Several Dabawenyos relived their childhood dreams as they sang along to their favorite Disney songs during the "Princess the Concert" presented by Disney Concerts and Wilbros Live, on Tuesday evening, November 21, 2023, at the SMX Convention Center Davao, in SM Lanang, Davao City.
Young and young at heart were treated to Broadway-level productions and fresh musical arrangements of their beloved Disney songs as stars Anneliese Van Der Pol, Aisha Jackson, Krysta Rodriguez, Steffanie Leigh, Adam J. Levy, and Benjamin Rauhala performed on stage.
The cast of the show not only serenaded the crowd with their spellbinding voice but even shared their experiences and achievements on Broadway.
Anneliese Van Der Pol, who played the final Belle in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast on Broadway, is famously known for her role as Chelsea Daniels in the American comedy “That’s So Raven.”
Aisha Jackson, who made history as the first black woman to play Anna in Disney’s Frozen on Broadway; Steffanie Leigh, who made her Broadway debut as Mary Poppins; Adam J. Levy, who is currently performing in Moulin Rouge on Broadway, and on-stage host, musical collaborators Benjamin Rauhala; and Krysta Rodriguez who played Megara in the international premiere stage adaptation of Hercules.
For the concert, the artists kick it off with a bang as their magical vocals reverberate the convention center.
The four female artists sang songs from the 11 Disney princesses Rapunzel from Tangled; Cinderella; Aurora from Sleeping Beauty; Mulan; Merida from Brave, Snow White; Ariel from The Little Mermaid; Pocahontas; Moana; Jasmine from Aladdin; Belle from Beauty and the Beast; Ana and Elsa from Frozen; and Raya from the Raya and the Last Dragon.
The show lasted for about two hours with a 20-minute intermission.
During the intermission, the audience was treated to trivia and questions while they patiently waited for the artists to return to the stage and belt out their highly anticipated Disney songs.
Several children donned their princess attires inside the venue while those young at heart wore princess-inspired outfits to harness their inner princess.
Not only the shining, shimmering, and splendid princesses were able to have a part in the show, as Mother Gothel’s, Rapunzel’s evil stepmother, song ‘Mother’s Knows Best’ was sung by Annaliese.
Even though the cast did not wear any princess costumes their angel-like voices proved that they were princesses by singing songs like Frozen’s For the First Time in Forever, Love is an Open Door, and Let it Go; Moana’s How Far I’ll Go and I am Moana; Pocahontas’ Just Around the Riverbend; Belle’s Beauty and Beast; and the Princess and the Frog’s Almost There.
This only proves that whether you are young or young at heart, everybody, regardless of age, gender preference, and social standing can become a princess because in the world of Disney, dreams do come true. RGP