BY MICHAEL SOMMERS

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

The magic carpet flies smoothly and so does the rest of “Aladdin,” a buoyant musical comedy fashioned from the 1992 Disney animated feature. Crafted as old-school Broadway show, “Aladdin” conjures up plenty of entertainment for the family crowd at the glorious New Amsterdam Theater, where this congenial new attraction bowed on Thursday.

A bright, festive affair decked out with beautiful costumes and many airy settings, “Aladdin” wisely never takes itself seriously. Chad Beguelin’s story fools around with the Arabian Nights times of a goodhearted street rogue who makes friends with a wish-granting genie and romances a princess. Alan Menken, the ever-melodic composer, supplements his pretty film score with several upbeat numbers with nifty lyrics from Beguelin. An energetic and appealing company delivers it all with confidence.

The musical’s cheerful tone is set during the welcome-to-our-world opener by James Monroe Iglehart, a larger than life-sized triple-threat of a performer who disarmingly portrays Genie with a resonant voice and an exuberant manner. Iglehart’s warm ebullience grabs the audience from the get-go and keeps them happy. Adam Jacobs makes a gleaming golden boy of an Aladdin who is backed by three bumbling sidekicks, affably played by Brian Gonzales, Brandon O’Neill and Jonathan Schwartz.  Another charmer is Courtney Reed, whose Princess Jasmine is appropriately plucky and assured. Jonathan Freeman, who gave voice to the power-hungry vizier Jafar in the film, is again in grandly fruity vocal form as that villain.

The cartoonish musical is modelled after snappy 1960s Broadway musical comedies, complete with passing scenes staged “in-one” in front of a curtain to cover changes in décor. Sure, that’s retro, but it suits the light-hearted material as well as a Disney crowd who probably prefers familiar formats. Casey Nicholaw, an ace director-choreographer, maintains a slightly tongue-in-cheek quality throughout the fast-moving show, especially in his frisky dances that, with their sinuous arm gestures, synchronized moves and general acrobatics, often suggest Bollywood production numbers. A lively and good-looking ensemble expertly undulates through the sometimes zany choreography.

Nicholaw and his designers certainly provide a pleasing eyeful. The fanciful fashions and shiny jewel tones of Gregg Barnes’s opulent costumes look great against a series of lovely vistas designed by Bob Crowley, who does it all with excellent taste and several instances of Ziegfeld-style glitz that probably make the ornamental peacocks along the proscenium smile. A golden, glittering Cave of Wonders and that stunning magic carpet ride within a starry night (Jim Steinmeyer did the illusions) are among the sights that many a kid will remember. Effulgent lighting design by Natasha Katz lends gorgeous colors to the stage pictures. Unlike the muddy case of “Matilda,” the sound design by Ken Travis renders the words and music clearly.

All in all, Disney Theatrical Productions has done a top-notch job of translating “Aladdin” from the screen to the Broadway stage, where it likely is to fly high for a long time to come.

“Aladdin” continues at the New Amsterdam Theater, 214 W. 42nd St., New York. Call (866) 870-2717 or visit www.aladdinthemusical.com.