This blog is dedicated to Disney's Aladdin: Broadway's New Musical Comdey. Following a successful Pilot Production at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre in 2011, and regional and international productions in 2012, Disney announced that Aladdin would be coming to Broadway in 2014. Aladdin had it's pre-Broadway engagement at Toronto's Ed Mirvish Theatre and opened on Broadway 20th March 2014.
What's this? What's this? James Monroe Iglehart is producing something extra special this Halloween!
In support of The Actors Fund and the Lymphoma Research Foundation, Broadway's original Genie and current Hamilton star James Monroe Iglehart is teaming up with some of his friends to present a one night only charity concert version of The Nightmare Before Christmas!
"We're extremely grateful to Tim Burton, Danny Elfman and the Disney Music Group for allowing us the opportunity to bring our virtual concert interpretation of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas to everyone this Halloween," said James about the one night only event which will be available to stream for 24 hours starting at 7pm (ET) on Saturday, October 31st.
Joining James, who will of course be playing Oogie Boogie, will be Rafael Casal as Jack, Adrienne Warren as Sally, Danny Burstein as Santa, Nik Walker as Lock, Leslie Margherita as Shock and Rob McClure as Barrel. Bringing the rest of Halloween Town and Christmas Town to life is Kathryn Allison, Jenni Barber, Erin Elizabeth Clemons, Fergie L. Philippe, Jawan M. Jackson and Brian Gonzales! These Broadway stars will be getting into the fiendish festive spirit of things using only props and clothing from around the home as they recreate Burton's seasonal classic.
You can buy your ticket now via Vimeo on Demand for just $4.99, so get set for some ghoulish delights all whilst helping two incredible causes! Don't miss it!
Ainsley Melham in the Australian production of Aladdin
"Hail! Your attention I pray. Oh, ye people of Agrabah. THIS IS OUR LUCKY DAY!!"
Your wish is granted! The magic of Disney Theatrical's Aladdin is coming to Disney+ later this year!
Whilst we're still awaiting the official announcement from Disney, a sharp eyed fan found the poster for the upcoming musical event and shared it on Twitter:
When Aladdin closed in London's West End last year, Disney took advantage of having an empty theatre to create a very special recording. Bringing together an all star international cast under the guidance of original director and choreographer Casey Nicholaw, the show was fine tuned for film and recorded across five days before bringing in a live audience for a special recorded performance.
This truly was a once in a lifetime event, bringing together original cast members from Broadway, Australia, the West End and the US Tour to create a timeless version of the show. Headlined by the West End's Trevor Dion Nicholas as Genie and Australia's Ainsley Melham as Aladdin, the cast stars the US Tour's Isabelle McCalla as Princess Jasmine, Broadway's Jonathan Freeman and Don Darryl Rivera as the villainous Jafar and Iago, Broadway's Brian Gonzales as Babkak, Australia's Robert Tripolino as Omar, and Broadway's Brandon O'Neill as Kassim, along with the West End ensemble of Aladdin.
I was lucky enough to attend the filmed performance last August and it was truly magical. It was a little surreal to see cameras and film crew on the stage so I can't wait to see how the final movie looks. After Newsies and Hamilton I have high hopes that this is going to be something truly special. The cast was fantastic, it was incredible to see these cast members come together and getting the chance to see people I've not seen before in the roles. It really was a one of a kind production and I'm insanely excited for it to be shared with the world.
I actually wrote a piece on this film performance for Movie News Net last year after Disney confirmed that the filming had taken place (I'm so glad they did as not talking about it for a year would have driven me insane). Looking back now I can see I didn't do a similar piece for this blog. I have no idea why that is and I'm so sorry that I didn't.
Back then I speculated that the plan would be for the recording to be shown in cinemas first before coming to Disney+ like Newsies did. But, as with Hamilton, if that was the plan then the current pandemic changed things. Whilst we're still awaiting an official date, the poster does confirm that Aladdin: The Broadway Musical will be arriving this year. Honestly, I think this is coming at the perfect time. If ever we needed a little joy and theatrical magic, now is the time.
Stay safe everyone. Broadway will be back, and now we have a little theatrical magic to look forward to.
July ended with a rare bit of good news for 2020 - Alan Menken finally won his Emmy and became one of only sixteen people in the world to be an EGOT winner (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) for Tangled's Waiting in the Wingswith Glenn Slater. Technically it's his second Emmy as he was already awarded an honorary Emmy in 1990. He's also, as D23 pointed out, a LEGOT as he is an official Disney Legend, and, as Menken himself points out, a REGOT as he won a Razzie for Newsies. I'm not sure which order you'd put all those letters in (LEGOTR? REGOTL?) but I'm pretty sure Alan Menken is the only one in the world to win them all!
Hot on the heels of that tremendous award, last night Alan took part in a special charity event for the Walt Disney Family Museum, playing his incredible song book for a virtual fundraiser in support of the museum's At-Promise Youth Animation Academy.
And what a performance it was! Two incredible medleys encompassing almost off of Alan's work for Disney, plus a few extra gems like Little Shop and Galavant thrown in for good measure. This was literally the soundtrack of my life. And I could listen to Alan and Lin-Manuel Miranda talk about musicals in animation all day. That was just a delightful discussion and some great advice from two masters.
And, yes I did tear up when he started singing Proud of Your Boy. Every time I hear Alan sing it, it just gets me. No one sings it quite like he does.
If you missed the performance last night you can watch it now on YouTube and donations for the fundraiser will be open for the next week if you're able to support it.
And if you haven't seen the incredible Tangled: The Series (and if not check it out on Disney+, it's Disney's best animated series in years and even features Aladdin's own James Monroe Iglehart!) here's the song that finally won Alan his competitive Emmy Award!
I just want to say a massive thank you to the Disney Family Museum for hosting this event (living in the UK I never get to see Alan in concert so this was the opportunity of a life time for me) and a massive congratulations to Alan on his EGOT!
As the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak sees much of the world remain on lockdown, the theatrical community has pulled together to provide some light and joy in these dark times. From Instagram live chats and concerts to dance choreography lessons and even full shows, the theatrical community has shown that the show will always go on as they keep a song in our hearts.
As part of ABC's "Day of Hope" last week, Disney Theatrical stars past and present, including Aladdin's James Monroe Iglehart and Michael James Scott, joined together to perform Alan Menken and David Zippel'sGo The Distance in honour of all of those on the frontlines of the pandemic.
Tonight, James Monroe Iglehart will reunite with the cast of Broadway's Aladdin to lead them in the show stopping Friend Like Me as part of ABC's Disney Family Singalong at 8pm Eastern. They will be joined by an all star celebrity line up singing some of the most beloved songs in the Disney canon to bring the magic of music into your homes.
Then, tomorrow night, Broadway Cares will be presenting a special presentation of last year's 25th anniversary concert. Recorded live last November, the concert celebrated 25 years of Disney on Broadway with songs and stars from every production from Beauty and the Beast to Frozen. Now, Broadway Cares will be streaming the concert to help all of those in the Broadway community affected by the current crisis. The live stream will be hosted by Ryan McCarton and begins at 7pm Eastern. And from 6pm make sure you check out the Broadway Cares Facebook Live where Syndee Winters will be hosting a Q&A with some of the nights stars including Aladdin's Adam Jacobs and Marisha Wallace. The concert will be available to watch for one week.
On Saturday, April 18th, Adam and Arielle Jacobs will take part in Rising Talent Magazine's Instagram Live Concert where stars will appear for five to fifteen minutes to sing a song and take a few questions to help raise money for The Actors Fund. Adam's set is scheduled for 12:30 EST, I'm not sure on Arielle's time yet but will add it here if it's announced ahead of time.
And there's so much more.
Aladdin's Dance Captain Nikki Long joins with Jennifer Rias and Donald Jones to teach some of the dance choreography for Arabian Nights:
Matt Croke shared this fantastic video of his final performance of Proud of Your Boy that was taken last year;
The princesses may be on lockdown but that didn't stop Courtney, Susan Egan and Laura Osnes from working some magic with their fairy godfairy for this fun little twist on Go The Distance;
James Monroe Iglehart performed a Disney medley on Good Morning America
And I've already posted the 5th Avenue's long distance master class on theatrical comedy with Don Darryl Rivera!
Alan Menken himself has been singing from his legendary songbook on The Rosie O'Donnell Show in aid of The Actors Fund (and confirms that yes they are still working on the stage adaptation of Hercules!)
Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre shared some of Gregg Barnes' original costume concepts for Aladdin's Pilot Production back in 2011.
There's even some Zoom backgrounds available to make you feel like you're right in the heart of magical Agrabah!
Just remember, somebody always has your back, as James, Michael, Telly Leung and Arielle Jacobs proved when they answered Trevor Noah's call to recreate the hopeful singing that was heard in Italy.
And there's so much more. Make sure you keep you eyes on Michael James Scott and the official Disney Broadway Instagram as Agrabah's fierce Genie has been hosting frequent Instagram Take Overs with his fabulous friends.
Stay at home. Stay safe. There will be a whole new world waiting for you to return to when this is over.
Who's up for an Instagram take over? Aladdin's resident Genie, Michael James Scott is hosting a fierce take over of Disney Theatrical's official Instagram account TODAY!
Taking place at 4:30PM EST, Michael will be going live with special guest Ciara Renee (Hunchback of Notre Dame's Esmeralda and Broadway's new Elsa). In these dark times this is bound to be a bright spot of Disney magic so don't miss it!
If you're looking for some brightness in this dark time, the chances are you've already turned to James Monroe Iglehart. From his search for soup on Instagram to his Disney Medley on Good Morning America, James has been keeping people laughing even as Broadway's lights are dark.
So make sure you check out Angelique Roche's Creative Quarantine podcast tonight for a live streamed conversation with the man behind the magic at 3PM EST/12PM PST
Let's be honest, we could all use some good news and a laugh at the moment. So why not sign up for The 5th Avenue's Friday at the 5th?
With the theatre closed The 5th are taking their student program online with a series of webinars on Zoom. And the first is a workshop and discussion with Aladdin's Don Darryl Rivera - Make 'Em Laugh! Musical Comic Relief in Uncertain Times.
This free online workshop and discussion takes placeTODAY but you might still have time to sign up at The 5th's website. As they say, "our favorite shows have a remarkable way of bringing up important issues while never forgetting that humor and joy are a crucial part of the human experience. How have musicals brightened your day? Who are your favorite musical theater sidekicks? What's feeding YOUR musical theater spirit these days?" After playing Broadway's Iago to hilarious perfection for six years (yes, happy sixth anniversary today Aladdin) DDR is the perfect guy to discuss those questions and their answers.
So join DDR and the 5th for a Q&A and "tech-facilitated group hug" this afternoon at 4PM PST!
UPDATE
If you missed it live you can watch the webinar right here on The 5th Avenue's YouTube channel!
