Interview by Rui Pastorin
“Disney The Magic Box” will kick off its 10-show run at The Venetian Theatre in Cotai tomorrow, promising a timeless journey for showgoers of all ages.
Having premiered in Buenos Aires last year, the family-friendly musical has since been performed in Cape Town and Johannesburg in South Africa, Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Doha in Qatar.
The Macau show now marks its debut in China and is among the headlined musicals for the 2nd Macao International Children’s Arts Festivals (MICAF), with Director and Co-Writer Thaddeus McWhinnie Philips and Creative Producer and Co-Writer Felipe Gamba Paredes giving details, along with their excitement, with the Post during an interview at The Venetian Macao in Cotai yesterday.
Bringing the Magic Box to Macau
Philips, a theatre artist and director from the US who has presented a raft of works worldwide, remarked that he finds China to generally be an “unbelievably amazing place to bring shows”, thinking back at how it proved to be “one of the most extraordinary experiences” he had in a theatre with the audiences during a previous unrelated performance.
Having Macau as the place for the show was a clear choice, said Paredes, citing its multicultural elements, rich history and being an entertainment destination with top-level resorts and facilities. It is also a melting pot of cultures, something their show shares as it has a creative team of members from places such as Argentina, Columbia, Mexico, South Africa and the US, added Columbia-born Paredes, who served close to 15 years as vice-president of International Strategy & Licensed Partnerships for Disney Theatrical Group (DTG), the Broadway division of The Walt Disney Studios and producers of various global hits.
A magic box that features all of Disney & celebrates imagination
The 90-minute musical, co-created by Paredes and Philips, who was also responsible for the scenic design of the musical, will feature characters and excerpts from over 75 classic songs from Disney films. And entering a magic box featuring them is protagonist Mara, altogether presenting a theatrical adventure that incorporates puppetry with iconic characters, choreography, and striking visuals.
The song excerpts are from important songs and hits, the significant parts of which are used as anchors to link the whole production together, said Philips, who also described the musical as being “all of Disney in this magic box, where pieces are going to kind of fall out”, with its music and its elements curated from a wealth of important material spanning generations across Disney’s history.
Taking various elements and pieces from Disney and weaving excerpts together, audiences can see a show “in which you’re watching Disney on many different levels, generations and time periods all at the same time”, adding that a multi-generational family can watch the same show and experience it “in a very different way”, said Philips.
Paredes likened the experience to taking a lift, wherein depending on your relationship to Disney and the content, as well as your age and origin, “you get off on your floor and you’re still all together. But there’s many entry points”.
In this regard, both interviewees highlighted their aim to create something that can be equally enjoyed by children, young adults, and older adults, all delivered “in a very special way”. And it isn’t just for the fans, as Philips pointed out that it was made in a way that it exists on its own. “It shows the power of how so many of these songs and even images can speak to us on their own”.
Altogether, it presents a show that has the adventurous, cinematic and playful feeling of Disney material, according to two co-writers, with the music particularly connecting everyone together, regardless of age.
During the show, both Paredes and Philips noted that younger showgoers might recognise excerpts from the ever popular Frozen and Moana movies, while some older audience members may view it through a lens of nostalgia. And with these in mind, Paredes highlighted this important element: the ability to bring generations together, creating different, but ultimately unifying experiences.
“There’s a very big but beautiful, moving, joyful sense of nostalgia about your own childhood. And the little ones probably will enter it with that sense of adventure, of a new story and recognising a lot of familiar, playful, fun things. But in the end, in our experience, the generation barriers are completely deleted and everybody in the audience is the same age. Everybody is a kid again. And that is a magical thing to observe”, according to Paredes.
The musical is also “a celebration of the power of imagination, of anybody’s and everybody’s imagination”, noted Paredes, adding: “Above Disney is our own ability of each of us, as humans, to create. And that is what enriches our lives. Disney, in a way, is the trigger that helps us celebrate our own ability to create”.
“Disney The Magic Box” will be staged this weekend, and from next Friday through Sunday at The Venetian Theatre. One can find more details on https://www.venetianmacao.com/entertainment/disney-the-magic-box-musical-2025.html
Director and Co-Writer Thaddeus McWhinnie Philips (left) and Creative Producer and Co-Writer Felipe Gamba Paredes pose for a photo after yesterday’s interview at The Venetian Macao in Cotai. – Photo: Rui Pastorin
These undated handout photos provided by Sands China yesterday shows performances from the Disney The Magic Box.
