It’s been a hectic year for Ainsley; who only retired from the hit international children’s musical group Hi-5 earlier this year.

After Hi-5 he played the lead role in Xanadu which opened at the Hayes Theatre in May, running for four weeks and after it wound up he went straight into rehearsals for Aladdin, which opened at the Capital Theatre on Thursday night.

Based on Disney’s award winning animated film, Aladdin the Musical is considered one of the largest productions ever mounted in Australia with a total cast of 37, a staggering 337 costumes and 70 tonnes of scenery and automation in an unforgettable theatrical event lauded by the New York Times as “fabulous”.

An unprecedented 1,225 different fabrics, 712 different styles of beads, almost 500,000 Swarovski crystals and 161 pairs of custom-made shoes have been used to make the glittering costumes, predominantly handcrafted in Sydney.

Thirty tonnes of exotic flying scenery and 40 tonnes of automation and staging have been built to recreate the fantasy city of Agrabah including the colourful marketplace, the lush palace of The Sultan and his princess daughter Jasmine and the legendary Cave of Wonders.

It’s a long way from where it all began which for Ainsley, was dancing at home in Bathurst as a three-year-old.

He said when he was little as soon as there was music playing he’d get up and start bopping around.

His mum saw he literally loved to dance and enrolled him in tap lessons, and with that his future direction was set.

Add to that his love of Fred Astaire movies, which he watched as a child with his dad, and his passion for dance was ignited.

Fast forward nearly 20 years and after graduating from Stannies’ Ainsley set off for the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts and from there his career went from strength to strength.

He admits that so much has happened in such a short time, he often finds when he actually stops and thinks about it, he gets a big smile on his face.

After graduating from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts things moved quickly for Ainsley; he was part of a travelling showcase with the Academy when a casting agent gave him the brief for Hi-5.

One week later he was part of the group, where he remained for three years.

He recalls his time there fondly saying it was “bigger then he ever could have expected.”

“We had a TV series, recorded albums, travelled all around the world, it was great.”

Ainsley said he feels very lucky to have enjoyed success so early in his career, and said when he was given the roles in both Xanadu and Aladdin it seemed each step he was taking was something newer and bigger.

In media interviews held in Sydney last week, Ainsley said he is bringing a touch of Aussie charm to Agrabah in the stage show.

He said he was thrilled to get the lead role of Aladdin, and like a lot of kids, grew up loving the animated movie the show is based on.

He said he felt the pressure of re-imagining him, but said he tried to make the character his own, by adding the bit that makes him “a real three-dimensional human being.”

Thomas Schumacher, president and Producer of Disney Theatrical productions said he was hugely proud of the Australian production.

“The more we work here the more we are impressed by a deep pool of musical theatre talent  that only continues to grow,” he said.

Aladdin on stage runs until Sunday, October 23 at the Capital Theatre, Sydney.

Tickets start from $60 for adults.