He's a poor boy from the streets. She's the daughter of a sultan. Can their love defy the odds? Find out when Columbia High School performs "Disney's Aladdin JR." The school will present the show on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, March 25, 26 and 27. Performances will be at 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Seating is limited to 120 people at each performance, and mask wearing and social distancing will be required.

"Disney's Aladdin JR." is an adaptation of the Disney movie "Aladdin." "It's about a boy who meets the love of his life, but he needs a genie to help him achieve his dreams," said Isaiah Spencer, a sophomore who portrays Aladdin in the show. "Audiences can expect fun, excitement and some surprises."

Alexis Phillips, a sophomore who plays Aladdin's love interest, Princess Jasmine, emphasized that the show will be a family-friendly night of entertainment. "It's a really funny show, full of spirit and energy," she stated.

The Columbia production features a cast of 14 along with several "performing crew members," said director Janet Wood. "I call them 'performing crew members' because they do more than just move something on stage," she explained. "They perform in some of the musical numbers."

The cast and crew also features Madison Quarry, Isaiah Manfred, Alayna Morales, Alaina Riedel, Megan VanBuren, Alissa Phillips, Samia Anderson, Raiden Ferrer, Carly VanBuren, Amina Williams, Ciara Ramos, Levi Spencer, Jalaysha Gonzales, AJ Morales and Alex Phillips.

Wood said choosing to do a "junior" version of a Disney show gave her the needed flexibility for a particularly uncertain year.

"It's a one-act musical," she noted. "The music is very challenging, and the production elements are challenging, but it's a shorter show, which means it requires less time for everyone to be together on stage or in the audience." The show also uses a prerecorded soundtrack, which eliminates the need for a pit orchestra and reduces the number of students needed for the performance.

"Traditional Disney shows are not available for streaming either, so this gave us that option since Disney JR. shows are," she added.

Wood, who has been directing shows at Columbia for 13 years, said having to cancel last year's musical at the last minute was devastating to the cast and crew.

"Two-thirds of the kids who were in that show are in this one," she noted, "so they are very excited to be back on stage and to have the chance to perform this year."

Tickets for "Disney's Aladdin JR" will be available at the door.