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.
Showing posts with label Andrew Keenan-Bolger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Andrew Keenan-Bolger. Show all posts
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!
Hello and welcome to the first Aladdin musical news post of 2016! (Last week's 2015 round up totally doesn't count!)
With this being a new year and Aladdin soaring to international success I figured it was time to make a few changes to the way I've done things before and make these posts a bit more organised than they've been in the past... or at least try to!
So let's start on some fantastic news! Aladdin rang in the New Year by breaking the New Amsterdam house record for the 11th time, taking $2,398,110.00 and beating the previous record, set only the week before, by over $300,000! Aladdin's record breaking run made it the 3rd highest-grossing show of 2015! Massive congratulations to the cast, creative team and everyone at the New Amsterdam Theatre who bring this magical show to life! What an incredible way to start the year!
And New Year, new cast member! Please give a warm Agrabah welcome to Giuseppe Bausilio who joined the cast on 6th January!! Welcome to the show Guiseppe, I wish you a fantastic run!
As well as looking forward, New Year is also a time to look back and reflect on the year that was. And that's exactly what Disney Theatrical did with this video of their Best Moments of 2015;
Aladdin Broadway - Cast News
This section will feature everyone's favourite citizens of Agrabah! The amazingly talented cast of Broadway's Aladdin! Here you'll find links to interviews, news about upcoming performances and maybe even a few videos!
Adam Jacobs sang the National Anthem at the Brooklyn Nets V. Boston Celtics game earlier this month. Sadly it's not turned up on YouTube yet but I'll keep looking! Congratulations Adam!
Courtney Reed as Princess Jasmine, Photo by Cylla Von Tiedemann
Aladdin's Nathan Lucrezio has released tribute video to Michael Flatley showcasing his incredible dancing skills!
As someone with two left feet I wish I could move like that! Absolutely amazing!
And if you need any more reasons to love this totally crazy, but totally amazing, cast then just check out these pictures and videos from Courtney's Instagram showing just when the cast get up to in their rehearsal breaks! Here and here!
Aladdin Broadway - Creative Team News
Want to know what Aladdin's incredible creative team did next? Well this is the section for you. Expect lots of Alan Menken updates to dominate this section!
Speaking of Alan Menken - you are watching ABC's Galavant, right? If not then check it out! It's hilarious!! A weekly dose of Menken/Slater music can't help but make you smile!
And Alan was also Lin-Manuel Miranda's special guest for the first ever digital #Ham4Ham performance! You can check out their brilliant Little Mermaid medley below;
On Tuesday 19th January the Metropolitan Room will be host to Gone to Soon - Now and Forever an evening of Howard Ashman celebrating the life and music of the musical genius who helped inspire generations. You can read more about the event and purchase tickets here.
Hot off the success of Aladdin in 2014 and Something Rotten! last year, Casey Nicholaw is bringing Tuck Everlasting to Broadway this Spring!Tuck also reunites Casey with his original Omar, Andrew Keenan-Bolger (Newsies, Submissions Only), who starred in the successful Atlanta pilot last year. Previews are due to begin 31st March with Opening Night set for 26th April. If his previous shows are anything to go by then this will be a hit!
Aladdin Broadway - Old Friends
They may no longer be with the show, but they'll always be in our hearts. This section is for news and updates on those who have left Agrabah behind for new adventures.
Brian Gonzales, James Monroe Iglehart, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Adam Jacobs and Brandon O'Neill in 5th Avenue's Aladdin, Photo by Chris Bennion
Genie & Babkak's former Stand By Michael James Scott is currently starring in Casey Nicholaw's latest smash, Something Rotten!, and took some time out to talk with Broadway Box about why he loves the show and why Casey Nicholaw is his Broadway Genie!
Last week original Aladdin cast member Marisha Wallace and Nick Rashad Burroughs sold out their 54 Below show Baptized by Broadway! Due to the overwhelming response Marisha's even hinted that they could do another show! Congratulations both!!
Aladdin International
After becoming "the surprise hit of the season" on Broadway Aladdin has continued to soar to a whole new world of success. Last year saw productions open in Tokyo and Hamburg and this year will see new productions opening in London and Sydney with more still to be announced! This section is all about the international productions of the show. And I'll admit right now that it'll probably have a pretty heavy London bias as I can't wait to see that show!!
The Wall Street Journal this week posted an interesting piece on how Disney Theatrical is subtly tweaking the international productions of Aladdin to appeal to their national audiences (like renaming Kassim to Kasser in Germany as nothing rhymes with Kassim!)
You can check out footage from the Tokyo production right here;
The Hamburg production;
And finally, some interviews and footage from Hamburg's Opening Night last month;
With Aladdin due to open in London in a few short months, London Theatre Direct took a look at some little known facts about the animated classic and the Broadway sensation. You can read Part 1 and Part 2 right here.
Other Disney Stuff!
And finally this section. With the cast album coming up next week (so hyped!) I'm expecting this section to be mostly about The Hunchback of Notre Dame for now, but we'll just see what happens in the future. After all, I'm sure Disney Theatrical have lots of exciting projects coming up and there's a live action Beauty and the Beast movie coming next year.
And now for something very special. Last weekend saw the curtain fall for the final time on Disney's Californian Adventure's Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular. The Orange County Register was there to talk with fans as the magic carpet soared away for the last time. This is one of those shows I always wanted to see. It was one of the reasons I wanted to go to the original Disneyland one day. My friend posted this to my Facebook page this week (they know me so well!) so now I'm going to leave you with the full last ever performance of Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular!
Adam Jacobs, Courtney Reed and James Monroe Iglehart as Aladdin, Jasmine and Genie
Has it really been a month since I posted one of these? I know I've covered the big headlines like Aladdin opening in Tokyo and celebrating 500 performances on Broadway but that barely scratches the surface of what this fabulous cast have been up to! So it's time to play a little catch up with all the residents of the fictional city of Agrabah!
Later this month Aladdin and The Lion King will both be hosting special matinee performances as part of Playbill's Family Day OUT. Part of Playbill's second annual Playbill Pride, the June 13th event invites LGBT families and allies to a pre-matinee party and lunch with cast members from both shows followed by a 2pm matinee performance. More details can be found at Playbill though tickets are now sold out for both shows.
At the end of last month James Monroe Iglehart hosted the A Broader Way Karaoke Benefitto raise money for A Broader Way, the initiative set up by Idina Menzel and Taye Diggs to help offer girls from urban communities an outlet for self-expression and creativity through the arts. But this is James. He didn't just host, he doesn't just sing, he freestyle raps!!
May was a big month for James as he had his first 54 Below show How the Heck Did I Get Here? Before the event Playbill had a short preview showing off his fantastic freestyle rap skills (seriously, I will never know how people do that! I'd totally run out of words!)
If that wasn't enough James was also The Broadway League's social media correspondent for Broadway's annual Stars in the Alley on 27th May. You can see a LOT more from that event on James' Twitter and Instagram.
James even found time to take part in Schmackary's annual Broadway Bakes event to raise money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Broadway World has pictures from the event. And I have to say, this year was my 4th visit to NYC but only my first visit to Schmackary's and I now have a new favourite cookie! Seriously, never mind the shows I'd be tempted to fly back to NYC just for one of those cookies! They need to open a UK store!!
And after all that he still had time to appear on the Denzel Washington podcast live from Union Hall! You can listen to the full podcast right here!
He may not be up for an award this year but James will be back on the Tonys tonight! Along with fellow Tony Award winner Jessie Mueller he will co-host The Creative Arts Awards which celebrate the hard work of the often unsung behind the scenes heroes who make the shows possible.
And James returned The Electric Company to teach phonic "I blends" his own special way. If you live in America you can view it here.
Last month Adam Jacobs took part in a concert production of Sweet Smell of Success to benefit the American Cancer Society. Broadway.com were on hand to record some of the event, including some of Adam's performance, which you can see here;
This is a rare treat - The Japan News has posted an interview with the Tokyo casts' Genies in English! Here Mitsuyuki Doguchi and Hisashi Takiyama talk about their shared role!
Disney on Broadway's YouTube Channel has posted a few more Aladdin videos this month as they use Etch A Sketch to draw the lamp and go behind the scenes of the cast recording with "A Whole New World". I just love that one year on "Broadway's New Musical Comedy" is now "Broadway's Hit Musical Comedy".
I missed posting this at the time (England's Mother's Day is in March) but Aladdin posted a great little Mother's Day video on Instagram last month.
Remember that recipe video that Disney on Broadway released as part of Aladdin's 1st anniversary? Well now you can get a closer look at all the dishes on Pin Interest.
And if you're like me and still haven't bought one yet, Aladdin keeps posting pictures on Instagram that make you remember - yes you do want your very own Genie Bear!
Aladdin's legendary composer Alan Menken is certainly keeping busy! Last month it was announced that Galavant would be returning for second season (which is fantastic as I loved the first season and was dreading it ending on that cliffhanger!), then came the news that Tangled is getting a TV series in 2017 with Alan Menken and Glenn Slater penning new songs!As I have fond memories of growing up with Aladdin: The Series I think this is wonderful news and a big step in the right direction for the Disney Channel. The fact that they've waiting this long and not just done it quickly to cash in on the film's success and they've got Alan Menken and Glenn Slater involved gives me very high hopes for the quality of this show. And if that's not enough yesterday saw the debut of his newest stage musical The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz at the Segal Centre in Montreal. The show runs now through 28th June and tickets are available here. Oh, and he's also working on a live action adaptation of one of his greatest Disney classics - Beauty and the Beast! Like I said, he's definitely keeping busy!
It may seem hard to believe but this time last year we were all crossing our fingers that Aladdin would take home some Tony Awards! I remember watching a live stream and waking my wife up with a cheer of joy when James Monroe Iglehart won! This year Aladdin's incredibly talented director/choreographer Casey Nicholaw has been nominated again (for both direction and choreography) for his new show Something Rotten! which is also up for the best musical award. Something Rotten! re-teamed Casey with Aladdin's costume designer Gregg Barnes who is up for Best Costume Design of a Musical. I still think it's criminal that Gregg wasn't nominated for Aladdin's amazing costumes so I really have my fingers crossed for him this year! It total Something Rotten! is up for an incredible 10 awards, so congratulations to Casey and his entire team on that phenomenal achievement. Broadway.com have posted a great video interview with Casey about his Tony secrets. Aladdin's scenic designer, Bob Crowley is up for an incredible 4 awards this year including Best Scenic Design of a Play and Best Scenic Design of a Musical and also Best Costume Design in both categories as well! I want to wish them all the very best of luck! I can't promise I'll stay up until 5am watching this time but I'm rooting for you! You can see all of this year's nominees here and The Tony Awards will air live on CBS tonight!
The list of shows I want to see next time I'm in NYC just seems to keep growing. Aladdin again (of course!), Something Rotten! and now it's been announced that Casey Nicholaw's Tuck Everlasting is coming to Broadway next year! The show will begin previews March 19th 2016 with an official opening night already set for 17th April 2016. Andrew Keenan-Bolger, who played Omar in Aladdin's 5th Avenue Pilot Production, starred in this year's Premiere Production of Tuck Everlasting so hopefully he'll stay with the cast and I'll finally get to see him in something! And if Prince of Egypt with Norm Lewis does ever happen then I think I'll need to look at a much longer stay in the city than just a weekend next time!
And if you want to be in one of Casey's shows then you might want to read this fascinating interview he did with Playbill where he discusses what he looks for in the people he casts. It seems the golden rule, like Genie tells Aladdin, is to just be yourself!
I've written previously about the inspiring story of Kylie Myers who touched the heart of Broadway and of the Aladdin cast in particular. Though Kylie sadly passed away before she could make her Broadway debut in a walk-on role in Aladdin her legacy lives on and Kylie made her Broadway debut in April in a Times Square public service announcement for The Truth 365;
We all love Aladdin's fantastic costumes and know that Gregg Barnes is responsible for designing them. But what happens after that? Here's an interesting little piece on the man responsible for providing most of Broadway (including Aladdin) with its footwear. Like the article says, if you're doing big dance numbers eight shows a week then good footwear is essential!
Aladdin's TV appearances keep coming as the show will feature on ABC's The Bachelorette tomorrow night! According to the press release "a group of men audition, trying to sing and dance their way into the Bachelorette's heart with hopes of being chosen to be featured with her in that night's performance of Disney's "Aladdin", the Tony-winning hit Broadway musical." You can see some behind the scenes pictures over at Broadway World and even more at Buddy TV.
One of the best things I've learnt about Broadway whilst doing this blog is how much people want to give back and help nurture the next generation. The Purple Box Theatre Kids recently visited New York as part of the Voices of Broadway program and had an incredible experience, including singing on stage with the cast of Aladdin! You can read all about their amazing journey right here.
And speaking of inspiring the next generation, it sounds like Aladdin did just that for the Highlands High School Variations Show Choir on their trip to NYC last month! You can read their story right here.
Samantha Massell went from Aladdin at The Muny to the US Premiere Production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, now she's returning to The Muny with Hunchback's Andrew Samonsky as they join The Lion King's original Nala, Heather Headley, in Into the Woods this July. Samantha and Andrew also took part in 54 Below's #tbt Throwback Thursday: The Concert last month, which sounds like it was a great night (you can see Samantha singing "It's Raining on Prom Night" here).
VACATION ALERT - Adam Jacobs will be away June 23rd-25th, for those performances Rodney Ingram will be bringing the title character to life. If you want to see Rodney as Aladdin this is a great opportunity as it's rare to know when an understudy will be performing in advance.
And speaking of vacations! Adam, Courtney, James and most of Aladdin's talented ensemble took a little trip last weekend to Walt Disney World to take part in the 2015 IPW convention to promote US travel and tourism. You can see plenty of great photos on Twitter and Instagram of their time in the parks but it was their Sing Off with the cast of The Lion King that made the news! Delayed for 6 hours at La Guardia the two casts treated other stranded passengers to show songs and even some freestyle rap to help pass the time! Disney on Broadway have posted a 4 minute video to their YouTube page but there are longer versions on YouTube. The video below is 14 minutes but it repeats so the full Sing Off is about 7 minutes;
I'm majorly biased but I think the Aladdin cast won!
And finally, round two of Don Darryl Rivera and James Monroe Iglehart's hilarious Scare War!!
Tia Altinay, Khori Michelle Petinaud & Rhea Patterson in Aladdin, Photo by Cylla Von Tiedemann
Welcome to another news round up for Broadway's Aladdin! A shorter edition this week but there's still plenty going on in the magical land of Agrabah.
Broadway World is reporting that Aladdin's Tia Altinay (who understudies Jasmine) will be appearing in tomorrow night's At This Performance... at The Lion Theatre, New York. At This Performance... is a musical showcase created to highlight the talents of Broadway's standbys, understudies and alternates. Tickets are $26.25 each and are available from the box office. For the talent you'd be seeing that's an incredible price so if you're able to attend I'd highly recommend checking it out.
Also on Monday night, Aladdin alumni Andrew Keenan-Bolger will join other Broadway stars performing The Songs of Adam Wachter at Broadway's 54 Below. Further information can be found here. Again, it's a fantastic price to see some extremely talented Broadway performers, so if you are in NYC and looking for something to do tomorrow night you really can't go wrong with either of these events.
Timeout is reporting that Aladdin's Yurel Echezeretta (who understudies Kassim) spent time last week visiting Harrison School of the Arts, talking with the students and even directing and choreographing some scenes for their production of West Side Story (including the classic school dance and rumble scenes) which is being put on as part of the school's 25th anniversary celebration. I guess that technically makes it his directorial debut (or at least co-director), congratulations Yurel!
Ok, now everyone knows that Aladdin's dancers are pretty much the best on Broadway. They dance their butts off 8 shows a week. So if you want to learn then you want to learn from the best. Well, Aladdin's Dance Captain Michael Mindlin is teaching a Dance Audtion Technique Seminar this week on 13th November in NYC. More details can be found at Playbill.
Even when he's on holiday it seems I can't go a week without posting something about James Monroe Iglehart! If you missed Freestyle Love Supreme's show (which JMI is a part of) and you live in the USA then the show is now available on iTunes.
And finally, Broadway.com is asking you to rank your Top 10 Must See Performances on Broadway right now. Aladdin's Adam Jacobs, Courtney Reed, James Monroe Iglehart and Jonathan Freeman have all made the nominations so please give them some support!
From Agrabah to Paris! It's been an exciting week for The Hunchback of Notre Dame as the show last night completed its preview performances. Of course the biggest news of the week was our first official look at the cast. But that wasn't the only news to come out of the La Jolla Playhouse last week.
Theater Mania reported that Ciara Renee (Esmeralda) will be taking part in Broadway Sings P!NK in January 2015. Ciara will be joined by other Broadway stars singing new arrangements of P!NK's pop hits at two concerts to be held in New York on 19th and 25th January. More information, including tickets, can be found here.
In addition to our first look at the cast the La Jolla Playhouse also gave us our first look at the fantastic show merchandise that is available to anyone going to see the show. Since I'm an absolute sucker for Disney's show pins I'll definitely be picking up the pin badge when I see the show next year!
And finally, the San Diego Jewish Journal spoke with Director Scott Schwartz about the show. I swear, the more I read about this show the more excited I get to finally see it!
Ok, that's pretty much it for today. Except for one final thing I'll be back with in a few minutes...
Andrew Keenan-Bolger as Omar (centre) with the Seattle Cast of Aladdin, Photo by Chris Bennion
Sadly this is less a rumour and more a logical deduction. At the end of last week Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Omar in the Seattle Pilot Production of Aladdin, tweeted that he will be starring in his first play Off Broadway later this year, A.R. Gurney's Family Fortunes at The Flea Theatre. This is of course fantastic news for Andrew but the dates of this production (12th November through 22nd December) make it clear that he will not be returning to Aladdin as he will be starring in Family Fortunes in New York whilst Aladdin is having its preview run in Toronto.
Andrew very graciously allowed me to interview him for this blog back in 2011 and I wish him all the best with this new production. I hope that he's in something on Broadway next spring as I'd love to be able to show my support by seeing him on stage.
So with Adam Jacobs apparently confirmed that's 1 in and 1 out so far from the original Seattle cast. Who will be taking Andrew's place? Could it be Randy Aaron or Jason Graae from the Tuacahn or Muny productions or someone completely new? We should hopefully know soon, with the show due to open in just over 2 months the official press release can't be far away!
Adam Jacobs and Courtney Reed as Aladdin and Jasmine, Photo by Mark Kitaoka
Adam Jacobs and Courtney Reed, better known to readers of this blog as Aladdin and Jasmine from last summer's world premiere production of Aladdin: The New Stage Musical, are to share the stage once more in the Paper Mill Playhouse's production of Once on this Island. Like Aladdin,this is a limited production running only from 30th May until 24th June.
Courtney will be playing the role of Andrea and Adam will be playing the role of Daniel in this exciting re-invention of the original production by the Tony Award winning director Thomas Kali (who also directed In the Heights, which Courtney Reed starred in).
Tickets are now on sale at the Paper Mill Playhouse's website so if you can make it to New Jersey whilst this is on, be sure to go see it! For more information on the production, check out the Broadway World article here. Special thanks to Tipawan for bringing this to my attention!!
In related news (and I'm sorry for not reporting on this earlier) The Newsies, which made it's world premiere at the Paper Mill Playhouse last year, has extended it's limited Broadway run through to 19th August. Tickets are on sale here. The Newsies stars another Aladdin alum, Andrew Keenan-Bolger (Omar) as Crutchie, a role he originated at the Paper Mill Playhouse. More details are available here.
Andrew Keenan-Bolger (left), Phto by T. Charles Erickson
I can only hope that after this next round of regional productions and international premieres, Aladdin: The New Stage Musical goes on to share the same level of Broadway success as The Newsies, which has just been nominated for Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical (Jeff Calhoun), Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical (Jeremy Jordan), Best Book of a Musical (Harvey Fierstein), Best Original Score Written for the Theatre (Alan Menken/Jack Feldman), Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Tobin Ost/Sven Ortel), Best Choreography (Christopher Gattelli) and Best Orchestrations (Danny Troob)! Disney's new play Peter and the Starcatcher is also up for several awards, including Best Play and a Best Actress in a Featured Role in a Play nomination for Andrew's sister Celia Keenan-Bolger! Alan Menken's other new musical, Leap of Faith, is also up for Best Musical, meaning he's worked on half of the category!
Two updates today. First get ready to seize the day as tickets for Newsies: The Musical, which stars Andrew Keenan-Bolger (Omar in Aladdin: The New Stage Musical) as Crutchie, are now on sale here. The show is booked for a limited run of just 12 weeks from 15th March until 10th June at New York's Nederlander Theatre, so be sure to get them now whilst they're still hot off the presses as they're sure to go fast.
Ok, that's enough of the bad puns. The second piece of news is that Howard Ashman's sister, Sarah Gillespie has posted a new blog asking for questions for John Musker. As most of you will know John Musker was, along with Ron Clements, co-director of both The Little Mermaid and Aladdin where he worked with Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. If you have a question you'd like to ask (about Howard, John and their work, not necessarily about Aladdin) pop over and say hi! This is an amazing opportunity for any Disney fan to ask a question of one of their best directors. I know I'm going to try and think of one or two!
Hey everyone! Sorry it's been so long since my last post, it's been a busy week! Whilst there's nothing new to report about the show's future, there's still some news to be reported from the show's Seattle run. On that note, check out this interview Inside the Magic conducted with Jonathan Freeman at the end of last month;
Credit for the find goes to Princess of Agrabah from Aladdin Central. The interview starts around the 17 minute mark and contains some new images of Jonathan Freeman as Jafar in the show!
Also, make sure you check out Adam Jacobs' website which he's now updated with photos from Aladdin: The New Stage Musical. We've seen most of them before, but there are a few nice new photos including this beautiful shot of Adam and Courtney as Aladdin and Jasmine;
Adam Jacobs and Courtney Reed as Aladdin and Jasmine, Photo by 5th Avenue
And if you want a fan's review of the show make sure you check out the Agrabah LiveJournal (well technically the review's on Rosanna's LiveJournal, but it's all good)! But be warned there are lots of spoilers as this review covers the show from start to finish, telling you EVERYTHING you want to know about the story, the changes, the characters, etc.
I think that's just about it this time around! Remember, if you're in New York you can catch Jonathan Freeman and Andrew Keenan-Bolger in Mary Poppins(but be quick, AKB will be taking another "break" next month to star in the World Premiere Production of Newsies!), James Monroe Iglehart in Memphis and from next month Adam Jacobs will be taking on the lead role of Simba in The Lion King. Tickets for all are available via the links, but if you're in New York then do yourself a favour and go to the theatre box office, you can use the money you save on fees to get something nice from the show merchandise stand. If I find out what the rest of the cast are doing I'll be sure to post it here!
Oh, and one last thing! Can't believe I almost forgot this! If you live in the UK and can get to London on either 3rd or 10th September then make sure you book tickets to see Aladdin on the big screen at BFI Southbank as part of their "The Disney 50" Season! I think this might be the first time Aladdin's been on the big screen in the UK since it's original release here back in 1993, so make sure not to miss this fantastic event!
Ok, so last night I said don't expect anything soon and this morning I wake up to find an email from AKB in my inbox! Just goes to show how wrong I can be!
Kindly arranged by 5th Avenue, Andrew Keenan-Bolger generously gave up his time to answer some questions about his run in Aladdin: The New Stage Musical and bringing Omar to life!
Hi Andrew,
Firstly just let me say congratulations on winning the role of Omar in Aladdin and thank you for agreeing to do this interview! I really appreciate you taking the time to interact with the fans in this way.
How did you come to be involved in the initial readings/workshops and what did they involve?
I’ve been fortunate to have worked with Disney on a number of productions so when it came to cast the ALADDIN reading, I guess the team was familiar enough with my work to offer the role to me. Originally when my agent called and said I got offered the ALADDIN reading, my response was, “No way! Please tell me I get to play the monkey!”
Having already played the role in the workshop, what was the audition process like for the Seattle production? Although I had done the reading, there were a number of people involved with the production who were new to the project including our brilliant director, Casey Nicholaw. I auditioned like everybody else and went through a callback process before getting cast.
How did you learn that you had got the part and what was your reaction?
Haha, funny story. I actually found out I booked the job from my dressing room mate in MARY POPPINS, the incredible Jonathan Freeman (Jafar in the 5th Avenue producction). I came into work one day and he had this big grin on his face and asked, “How long did you think you could keep a secret from me?! Why didn’t you tell me we’re going to Seattle together?” I was totally confused. I guess news travels quickly. I heard from my agent shortly after.
How much has the show changed from that original reading through to last night’s official opening?
Quite a bit actually. There were 3 or 4 songs that were cut from the reading by the time we got to Seattle and a number of new songs took their place. There was a big overhaul of the second act as well. Up until our opening night there were changes going into the show on a nightly basis. The trio of guys (Babkak, Omar and Kassim) got a reprise of “High Adventure” put in just days before we opened.
What’s it like creating a totally "new" character in such a well loved story?
It was totally rewarding. Recreating a role like Aladdin or The Genie is difficult from the get go because the audience already has such a strong idea in their heads of what to expect. Luckily our actors tackled it brilliantly, but I loved being able to start from scratch. Also, having the writers in the process from beginning to end, they were able to develop the roles of the trio based on what the three of us brought to the table. Brian Gonzales (Babkak) brought such a dry, throw-away sense of humor, so his character started being written more in that vein. Brandon O’Neill (Kassim) emerged as such a natural leader so his part became more the fearless, guy in charge. And for me, well I was really scared of all the sword fighting in the stage combat sections, so it came as no surprise when my rewrites highlighted Omar’s scaredy-cat qualities, hehe.
Andrew Keenan-Bolger as Omar (centre), Photo by Chris Bennion
For those of us who can’t make it to Seattle, can you please tell us a bit about Omar, your approach to the character and his role in the show.
Babkak, Omar and Kassim are Aladdin’s best friends and members in his street band. They were originally conceived by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman for the film. They were later cut but got to see a new light in the stage production. I adore the character of Omar. He’s the youngest member of the band, an ultimate optimist and a hopeless romantic. I found the more time I spent with Omar, the more I realized he was not at all that different from myself. I tried to think of what I’d do in the situations that Omar found himself in. (Example. When Omar cuts his finger in the sword fight, I thought, oh, he would totally faint. Personally, I can’t stand the sight of blood, especially my own!)
What’s it like working with Alan Menken and bringing to life the lost Howard Ashman songs?
It was incredible working with Alan! Not gonna lie, we were all a little intimidated at first. I mean, this guy is an absolute legend! But he couldn’t have been a sweeter, more positive human being. He was always asking us for our input which was both surprising and amazing. Even after 8 Oscars he still wanted to make it a collaborative process and that speaks a lot about his character. Being able to give life to Howard & Alan’s original vision was such an honor. Alan stressed how proud Howard would have been to see their concept onstage. That in and of itself was worth all the hard work.
How do you prepare before a show? Do you have any superstitions or routines that you do before you go on stage each night?
The trio actually had a theme song that we would blast every night in our dressing room. It was Steely Dan’s “The Fez” and we HAD to dance to it before we went onstage or it wouldn’t be a good show. We never missed it, and I like to think every performance pretty much nailed it!
What is the most rewarding part of the show for you, and which part do you find most challenging?
The most rewarding part of working on the show was getting to create our roles with Brian and Brandon. Casey gave us the freedom during rehearsal to come up with a lot of our own bits and adlibs. The most challenging was the fact that a lot of it bombed. Getting the opportunity to fall on your face and know that no one was judging you was the best possible scenario. We ended up coming up with a lot of hilarious stuff. I already miss my boys and hope we get a chance to work together again.
Your 4th July video was fantastic, is there any chance you’ll post more Aladdin videos on your blog? There has to be a wrap party on 31st right ;)
Thanks! 4th of July in Seattle was one of my favorite experiences of the year. I’m so glad we got to document it. I made a music video with our cast for Casey for closing but it’s a little bit irreverent so I think it will be kept on private :)
Looking to the future, do you have any dream roles that you would love to do?
I’m actually about to start work on a show that I’ve dreamed about being turned into a musical since I was a little kid, NEWSIES. To say that I’ve been obsessed with the film would be an understatement. I’m playing the role of Crutchie who I always joked about wanting to play if they ever did a stage version. Getting to play him in the premiere production is truly a dream and getting to reunite with a lot of the brilliant people who worked on ALADDIN is doubly exciting.
And finally, looking back over your career so far, do any moments or performances really stand out as something truly special that you’ll always remember?
When I was twelve I got to play The Little Boy in RAGTIME on tour. Even at that age, I realized I was working on something truly special. Getting to be downstage, center for that opening number with just a wall of sound hitting your back from the forty-plus member cast is forever a defining moment in my decision to do theatre as a living. That musical was so brilliant and getting to be a part of it at such a young age is an experience I wouldn’t trade for anything.
Andrew, thank you so much for your time, it's been a pleasure. All the best for Newsies!
If you want to know more about AKB then make sure you check out his website and his blog (where he frequently posts videos like the amazing 4th July video mentioned above)! And if you can get to New Jersey between 15th September and 16th October, make sure you go and see the Premiere Production of Newsies! The Musical at the Paper Mill Playhouse and support Andrew in person! Tickets are available here.
Aladdin: The New Stage Musical may be ending it's incredible premiere run in Seattle this weekend, but the cast are still finding time for a few high adventures of their own. Like when they visited the SANCA School of Flight for some trapeze lessons! Here's another video blog from Andrew Keenan-Bolger (Omar) of his time in the air.
In an article related to Aladdin, Seattle Weekly talks with Paul Hansen (5th Avenue's percussionist) about his work and his amazing set up for the show (seriously, 35 percussion instruments!)
And thanks to Don Darryl Rivera (Iago) we finally get a better look at some of the absolutely fantastic this show has! In an article for Playbill he guides us through a 2 show day with 23 great photos and some hilarious captions. You simply have to check out the article, but you can find the main costume pictures below.
Sean G Griffin as Sultan, Don Darryl Rivera as Iago and Jonathan Freeman as Jafar, Photo by Don Darryl Rivera
Adam Jacobs as Aladdin, Don Darryl Rivera as Iago and James Monroe Iglehart as Genie, Photo by Don Darryl Rivera
I can't believe that in just a few days this production will have finished! If you're lucky enough to be able to get to Seattle tonight or this weekend, make sure you go and see this show! There's only 5 shows left and in the words of the Sultan "you've only got 3 more days" so make sure you check it out whilst you still can! Tickets are available here!
Adam Jacobs as Aladdin and Courtney Reed as Jasmine, Photo by Chris Bennion
Maybe I'm being a bit premature with the title of this post (no reviews have come out yet), but pretty much everything said about this show so far has been positive, so I'm certain the reviews will be the same.
I'll update this post as the reviews come in, but before that make sure you check out the new video posted by King 5 where Adam Jacobs (Aladdin), Courtney Reed (Jasmine) and James Monroe Iglehart (Genie) talk about the show and we're treated to some amazing footage which includes "Friend Like Me" and "High Adventure"! I can't put into words how awesome this show looks and how much I wish I was in Seattle right now! So stop reading this and go watch it!!!!!
1st Update - Still no reviews but a very short interview with none other than Alan Menken has been posted by Talkin' Broadway, so make sure you check that out as the Disney Legend talks about Aladdin: The New Stage Musical and what he has planned for the future (including one show that should make Don Darryl Rivera very happy!)
2nd Update - No reviews yet (time difference sucks!) but Seattle Times have posted a beautiful article about Alan Menken's visit to Seattle Children's Hospital and 5th Avenue have posted another edition of The JMI Show on their youtube page where our favourite Genie interviews Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Brandon O'Neill and his old friend Brian Gonzales!
3rd Update - Well the first reviews are in and they run the full range from positive to negative, which is pretty standard for a Disney production! Most seem to agree that the show is good, but has areas where improvements could be made. It seems Aladdin: The New Stage Musical is, like its title character, a diamond in the rough (at least in the eyes of the critics).
Seattle Times - World Premiere Aladdin Lands at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre
Broadway World - Disney's Aladdin at 5th Avenue Theatre - Very Disney Park
The Broadway Critic - Aladdin @ 5th Avenue Theatre (note this review is from 10th July preview, whilst changes were still being made to the show)
Examiner - Aladdin Stage Show Offers "Unbelievable Sights" and "Indescribable Feelings" (note this review is from 16th July preview whilst changes were still being made to the show)
It's midnight now, so I'm off to bed! Maybe there will be more reviews in the morning.
I'm really not worried by the reviews, pretty much every Disney show (bar maybe The Lion King) received mixed reviews and most of them went on to long and successful runs. Beauty and the Beast ran for 13 years on Broadway and still tours around the US and the world, Tarzan may not have been the success Disney hoped for on Broadway but with some re-working it went on to huge success in Europe (and recently started regional productions in the US I believe!), Mary Poppins is still going strong on Broadway and whilst The Little Mermaid closed way before it should have (that show was criminally under rated) it's now being re-worked (like Tarzan) for a European release and will hopefully start it's long promised US Tour in the near future. And it's important to keep in mind that Aladdin: The New Stage Musical had only a fraction of the budget of those shows!
4th Update - Two more reviews, both of which are largely positive!
MiceChat - MiceChatter Igrules visists Disney's Aladdin Show in Seattle (note this review is from 9th July preview, whilst changes were still being made to the show)
5th Update - Four more reviews which are all positive, including one from someone who says they hadn't seen the film before going to the show (which gives a nice new point of view) and a heartfelt post by Howard Ashman's sister Sarah from her site Part of His World.
The biggest news is 5th Avenue released the first production video over the weekend, featuring Adam Jacobs and Courtney Reed as Aladdin and Jasmine singing the beautiful new duet "A Million Miles Away".
I still can't believe how perfect they are for these roles! Just listen to their voices together and the harmonies! I felt so cheated when the video faded out, I just wanted it to keep going!
And of course the video gives us our first close up look at one of the sets. Considering this show is only running for a month with no plans (or at least no announced plans) for any official tour or Broadway, the set looks amazing. Sure it's not the most elaborate set in the world, but it looks like it came straight out of the film and that's far more important.
And earlier this week Broadway World posted a photo preview of the show;
Adam Jacobs and Courtney Reed as Aladdin and Jasmine, Photo by Chris Bennion
I can hear the opening notes of "A Whole New World" just looking at that picture!!
James Monroe Iglehart as Genie, Photo by Chris Bennion
James leads the ensemble through "Prince Ali"! And if you look closely you can also see Sean G. Griffin as the Sultan on the left! I wonder if Jonathan Freeman's Jafar is squashed behind the door...
Aladdin, Genie and the Gang, Photo by Chris Bennion
Too many names to put in the caption! From left to right Brian Gonzales (Babkak), James Monroe Iglehart (Genie), Andrew Keenan-Bolger (Omar), Adam Jacobs (Aladdin) and Brandon O'Neill (Kassim). Given the back drop looks like a dungeon and what little I've actually heard about the revised story in the show, I'm guessing this photo is from "High Adventure" in Act 2 as the gang break out of prison to go and fight Jafar and save Jasmine (or something along those lines!)
Adam Jacobs as Aladdin, Courtney Reed as Jasmine and Sean G. Griffin as Sultan, Photo by Chris Bennion
I'm not sure if this is their first attempt to get married (as Prince Ali and Princess Jasmine) or the actual finale, but it sure looks beautiful!
And as the perfect finishing note, on Tuesday Alan Menken paid a visit to Seattle Children's Hospital and spent some time in the playroom bringing a little Disney magic to brighten their day.
All that remains is for me to wish the cast, crew and everyone at 5th Avenue a magical opening night! The previews have ended, the show is locked and tonight the press can officially see the show and the reviews will be out tomorrow. I'm sure they'll be magical.
