Kids around town are celebrating. That’s because Abu Dhabi gets a dose of the Disney magic this spring, with the arrival of Mickey’s Music Festival.
No matter what your age, chances are you grew up loving at least one Disney character or show. Now you and your kids can experience the world of Disney live in Abu Dhabi.
Disney On Ice by Disney Live! sold out eight shows in Doha last year, so we have high hopes for Disney Live!’s latest show, Mickey’s Music Festival, which will run at du Forum in Abu Dhabi February 26 to March 2.
Mickey’s Music Festival will feature 25 of Disney’s biggest stars including the ‘fab four’, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy. Newer favourites like the Toy Story characters will also make appearances. Kids can sing along to songs from movies such as Aladdin, The Little Mermaid and Toy Story.
Ali Haidary is the founder and CEO of Sport & Entertainment Solutions, the company responsible for bringing Disney Live! to Abu Dhabi. He says, ‘Mickey’s Music Festival has touched millions of people around the world and introduced some children to their first ever theatre experience.’
Parents will also recognise the rock, pop, reggae, hip-hop and country tunes that will be remixed with the kids’ classics. At one point in the show, Ariel’s sisters from The Little Mermaid break out into a rendition of Beyonce’s Single Ladies. The performance comes complete with balloons and characters in the aisles.
As the show opens, audiences are shown a video projection of the frenzy backstage as the characters rush to welcome guests to Mickey’s concert tour. When the stage show starts, the audience are taken to a whole new world above and below the sea. As the title implies, the theme of the show is a music festival so audiences can expect lots of singing and dancing.
The performance features impressive characters offstage as well. Musical director Stan Beard has served as a back-up performer for artists such as Bob Hope and Barry Manilow and has worked in recording studios with artists including Barbara Streisand and Frank Sinatra.
The director and choreographer, Fred Tallaksen, has worked with Madonna on her 2006 Sorry music video and also on her Confessions world tour. Madonna’s not the only big name he’s worked with, as he’s also coached La Toya Jackson, Kelly Osbourne and Enrique Iglesias. Fred’s choreographed ice skaters, cheerleaders, gymnasts, aerial artists and performance drummers and performed in several on stage productions, all of which contributed to him receiving numerous awards including two Emmys.
Brittany Eubanks plays Jasmine. An American actress, she’s been touring with Feld Entertainment – the company behind Disney Live! – since 2011. You could say she was a born performer – she’s a trained ballerina and flautist. Brittany says, ‘My style is versatile as I trained in many different forms of dance throughout my life, but ballet does certainly find itself in many of my performances.’
Bringing to life these characters is costume designer Cynthia Nordstrom. She’s had a successful career creating costumes for off-Broadway productions such as Evil Dead The Musical, Ringling Bros Barnum & Bailey circus, and Disney On Ice. For Mickey’s Music Festival, she has spiced up the well-known costumes of the Disney characters with modern accents such as leather jackets, vests and boots.
Mickey’s Music Festival will be the sixth show from Disney Live!, which completed a tour of Turkey and Cyprus in 2013. This will be the first time Disney Live! has come to the UAE, after which they will continue to visit more countries around the world. As Buzz Lightyear would say, ‘To infinity, and beyond!’
Performances will take place at 11am, 3pm and 7pm. Tickets start at Dhs125 and are available at Virgin Megastores and www.ticketmaster.ae. du Forum, Yas Island, (02 509 8143). For information and kid’s colouring pages, visit www.disneylive.com.
