Wednesday 27 April 2016

Aladdin Stars on Tonight at the London Palladium!

Things are starting to look magical in London's West End and tonight the countdown to Aladdin's West End premiere really kicks into high gear as Trevor Dion Nicholas and some of Aladdin's fabulous ensemble take to the stage on Tonight at the London Palladium!!




Make sure you catch the full magical performance tonight at 20:00 on ITV.


Aladdin begins previews at London's Prince Edward Theatre on 27th May and officially opens on 15th June.  Tickets are available here.

Friday 22 April 2016

Trevor Dion Nicholas is London's Genie!

Trevor Dion Nicholas as Genie, Photo by Disney

He's made magic and brought audiences to their feet on Broadway and now he's set to do it all over again in London as Aladdin hits the West End!  Trevor Dion Nicholas is Genie!



 
What a final note!  I can feel my toes tapping to "Friend Like Me" already!
 
Aladdin begins previews at London's Prince Edward Theatre on Friday 27th May and officially opens on Wednesday 15th June.  Tickets are available here.
 
 

Wednesday 20 April 2016

The Cast of Aladdin Host Drama League Nominations Today!


Today at 11AM EST Adam Jacobs, Courtney Reed and James Monroe Iglehart will announce this year's Drama League Awards nominations!

The announcement will be made at Sardi's in New York and, even better, live streamed on Broadway World so make sure you check it out!

Good luck to all the potential nominees!

Aladdin was nominated for 2 Drama League Awards in 2014, Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical and Distinguished Performance Award for James Monroe Igelhart's portrayal of Genie.

UPDATED - And you can now watch the announcement for yourself right here!

Gotta admit, I cracked up when James did his little backtrack after saying they were announcing the awards!  But my favourite moment had to be the smile they all shared when Adam announced Andrew Keenan-Bolger as a nominee for the Distinguished Performance Award, it just made my heart glad and I couldn't help but smile with them.

I just want to say a massive congratulations to all nominees and give a special shout out to some Disney/Aladdin alums!

Congratulations to Director/Choreographer Casey Nicholaw and Seattle Omar Andrew Keenan-Bolger, and the entire cast and creative team, on Tuck Everlasting's nomination for Outstanding Production of  Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical!  And a massive congratulations to Andrew for his Distinguished Performance Award nomination!

Congratulations to Samantha Massell, Brandt Martinez and the entire cast and creative team of Fiddler on the Roof for their nomination for Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical!

Congratulations to Director Michael Arden and the entire cast and creative team of Spring Awakening on their nomination for Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical and especially for Deaf West Theatre's Special Recognition Award for Unique Contribution to Theatre!

Good luck and congratulations to all the nominees this year!

Monday 18 April 2016

Dean John-Wilson is London's Aladdin!

Dean John-Wilson, Photo by Helen Maybanks
And here we go!

It's time to give a warm Agrabah welcome to London's very own Aladdin, Dean John-Wilson!



 
I can't get over how amazing it is to hear Dean singing "A Whole New World" and "Proud of Your Boy" and to just know the show is coming to life in London next month!
 
And on a personal note, excellent choice of favourite song!  It's mine too!  I'm so happy that this show brings "Proud of Your Boy" out of the Disney Vault for the whole world to hear.  It's just an incredible piece of music that so many people can connect to on such a personal level.
 
 
Aladdin begins previews at London's Prince Edward Theatre on Friday 27th May and officially opens on Wednesday 15th June.  Tickets are available here.

Tuesday 12 April 2016

The Music Beyond the Magic 2 - Don Darryl Rivera

Don Darryl Rivera, Photo by Broadway World

I hadn't planned to do another Music Beyond the Magic post until the weekend but I just really wanted to post this one!

This is the video that inspired me to start doing these posts.  When Don first shared this on Twitter it just cracked me up.  Whether that says more about Don's fantastic performance and comic timing or my twisted sense of humour I'll let you be the judge!  Oh, and on that note, probably better to say this one's maybe not suited for the kids!  Sure there's no language but it is a song about a stalker so there's that!

Here's Don singing "To Excess" at Contemporary Classics' New Voices 7 in 2009



If you found this as brilliant as I did then make sure you check out his other New Voices videos on YouTube!  I'll be featuring them in future Music Behind the Magic posts but why wait?!

Monday 11 April 2016

The Music Beyond the Magic 1 - Trevor Dion Nicholas

Trevor Dion Nicholas as Genie, Photo by Disney
Welcome to the first Music Beyond the Magic post!

Earlier this year Don Darryl Rivera shared an old performance of his at one of Contemporary Classics' annual New Voices events.  It was a fantastic, and hilarious, performance and it got me thinking about a new feature for this blog.

As anyone who's been reading this blog or following the show knows, the casts of Aladdin are phenomenally talented.  Watching Don's video I decided I wanted to do something to showcase those talents, to see these amazing actors and actresses shine outside of the show.  So here it is!  The Music Beyond the Magic!

And what better way to start than with a man who's talent has now crossed international boundaries?  From the bright lights of Broadway to London's famed West End!  Trevor Dion Nicholas made his Broadway debut with Aladdin and today he started rehearsals for his West End debut as Genie, but that wasn't his first role with Disney!

From 2005-2007 and 2010-2013 Trevor starred as Kiume/Scar in Animal Kingdom's Festival of The Lion King!

You can watch the full show from 2011 right here thanks to Undercover Tourist and Trev's rendition of "Be Prepared" at 18 minutes!


 
I just want to say a big thanks to Kerry for finding the video and to Trev for confirming the dates!  As for that video of Don?  Maybe next time!


Sunday 10 April 2016

Disney's Aladdin Begins London Rehearsals!


Today is the day!!

For the first time the complete cast and creative team of the West End production of Aladdin are gathered together as rehearsals for the show begin!

I just want to take this moment to wish everyone involved the very best of luck and I hope you all enjoy this creative journey you're about to begin.  Make the show your own and enjoy every moment, because it's that energy and passion that shines on stage and makes this show so magical.

Let's make some magic everyone!!