Disney's Aladdin flies into Southampton’s Mayflower Theatre

Already seen by more than 14 million people worldwide, the production, based on the 1992 animated film, promises unforgettable magic, comedy, breath-taking sets and dazzling costumes. It also features new music, alongside all the hit songs by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice.

It promises the “timeless story of Disney’s Aladdin where one lamp and three wishes make the possibilities infinite”

The tour has been on the road since October, and Jo is loving the response they're getting everywhere they go: “The biggest thing for me is the children. I love doing children’s shows in so many ways but when you see the response from the children to this one, it is just great. The children absolutely adore the genie and the number of girls that you see come along dressed as Jasmine is just lovely. They have their imagination prodded by the show and it takes them to a land of make-believe but for them the moment is very real and there is just nothing else like it.”

The production is based on the animated film which featured Robin Williams and since then, of course, there has been another film, but Jo has seen neither: “I was one of those weird children that read books. I've always loved reading. And it's a strange quirk about me that whenever I do a show, it tends to be a show that I don't know at all or I'm not familiar with. I like to go into things pretty much blind. I think it's so difficult not to be affected by what you see. People say ‘I will watch this and then do my own version’ but I do think that you can carry somebody else’s version with you if you do that so I prefer just not knowing. I don't know how unusual that is but obviously with a big show that is already in existence, there is a creative team that have got a pretty good idea of what they're looking for. People will always say that they use the source material for their inspiration, but for me I prefer to go back to the actual source material! And if you see this show people will tell you that I'm quite different to the Sultan in the film… or so I am told!

“I think the Sultan has to be decisive and quite forthright. He is also very much rooted in history. He is a stickler for the ancient ways. He says to his daughter we must uphold the ancient ways because that's where we came from and it has seen us through so far. He feels he is like the anchor and says ‘How do you know where you are in a sea if the land keeps moving?’ He is a good man. I think you have to be a good man. I don't think a successful ruler can be a tyrant. If you're a tyrant then you are in a permanent state of paranoia always wondering who is coming after you.”

Jo and the cast started rehearsing for the show at the Jerwood Space in London last September, a place very special for Joe: “It was where we rehearsed my first Disney production, The Lion King, back in 1999.”

Tickets from the venue.