Every beggar has a story and every camel has a tale in Agrabah, Aladdin’s home town.

Welcome to the magical world of “Aladdin Jr.,” a stage adaptation of the Disney film featuring 30 local youngsters. It opens Aug. 3 and runs through Aug. 13 at the Whidbey Playhouse in Oak Harbor.

“The show is filled with magic, mayhem and magic carpet rides,” said Ken Grigsby, the producer.

Throw in a genie who can grant three wishes, add romance between Aladdin and Princess Jasmine, toss in hilarious one-liners, and the show is designed to entertain people of all ages.

Mary Kay Hallen, the director, said it is difficult to imagine a more talented group of young people. The cast includes a wide range of ages, and experienced stage veterans as well as new comers to the stage.

Bringing the diversity of talents together into a polished production posed some interesting challenges since the roles were cast at auditions in June.

“I have shrieked, cajoled, whimpered, whined, despaired, swelled with pride, grinned and laughed out loud since June,” Hallen wrote in her director’s note.

Educating youngsters cuts both ways. She’s learned that swords slide down between stage platforms and disappear, as can rings, scripts and shoes.

Audience seating was changed for this show. The performers appear on the stage and directly before audiences on the theater floor, an arrangement called a thrust stage.

Hallen made the staging decision along with choreographer Jessica Eickhoff.

“When Miss Jessica started moving 30 bodies around on the stage and asked ‘Where are they all going to be?’ the decision was made in mid-rehearsal,” Hallen said.

Eickhoff said the dances are designed to ensure every cast member has at least one special moment in the show.

Julia Locke had the delightful job of tuning the young voices to the Academy award-winning score that includes the popular songs “A Whole New World” and “A Friend Like Me.”

The script provides a showcase for youngsters playing both lead and supporting roles.

James Ezell Reynolds, 17, is making his acting debut as Aladdin. A senior at Oak Harbor High School, he is well known for his singing talents.

Reynolds said he has always wanted to act and was ready to try something. He auditioned for a junior role in the show and was thrilled to be cast as Aladdin.

Candice Baker, 16, started making stage appearances as a model when she was only 18 months old. Dancing and acting have played major roles in her life since she was 7.

A junior at Oak Harbor High School, her Whidbey Playhouse roles include Marta in “The Sound of Music,” Annie in “Annie,” and Dream Chava in “Fiddler on the Roof.”

Baker said she enjoys playing Jasmine because of the range the role provides. “It’s not just one emotion,” she said.

Multi-talented Brian Culbertson, 16, plays the role of Jafar, the meanest dude in the Sultan’s palace. His sidekick is a wise-cracking parrot, Iago, played by sixth grader Denae McGaha.

A playhouse veteran, Keath Vincent Worley, a senior at Oak Harbor High school, is the Genie, an indispensable role in a tale about wishes that can come true.

If Worley’s mother, producer Hallen, could have three wishes granted, she’d ask for a comprehensive children’s theater training program, money to support the program and lots more volunteers to help put on shows such as “Aladdin.”

The way Reynolds sees it, appearing at the Whidbey Playhouse generates positive feedback for young people like himself, who are exploring the dimensions of their talents and working hard to perform to the best of their abilities.

Personally, “I love the attention,” Reynolds said with a smile.