Prepare for high adventure as Quincy Music Theatre presents Disney’s Aladdin Jr.

The Leaf Theatre was filled with laughter Monday afternoon as children played–running, jumping, skipping on stage.
As Quincy Music Theatre wraps up the third week of its annual summer camp, the company is set to present Disney’s Aladdin Jr., a one-hour musical, directed by Mikaela Georgi, choreographed by Erick Pierre, and music directed by Paige Kinch.
Starring Terren Roberts as Genie, James Gaethers, Jr. as Aladdin, Madison Clay as Jasmine and Hatch Liebenhaut as Jafar, this classic tale, based on the 1992 Academy Award®-winning film and the 2014 hit Broadway show, Aladdin Jr. comes to Quincy Music Theatre’s stage as part of the company’s 2024 summer camp.
The Gadsden County Times went behind the scenes with the production staff.
This was director Mikaela Georgi’s first production with Quincy Music Theatre.
Georgi, who is from Jacksonville, said she’s been in theatre for about seven years, and has been directing for four.
The Florida State Theatre major said this is her first production with young children.
That’s what drew her to wanting to direct this production.
“I love the arts, and love when kids are involved in the arts,” Georgi said.
She said she enjoys seeing the children’s love for theatre grow.
Georgi, who is of Egyption, also said Aladdin played a huge role in her childhood.
“I’m Middle-Eastern,” Georgi said. “It’s a really important story to me. Growing up, Jasmine was the only Disney Princess I related to culturally, which is a big deal for a kid.”
Georgi said she told the cast members, nothing they do should be a caricature of Middle-Eastern people.
“I explained the cultural significance of what they’re doing and saying,” Georgi said.
Staying true to the Arabian culture, Georgi said they didn’t use typical costumes.
“All are very inspired,” Georgi explained. “The same with the set, it has Moroccan and Arabian influence.”
Georgi said the set designer has never seen the Disney movie Aladdin, which is another reason Agrabah won’t look as it did in the movie.
As for the children who have seen the movie, Georgi said it has been a challenge getting them away from what they have seen in the movie.
“There are no animals,” Georgi explained.
In the stage adaptation, Rajah, Lago and Abu are all humans.
The director said seeing everything come together has been the most rewarding part of working with the cast and crew.
“We did our first full run last week and I was smiling ear to ear,” Georgi shared. “They’re so excited to be there and that’s what makes me so happy.”
Georgi said she hopes the audience will feel the magic of the show.
“I told them, ‘When you’re in the audience, interact with the audience so they can feel they’re citizens of Agrabah too,”’ Georgi said.
Georgi said the cast members have to put their imaginations to work during rehearsals.
“It’s cute because they interact with fake people; they turn to the audience and try to sell them things.”
Georgi also shared what has been her favorite scene to direct in the show.
“‘High Adventure’ is one of the dance numbers,” Georgi said. “There’s a lot you can do with it.”
The director said there are three scene changes during the number, and she said some of it is improvised.
She said it was exciting working with the choreographer, and the children, and seeing their visions combined.
We also got a chance to interview the show’s music director Paige Kinch.
Kinch is a Quincy Music Theatre veteran. Although this is only her second year working with the summer camps, she has been doing shows with Quincy Music Theatre for about 15 years.
“My parents were super involved when I was growing up and so when I was about six years old they let me audition for my first show at the theatre which was The Music Man in either 2009 or 2010,” Kinch said.
She has always loved to sing and dance, so the theatre company was a great outlet for her
Kinch helped out with the camp last year for their production of Finding Nemo Jr. She said she fell in love with the team and helping with the kids so she was happy when Georgi reached out to her to be the music director.
Kinch said the audience can look forward to hearing music from the well-known movie adapted for younger performers so they get to sing songs that they know and love, as well as some new ones written specifically for the stage adaptation.
Kinch described her process for teaching and rehearsing the songs with the cast.
“I really like breaking down the songs piece by piece so that they know each of the sections and we can put it together at the end like a little puzzle.”
Kinch said the most rewarding part for her has been seeing the children get super excited when they get something they have been struggling with right, or when they get to a part that they already know and they can proudly sing it out loud.
Kinch too said High Adventure is her favorite performance.
“Going into it I was super nervous because it’s a long piece that travels through three scenes and has a pretty intense harmony part, but the kids loved learning it even though it was not in the animated movie and I loved being able to build it with the kids and the other members of the production team.”
Kinch let us in on one othe behind-the-scenes secret.
“In the kids’ spare time they’ve been working on super cute and awesome crafts to help decorate the lobby to make an awesome experience for the audience.”
See Quincy Music Theatre’s presentation of Disney’s Aladdin Jr. this weekend.
Performances will take place at Quincy Music Theatre at 118 E. Washington Street in Quincy on the following dates: