on April 27, 1992 by GoodTimes Home Video and was reissued on DVD in 2002 as part of the distributor's "Collectible Classics" line of products.
Aladdin is a musical written by Sandy Wilson for the newly refurbished Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith. Although not a pantomime, it played during the theatre's inaugural Christmas pantomime season of 1979/80, opening on 21 December 1979, and starred Richard Freeman as Aladdin, Joe Melia as Tuang Kee Chung, Aubrey Woods as Abanazar, Ernest Clark as The Emperor, Martin McEvoy as The Genie, Elisabeth Welch as Fatima and Christine McKenna as Badr-al-Badur.
Aladdin Jr. is a one-act, eleven-scene theatre musical adapted from the 1992 Walt Disney Animation Studios film Aladdin which is an adaptation of the folk tale Aladdin. The production runs between 60 and 80 minutes and includes five female parts, six male parts, and a chorus.
Aladdin is a stage musical based on Disney's 1992 animated feature film of the same name with a book by Chad Beguelin, music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Beguelin. It resurrects three songs written by Menken and Ashman for the film but not used, and adds four songs written by Menken and Beguelin.
Aladdin is a Disney media franchise comprising a film series and additional media. It began with the 1992 American animated feature of the same name, which was based on the tale of the same name, and was directed by Ron Clements and John Musker. The success of the film led to two direct-to-video sequels, a television series, a Broadway musical, a live-action remake, various rides and themed areas in Disney's theme parks, several video games, and merchandise, among other related works.
Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp is a 1982 Japanese anime fantasy film produced by Toei Animation, based on the Middle Eastern folk tale of Aladdin. The film was released in Japan on 13 March 1982 by Toei Company.
The Genie is a fictional character who appeared in Walt Disney Pictures' animated film Aladdin (1992), later appearing in other media of the Aladdin franchise as one of its main characters, as well as throughout other Disney media. He was voiced by Robin Williams in the first film, on whom the character's mannerisms were based. Following a contract dispute between Williams and Disney, Dan Castellaneta voiced the Genie in the direct-to-video feature The Return of Jafar, as well as the television series. Williams reprised the role for the final film installment Aladdin and the King of Thieves, and the character's own educational mini-series Great Minds Think for Themselves.
Aladdin is a 2019 American musical fantasy film directed by Guy Ritchie from a screenplay he co-wrote with John August. Produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Rideback, it is a live-action adaptation of Disney's 1992 animated film Aladdin, itself based on "Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp", a French addition to the Middle Eastern folktale collection One Thousand and One Nights. The film stars Will Smith, Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott with Marwan Kenzari, Navid Negahban, Nasim Pedrad, and Billy Magnussen in supporting roles. The plot follows Aladdin, a street urchin, as he falls in love with Princess Jasmine, befriends a wish-granting genie, and battles the wicked sorcerer Jafar.
Aladdin's Magic Lamp is a 1967 Soviet fantasy film directed by Boris Rytsarev based on the tale Aladdin from One Thousand and One Nights.
Aladdin – Naam Toh Suna Hoga is an Indian fantasy television series loosely based on the Arabian Nights story Aladdin. The series premiered on 21 August 2018 on Sony SAB. The series involves Aladdin, a kind-hearted thief, as he falls in love with Princess Yasmine, befriends a wish-granting Genie of the Lamp, and battles Zafar and later the evil enchantress Mallika, and again with Zafar after his rebirth. While it incorporates many elements from the traditional Aladdin story, such as a young thief, a genie and a princess, it deviates significantly in its narrative and character development. The show's plot introduces new story arcs, original villains, and reimagined character relationships that set it apart from the more linear Disney adaptation. The series went off-air on 5 February 2021.