POLISHING A CLASSIC DISNEY RECRUITS SOME THEATER ALL-STARS TO PRODUCE 'ALADDIN' AT CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE.

Byline: Evan Henerson Theater Writer

This really is, as Alan Menken's familiar lyric goes, ``a whole new world.''

Somewhere between a Bug's Land and Condor Flats, amid the rides, dining and souvenir shops of Disney's California Adventure sits a musical with impressive credentials. ``Aladdin, a Musical Spectacular'' has been assembled by internationally acclaimed artists. It plays multiple times a day, seven days a week, year round, in a state-of-the-art theater.

You can bring the kids and drag them out if they get bored without the frustration of knowing you've spent hundreds of dollars on tickets. Once you're in the park, this entertainment's free. Heck, come back and see it again a couple of hours later if you're so inclined.

Its content will be recognizable to any child who has burned up the ``Aladdin'' videotape and can sing along with tunes like ``Friend Like Me'' and ``Prince Ali.'' Dancing genies, magic carpet rides, special effects - they're all there.

Legitimate theater? Theme park entertainment? Both?

``I look at this as doing a musical,'' says Alan Menken, whose credits include ``Little Shop of Horrors'' as well as countless Disney scores. ``You have to figure out how you're going to keep dramatic tension. Keeping dramatic tension in a theater is even more vital than in film.''

Not Mickey Mouse 

Disney's ``Aladdin, a Musical Spectacular'' at Disney's California Adventure theme park is meant to be several cuts above the ``Oh, look at the cute bear in the cute bear costume!'' brand of entertainment that theme parks traditionally offer. This is the studio, after all, that made a killing with stage versions of its animated films ``Beauty and the Beast'' and ``The Lion King.''

But ``Aladdin,'' a 40-minute version of Disney's popular 1992 animated movie, has been produced through the studio's theme park division, and has no foreseeable future beyond - company administrators hope - a lengthy and well-attended run at the park's 2,000-seat Hyperion Theatre. It's the first project to be shepherded by Anne Hamburger, a former New York theater artist plucked by Disney to spruce up the company's theme park entertainment shows in California, Florida, Paris, Hong Kong and Tokyo.

``Basically, they brought somebody like me into this world so that I would bring great artists into a theme park,'' says Hamburger, the founder of New York-based En Garde Arts and the former artistic director at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego. ``I remember hearing that (director) Francesca Zambello was going to be directing a 'Zorro' piece for Disney in Paris. I thought, 'Oh, how fantastic. If Disney is going in that direction, I want to be there.' ''

Zambello, who has staged opera all over the world, is ``Aladdin's'' director. Lynn Taylor-Corbett, the creator of Broadway's ``Swing'' is the choreographer. ``Copenhagen's'' Tony award-winning set designer Peter J. Davison is in charge of the look. A casting call on both coasts brought in the two casts who will rotate performances. Menken, a multiple Oscar-winning composer who scored the film, has even written a new song for the mini ``Aladdin,'' a solo for Princess Jasmine.

``There are some fantastic artists who would have a great deal of difficulty working in this environment,'' admits Hamburger. ``What I'm really trying to do is get this huge organization to start functioning like a theatrical producing organization. We're not there yet, but we're sort of getting there.''

Nor has it been especially difficult lining up respected artists to work on Disney stage projects. Among those currently in the stable for upcoming Disney Theatricals productions are ``The Lion King's'' Julie Taymor, who is now working on a stage version of ``Pinocchio.'' Suzan-Lori Parks (``Hoopz''), Phil Collins and David Henry Hwang are at work on a site-specific version of ``Tarzan.''

A live version of ``The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' is playing in Berlin and a musical of ``The Little Mermaid'' is also in the works. Disney Theatricals' three-headed juggernaut of ``Beauty and the Beast,'' ``The Lion King'' and ``Aida'' are still doing huge business on Broadway, on tour and internationally.

Dreams come true

A ``short form'' musical like ``Aladdin'' may come with its own set of challenges and limitations, but Zambello was intrigued by the idea of bringing ``Arabian Nights'' to life. She also found that a trip to Disneyland spurred her enthusiasm for the project.

``The place does have an infectious magic that gets you,'' says Zambello. ``As a director, your mission is to tell a story whether you're creating a new voice for a book, a film or a legend. So it's interesting to be translating an animated feature into a live event.

``What attracted all of us - myself and the designers - to the legend and to the film was the fact that it was so guided by heartfelt emotions and very realistic characters,'' she continues. ``Of course there will also be a bundle of special effects.''

Davison, who has to handle 10 set changes in 40 minutes, also drew inspiration from a visit to the park.

``One has to take in the style of the park and realize that everything has to be very colorful,'' says Davison. ``The audience is probably not used to going to the theater too often. One wants to make it a really special experience for them. Hopefully, we'll knock people over when they see it. ''

``Aladdin'' is certainly being marketed as a theatrical experience. Theater writers were invited down to the park for a set of video conference call interviews with Menken, Hamburger, Zambello and Taylor-Corbett. Even though performances started in December, the show had its official opening night this week.

Given that box-office revenue is a nonfactor in this venue, it's unclear how administrators will gauge the musical's success beyond word of mouth and audience size. Speaking of audiences, a show that plays three to four times a day, year round, at a 2,000-seat theater has the potential to reach more audiences faster than even a must-see theatrical event like ``The Lion King'' or ``The Producers'' can do.

Could a theme park-born musical eventually join the pantheon of smash Broadway hits?

``I would love to have (Disney Theatricals President) Tom Schumacher and (Disney Chairman) Michael Eisner come and think 'Aladdin' was so fantastic that they had to take it to New York and expand it into a full form,'' says Hamburger.

Hamburger may not have Aladdin's magic lamp, but wishes uttered from the Magic Kingdom have been known to carry weight.

ALADDIN: A MUSICAL SPECTACULAR

Where: Disney's California Adventure, 1313 Harbor Blvd., Anaheim.

When: Performed several times daily. Schedule rotates.

Tickets: Free with park admission. Park admission is $47 for ages 10 and up, $37 for children 3 to 9. Call [phone].

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5 photos

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) MAGIC CARPET PRIDE

Disney's California Adventure aims high with live production of `Aladdin'

(2 -- 5 -- color) Michael K. Lee stars as the title character in ``Aladdin, a Musical Spectacular,'' a 40-minute show hewn from the popular movie, at Disney's California Adventure. At top right, Lee joins Orville Mendoza as Genie (center) and Kelli Shimada as Carpet; center right, Lance Roberts as Jafar plots with Nathan Holland as Iago; and bottom right, Lee and Adealani Malia, also playing Carpet, admire the magic lamp.

Steven Georges/Staff Photographer