ELLSWORTH – Ellsworth Middle School’s 2023 musical “Aladdin Jr.” hits the stage this weekend, promising to be “a whole new world” for the whole family.

Director Isabella Devereaux (EMS music teacher) chose “Aladdin” for this year’s show for a variety of reasons.

“Last year’s lead character was female (Annie Jr.), and I was looking for a rockstar male lead for a good tradeoff for this year,” Devereaux said. “But a bigger reason was I knew I had some students who would absolutely knock some of the roles out of the park, and I was absolutely right! Then I was incredibly surprised by a few more students that have done amazing, and I wouldn’t have expected it. This show is incredibly tough, so we have had to work incredibly hard to get to where we are now.”

Disney’s “Aladdin Jr.” is based on the 1992 Academy Award-winning film and the 2014 hit Broadway show about the “diamond in the rough” street rat who learns that his true worth lies deep within. Aladdin and his three friends, Babkak, Omar, and Kassim, are down on their luck until Aladdin discovers a magic lamp and the Genie who can grant three wishes. Wanting to earn the respect of the princess, Jasmine, Aladdin embarks on an adventure that will test his will and his moral character.

The show stars eighth graders Gavin Wittenberg as Aladdin, Addison Sabby as Jasmine, and Max Olson as the Genie, plus a cast full of new faces, expanded characters, new songs, and more thrills.

Devereaux said the middle school musicals fizzled out about eight years ago. The program was revived in 2018-19 with “Shrek Jr.,” which was a great success. Then Covid hit and “Frozen Jr.” was shut down along with the rest of the world.

“In 2021, I revived the program as the new director, unfortunately 100% on my own, with our 21-22 show ‘Annie Jr.’ with an amazing response from the community,” Devereaux said. “This year we grew the directing team with an Assistant Director/ Stage Director Danielle Lewis, EMS seventh grade math teacher. We already have ideas for next year, but those will be kept under lock and key until a grand reveal in the fall!”

Students began rehearsing for the show in November. More than 100 auditions took place over a two-week span. The cast began fully learning the show just before Thanksgiving and have been rehearsing nearly every day since, Devereaux said.

“The most challenging part of getting ready for the show is really just putting the pieces together,” she added. “Once we learn the music- check! Next choreography, then costumes, set, and props! Getting all of the moving pieces together is one of the toughest parts.”

Scheduling is also a major challenge. Balancing kids’ busy schedules and personal lives along with Devereaux’s is tough, but somehow they make it work.

“The most rewarding part of the whole process is seeing the kids bond over something they create,” she said. “We make a new family during this time and you see kids that never would have talked to each other be good friends by the end. They care so much about each other and the show that it is my absolute favorite part to see them blossom.”

Devereaux said the show has many standout parts to look forward to.

“Right off the bat the opening number of the show encapsulates every member of the cast, all together at the same time for a big start that fuels the rest of the show,” she said. “Our Cave of Wonders is just beyond magical along with several other set pieces. Finally some of our choreography is just wonderful from flips and tricks to carefully timed out slo-mo sequences. Oh! And a whole bunch of jokes throughout the show!”

As one can imagine, funny things happen sometimes during long hours of rehearsal. Devereaux even kept a quote book this year.

“There will be quotes and pictures going on a slide show at the beginning of each of the shows before we take the stage,” she said. “Be on the lookout to see some of the hilarious things that were said/done!”

The amount of time, effort and hours that go into a show like “Aladdin Jr.” is hard to calculate, Devereaux said. The cast rehearsed at least 10-12 hours per week after school, not including weekend potluck practices.

“Multiply that times three months and you are pretty exhausted by the end!” She said candidly. “Not to mention the outside of practice things that comes on the director’s side such as building things too dangerous to let the students handle, shopping for the costumes, fitting kids, searching for props, you name it!”

Showtimes are set for 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24; 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26 at Ellsworth High School Cafetorium. Tickets are $3 per student and $5 per adult, with 6 and under free.