Find Aladdin’s magic at Theater Arts for Children

Summer is a magical time, especially for the young and the young at heart.

A little extra summer magic is right around the corner for both.

Spokane Valley’s acclaimed Theater Arts for Children, 10814 E. Broadway Ave., begins its three-weekend run of “Aladdin and His Magic Lamp” Friday at 7 p.m.

Over the next three weekends, the theater will stage evening performances on Friday and Saturday, with matinees Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $5 per seat.

Producer Cheri Osmuss and director Leah Dach bring to life the oft-told Arabian story of the young, impoverished Aladdin, who is tricked by a sorcerer into recovering a magic lamp from a hidden cave.

When Aladdin finds himself trapped in the cave, he rubs his hands in worry and releases a genie hidden within the lamp and igniting a fantastic adventure that features evil magicians and magical real estate.

The story of Aladdin, along with that of “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves” and “The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor,” was part of the “The Book of One Thousand and One Nights,” also known as “Arabian Nights.”

The story of Aladdin has been translated into many languages and turned into films on several occasions, most recently as an animated feature by Disney.

The T.A.C. production features Katrina Shurtlieff as the narrator, Gabe Lipton as Aladdin, Bella Moya as Hakem the Monkey, Bryan Osborn as the Sultan and Ken Boles as Vizier. Alec Steele plays Ali Baba, with Connor Harrison, Clara Coyote, Serena Osmuss, Samantha Brill and Christopher Osborn as his thieves. Ginny Isbelle and Adriana Bowers will play the plum roles of the Genie of the Lamp and Genie of the Ring, respectively.

Also in the cast are Nina Wizner, Gabrielle Boettner, Becca Plaggemeier and Michaela Leckner as Princesses; Sean Boles, Zak Zywaik, Tanner Thomas and Justin Leckner as Princes; Charlie Harper and Paige Harrison as Palace Guards; Breanna Ahlgren, Nikki Bernard, Felicia Boyer and Paige Wamsley as Harem Girls; Wendy Ebach-Brill as Aladdin’s mother; Heidi Ritz-Stephens as the Evil Magician; and Ellie Cook as Ishak the Parrot.

Fans, and of course the cast’s family, can order a DVD of the performance for $15.