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Welcome to Lighthouse Christian Theatre's production of Disney's Aladdin JR! My name is Michael Benitez, and I am the Executive Artistic Director here at Lighthouse! My wife, Rebecca, and I are the founders of this company, and we are so excited to get to share this wonderful story with you all today!

Aladdin hold a special place in my heart, since an adjusted version of Aladdin was my introduction to live theatre 2 decades ago. This powerful story helps us to understand the true definition of love and where to find your self-worth. 

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35 ESV)

The Bible has a lot to say about love, and Aladdin JR has several characters who are motivated by both biblical and unbiblical love. Jafar has a love of power, the Sultan loves his daughter, and Aladdin's friends are motivated by their love for each other. While Jafar's love leads to wickedness and his eventual downfall, Aladdin's friends and the Sultan allow their love for others to bring about a positive change. 

We also see an instance where someone is loved who does not deserve it. Jasmine sees Aladdin, who everyone else sees as a street rat, and shows him love. Even though he was deceitful, she chose to show him love. This reminds me of Romans 5:8, "but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Jasmine shows love even when Aladdin doesn't deserve it, and Christ showed us love even when we didn't deserve it. 

At the end of the story, Aladdin is given a choice: use his wish to make his dreams come true, or sacrifice his wish to help those that he loves. We have a similar situation. Will we use our time and energy to focus on ourselves, to go after whatever our hearts desire, or will will use our God-given gifts to help those around us (even if it means we have to sacrifice some things along the way)?

As Christians we are called to love those around us, and that means to serve and help and sometimes sacrifice things that are important to us. However, when we do, we get to experience a joy that is greater than all the magic in all the world!

I hope you enjoy Aladdin JR, and I pray that you, like the characters in this story, find opportunities to show love to the people in your life.

*Production Note*

Towards the end of the first act, we will be using confetti cannons on the stage, which will create a large popping sound.