Welcome to Agrabah, City of Enchantment, where every beggar has a story and every camel has a tail! Garden International School primary students performed the stage adaptation of Disney’s Aladdin Jr. in July, continuing on from their previous stunning musical performances over the last few years.

The four performances were sold out with GIS families and students from all year groups buzzing with palpable excitement to feast their eyes on the decadent display of dazzling costumes, soulful singing, mesmerising choreography, and the alluring enchantment of magical set designs.

Filled with magic,mayhem, and actual flying carpet rides, Disney’s Aladdin Jr. involved students, staff, and parents from across the primary school. Three months of planning, casting, designing, and resourcing laid the foundation for this wonderful event.

Fifteen main cast roles, 77 ensemble/choir members, and 20 props and staging builders formed the student body involved in creating this show. Led by a team of 30 staff members from a variety of year groups and subjects, the annual GIS Primary Musical has evolved into a large-scale production that crosses year groups and faculties and aims to bring the school community together. “The cast, crew and teachers delivered a wildly successful show of which they should all be very proud,” said the school principal, Mark Ford.

A version of this article was originally published in The Expat magazine (August 2017) which is available online or in print via a free subscription.