ALADDIN IN CONCERT 2025
Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by Howard Ashman & Tim Rice
Special live vocal performance by Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle
Performed by Orchestra Japan
Conducted by Richard Carsey
Singing voice of Aladdin: Hayato Sano
Singing voice of Jasmine: Kyoko Saito
Singing voice of the Genie: Takahisa Masuda
Singing voice of Jafar: Satoshi Hashimoto
March 2, 2025
Yokohama Arena
Kanagawa, Japan
PART 1: ONCE IN A LIFETIME
One day while scrolling my X feed, an ad for an upcoming event suddenly appeared: ALADDIN IN CONCERT 2025. I quickly scanned the event description hoping to find Alan Menken listed as a special guest. His appearance at the concert would have meant an automatic ticket purchase from me as I’ve seen him live twice and know that he always gives highly entertaining performances.
Unfortunately, his appearance as a guest was nowhere to be found, but the names of two other special guests immediately caught my attention: Peabo Bryson AND Regina Belle. For those unfamiliar with these artists, they are the original vocalists of the pop version of “A Whole New World” that plays during the end credits of the film.
As someone who grew up on films like ALADDIN, I knew there was absolutely NO WAY I could miss this once-in-a-lifetime event, but part of me continued to hope that Menken would come as a special last minute guest – but alas, it was not to be.
In any case, I got my ticket – a VIP one in fact – but opted out of the very pricey “Premium VIP” ticket which would have given me a special photo opportunity with Bryson and Belle.
PART 2: ARRIVING AT THE ARENA
The last time I came to Yokohama Arena was just over five years ago for BEAUTY AND THE BEAST IN CONCERT, where Menken actually did appear as a special guest to perform a short medley of his most beloved songs at the piano.
Not much has changed about Yokohama Arena since then, except fewer people are masking and the number of people attending seems to have increased considerably.
Despite the larger numbers, a highly efficient crowd control system was in place, and there were clearly marked and easily accessible lines for both VIP and regular ticket holders.
When I got through the doors I immediately picked up my VIP swag bag and promptly went over to the already packed merch stand to see what was on offer. Even though I’d arrived an hour before the concert starting time, a few pieces of merch (the cheapest ones of course) had already sold out. Oh well.
I should also mention that I’m pretty sure I was one of only a handful of single men there – I saw nothing but couples, groups of girls, and girls taking their mothers out. It did make me feel somewhat self-conscious, but hey – I love Menken’s music for ALADDIN and just had to see Bryson and Belle perform live.
PART 3: A PRE-CONCERT TALK
Before the concert began, we were introduced to the main Japanese singing cast who said a few words about what ALADDIN meant to them and how excited they were to be performing there. Takahisa Masuda, the singing voice of the Genie, immediately made an impression with his larger than life personality and comedic flair – he was simply born for this role!
Bryson and Belle were then introduced to the wild applause of the audience. I was a bit concerned as Bryson seemed to be hobbling across the stage and was largely propped up by Belle. I need not have worried though because as soon as he started talking, he was bubbling with energy and charm.
This pre-concert talk lasted about fifteen minutes and only added to our anticipation for the main film and concert event.
PART 4: THE FIRST HALF
The concert got off to a bang with well-respected conductor Richard Carsey gracing the stage and taking us through a spine-tingling performance of the iconic Disney logo music. Spine-tingling you say? Yep. After the opening twinkling piano part and the camera zooming out to reveal the Cinderella Castle, not only did the orchestra swell with strength and majesty, but a small and powerful live choir suddenly joined to accompany the orchestra – I’m pretty sure the original logo music didn’t have a choir! In any case, it was an incredible moment that immediately got our hearts racing.
It was now time for the first song of the night, “Arabian Nights,” which was performed with the right amount of mystery and malice by famed actor Satoshi Hashimoto, who performed the singing voice of Jafar for the night.
A quick note on how the film and songs were shown
Throughout the concert, three screens were used (refer to above pic). When it was only instrumental score being performed, all three screens showed the film. However, when it was time for the songs, the large centre screen zoomed in on the performers while the two smaller side screens showed the film.
When the songs finished, the screens faded to black while the audience applauded the performance. This gave the orchestra time for a breather as well as a chance to get ready to perform the next scene.
Jafar forces a poor soul into the Cave of Wonders, only to be sucked up by the cave’s monster for being “the wrong guy.” I think this whole sequence might have been a bit scary for the kids, especially considering the fact that the sound levels in Yokohama Arena were pretty high and there was a fair amount of reverb which only amplified the menacing voice of the cave monster.
I was really looking forward to hearing “One Jump Ahead” live, and boy, did it not disappoint! It’s a fun sequence to watch and listen to, and Hayato Sano – the voice of Aladdin – absolutely nailed it with his performance and timing on stage. I had to laugh when Sano ran up to the conductor’s podium to affectionately rub Carsey’s bald head as he sang (in Japanese of course) the lines “I can take a hint, gotta face the facts. I can use a friend or two!”
Expectedly, “Friend Like Me” was another rousing winner that we had all been waiting to hear live.
The piece started with white smoke shooting up from the front of the stage as a team of backup dancers and singers came out on stage. Masuda, relishing his role as the Genie, really hammed it up and had the audience in his pocket. When the song ended to massive applause, Carsey signalled to the orchestra to start playing a short encore while encouraging the audience to clap along. It was a riotously enjoyable moment that again ended with tremendous applause.
It’s quite unfortunate that Menken’s instrumental score is often overshadowed by the film’s iconic songs because his score really deserves much more credit for its genius and ability to heighten the emotions of the film. As a prime example, I offer the whole escape from the Cave of Wonders sequence (“The Cave of Wonders” on the soundtrack), which kicks off after Aladdin’s pet monkey Abu touches a large red jewel and sets off the cave’s self-destruction.
The score during this sequence, and how it was performed during the concert, worked like gangbusters. It was intense, wildly exciting and defined by clearly identifiable and memorable themes.
Other standout score moments during the first half included the beautifully emotive music that plays when the Genie is talking about his wish to be free (“To Be Free” on the soundtrack). Despite the brevity of the theme, the combination of piano and soaring strings really hit the spot.
The scenes underscoring Jasmine’s unhappiness and feeling of being trapped were also marked with some short, but gorgeous violin solos that truly helped you feel her pain and desire to be free.
These were but a handful of many perfectly scored (and performed!) moments during the film.
In any case, the first half came to an end after the Genie takes Aladdin and Abu out of the cave and gets to work on transforming Aladdin into a prince.
PART 5: THE SECOND HALF
After another quick onstage chat with the Japanese singing cast, the orchestra launched into a short intermission overture that included a spirted instrumental of “Friend Like Me.” This was also the only time throughout the night that the large centre screen zoomed in on members of the orchestra – it was nice that they were finally getting their due.
We soon moved to the wildly crowd-pleasing “Prince Ali,” with male dancers marching across the stage as Prince Ali’s entourage, and female dancers fawning over Prince Ali. Masuda again stole the show, with Sano hilariously complimenting the song with his pitch-perfect performance as someone suddenly thrust into the spotlight of fame and royalty.
It goes without saying that we had all been waiting on the edge of our seats for the“A Whole New World” sequence. And it is certainly not hyperbole to say that the night’s performance of the song was like a dream come true.
Looking radiant in a light blue dress, Kyoko Saito, the voice of Jasmine, gave it her all and sang with deep conviction and sincerity. Sano, no slouch himself, perfectly complimented her incredible voice during this timeless and iconic duet.
I just cannot forget the final moments of their performance – after looking deep into each others’ eyes as the song came to an end, she rested her head gently on his shoulder and stared into the sky, her eyes glistening with amour. It was the perfect fairytale ending that had the audience swooning like there was no tomorrow…
Hashimoto later returned as Jafar for a deeply menacing performance of “Prince Ali (Reprise).” The song ended with his wickedly devilish laugh echoing throughout the arena.
The orchestra was again doing overtime as it played through the intense final battle between Jafar and Aladdin. This entire sequence further highlighted the brilliance of Menken’s score, with the orchestra more than rising to the occasion.
Aladdin then defeats Jafar by tricking him into becoming the genie of his own lamp. The day is saved and all is well. But as Aladdin gives away his final wish to free the Genie in a truely selfless act, Menken’s score comes to the fore and pulls on those heartstrings like never before. I only wished this part of the film had been shown in the original English dub as Robin Williams’ performance of his lines during this scene just breaks my heart every time.
As the film ended, blue and gold streamers suddenly popped out from the front of the stage with a loud bang to the surprise and delight of many.
And with that, the orchestra immediately went into a fabulously uplifting performance of the end credits.
PART 6: TOGETHER AGAIN
As the end credits rolled and the Japanese singing cast and dancers lined the sides of the stage, Bryson and Belle finally came out on stage to treat the audience to a final performance of their most famous song, “A Whole New World.” Backed by the orchestra with a pop beat running through the music, the audience remained spellbound as the duo’s stunning performance slowly swept us off our feet.
Belle was commanding with her strong and deeply heartfelt vocals.
While Bryson was a little slower with his delivery and took liberty with some of the phrasing, he still gave a blistering performance that was just brimming with emotion.
Hearing this song live thirty plus years after it was first performed by Bryson and Belle took on a whole new meaning this time.
While singing the song, the pair often embraced on stage, showing beautifully that the passing of time had only strengthened the bonds and love that they had created through this truly timeless song. It was so touching to see and made it impossible not to tear up as the song came to an end.
This unforgettable performance was met with the warmest standing ovation I have seen in a long time… for we all knew that we had just experienced something truly special.
While the night ended spectacularly, there was a niggling thought in the back of mind: the night would have been truly perfect if Menken had been there on the piano accompanying Bryson and Belle – one can only hope that this dream will someday come true 😊
PART 7: CONCERT MERCH
VIP guests (i.e. people with money who are not necessarily actual VIPs!) were guaranteed seats in the front arena block. They also received a special VIP swag bag that contained a VIP-only carrying bag and “flying carpet” blanket, as well as the standard concert program.
With regard to standard concert merch, I purchased what looked cool and was within my budget:
As everyone who goes to these kinds of Disney events knows, you always leave the events with a much lighter wallet…
… just look at those prices!!
PART 8: OVER TO YOU
Did you also go to this concert? How did you like it?
And what did you think of my report? Feel free to comment below or reach out to me directly in the “Contact Me” section.
