New Year Round Up - 3000 Shows, Shoba Narayan Leaving for New High Adventures, Sonya Balsara is Broadway's New Jasmine & EPCOT's Festival of the Arts Returns

 

The cast of Broadway's Aladdin, Photo from Disney

It's been a busy time in Agrabah! Shortly before the end of last year the show celebrated 3000 magical performances on Broadway!

To celebrate this milestone achievement the cast and at the New Amsterdam receive an incredible 3000 cake in the show's signature colours. It looks too good to eat but I bet it tasted amazing!

Shortly before this milestone, Aladdin joined The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast in the top 20 longest running shows on Broadway, overtaking Hello, Dolly!'s original run of 2844 shows!

Shoba Narayan as Princess Jasmine, Photo by Matthew Murphy

As this year comes to a start, Aladdin is bidding goodbye to its princess, Shoba Narayan.

Shoba, who has played Jasmine since the show re-opened in September 2021, will take her final bow next Sunday, January 15.

I was fortunate to see Shoba bringing Jasmine to life when we visited New York not long after the show re-opened and she was simply incredible. I wish we could have seen her more, but I am beyond grateful that we got to see her in the role twice. She is truly one of my favourite Jasmines and I am excited to see where she goes next.

Shoba was also the first South Asian Jasmine, and has been an incredible role model and force for change. Even as she leaves the show, she leaves behind the new Jasmine doll, which she helped to design to make more representative.

Shoba, I wish you all the very best for the future, thanks for all the high adventures!

Sonya Balsara as Princess Jasmine, Photo by Matthew Murphy

And please give a royal Agrabah welcome to Sonya Balsara, Broadway's new Princess Jasmine!

Sonya made her Broadway debut as Jasmine last year, whilst Shoba was starring in Come Fall in Love (which also starred Aladdin's Irvine Iqbal!), and will be returning to the role from Thursday, January 19.

Sonya, I wish you a long and magical run with the show!

Whilst we're talking Jasmine, I just want to take a moment to say a massive congratulations to the original - the one and only Courtney Reed on her engagement!! So, so happy for you and Nick. Jane and I wish you both all the very best. You truly deserve every happiness.

Last but by no means least - EPCOT's Festival of the Arts is back this month and with it the Disney on Broadway Concert Series!

This year's concerts run from January 13 through to February 20 and feature stars from all of Disney's Broadway shows, including Aladdin.

Kicking things off on the Agrabah front are Adam and Arielle Jacobs. Broadway's original Aladdin and Australia's original Jasmine will be performing on January 14, 17, 18, 21, and 22.

Then the legendary Michael James Scott will be leaving Broadway behind for sunny Florida as he joins Ashley Brown (Beauty and the Beast, Mary Poppins) for a series of performances on February 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 16, and 17, with an extra special finale performance on February 20 where they will be joined by Josh Strickland (Tarzan) and Kissy Simmons (The Lion King).

I am insanely excited for this as we will actually be there for Adam and Arielle's run! I haven't seen Adam live since we saw Aladdin on tour in LA back in 2018 and I have never seen Arielle live so this is going to be one of the highlights of our trip for me!

It's the start of another magical year in Agrabah! And Hercules is about to hit the stage as well! This year promises to be full of theatrical magic!

The Magic is Back! Aladdin Reopens on Broadway!

 

Michael Maliakel & Shoba Narayan as Aladdin & Jasmine., Photo by Matthew Murphy

"Come on down, come on in, let the magic begin..."

Tonight the magic begins again! After almost eighteen months Disney's Aladdin returns to Broadway, bringing with it that joyful energy that the world needs so much at the moment. Tonight, the historic New Amsterdam Theatre will once again be filled with an audience who loves theatre, with music, laughter, and applause. It will be one of the most exhilarating night's in the show's and the theatre's history.

I just want to wish everyone there tonight the very best of luck for this historic reopening. Whether it's your Broadway debut or if you've been with the show from the beginning. From the ushers and backstage crew to the orchestra and stars on stage. You've all earned this. This is your moment. Enjoy it, savor it, and, most importantly, have fun with it and let your joy radiate from that stage tonight. You deserve every success and I hope your reopening night audience is absolutely wild!

I wish we could be there, supporting you in person, but we are one hundred percent there in spirit and I can't wait to see you all in person in November. I'll make sure to give Friend Like Me a standing ovation when I watch the TikTok live stream tonight!

Make some magic everyone, and may all your wishes come true!

Michael Maliakel as Aladdin, Photo by Matthew Murphy

Shoba Narayan as Jasmine, Photo by Matthew Murphy

Michael James Scott (Genie), Michael Maliakel (Aladdin) and the Broadway ensemble of Aladdin, Photo by Matthew Murphy

The Road Back to Broadway

 

Last night the new cast of Aladdin performed in front of a full audience for the first time at their invited dress rehearsal. Tomorrow night the show will officially reopen and after almost eighteen months Broadway's most magical musical will be back! So I thought today would be the perfect time to look back on some of this year's road back to Broadway.

It began this summer, when Disney officially returned to Broadway with Live at the New Am, relighting the marquee of the New Amsterdam Theatre for an incredible concert benefiting The Actors Fund. For four nights from July 22-25, Disney Theatrical stars Michael James Scott (Aladdin), Ashley Brown (Beauty and the Beast, Mary Poppins), Josh Strickland (Tarzan), and Kissy Simmons (Frozen) brought the magic of Disney music back to the Broadway stage with hits from Disney Theatrical's entire catalog over the last two and a half decades.

The show opened with Hercules's 'A Star is Born' (hopefully a hint that Disney plans a Broadway run for the show in the future)

And then went on to feature this incredible impromptu moment as two Genie's shared the New Amsterdam spotlight for the first time since Aladdin's 5th anniversary!

The audience lost it and I know I would have been crying tears of joy to have witnessed that incredible moment! Broadway was back!

And this month things really heated up as Broadway began reopening. First, Michael Maliakel and Michael James Scott took part in Bloomingdale's Celebrates Broadway on September 9th. It was Michael Maliakel's first public performance representing Aladdin and it's safe to say he did the show proud. I've not been able to find a full video of the event but this video features some highlights from the event (Aladdin starts at 6:58)

Next was Playbill's Curtain Up event on September 19 where Michael and Shoba Narayan performed 'A Whole New World' together for the first time and it sounded just as beautiful as you'd hope.

And finally, on September 23rd Jacob Dickey took to the stage at Broadway in Bryant Park (so happy that's back!!) to perform 'Proud of Your Boy'.

Now, the wait is finally over as tomorrow the magic returns! And Disney Theatrical are live streaming the always incredible 'Friend Like Me' so that fans around the world can share in the joy as Aladdin returns to its rightful home in the New Amsterdam Theatre. Your Broadway wish is, finally, granted.

Cast Announced for Aladdin's Broadway Return!

 

The wait is almost over! After 18 months the magic is finally coming home to Broadway and today Disney Theatrical announced the cast who will be bringing Aladdin to life when the show reopens at the historic New Amsterdam Theatre next month!

First up is our brand new Aladdin, Michael Maliakel (The Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary Tour) who will be making his Broadway debut as everyone's favourite street rat! Joining him on the magic carpet is Shoba Narayan (Wicked, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812) as Broadway's new Jasmine!

Returning to grant more wishes is, of course, Agrabah's fiercest Genie, and the only man to play the role in every English language production of the show, Michael James Scott!

Also returning is everyone's favourite villainous duo - Jonathan Freeman and Don Darryl Rivera as Jafar and Iago! Jonathan and DDR have been with the show since the very beginning, all the way back to the world premiere in Seattle, so I'm delighted to see them returning to these iconic roles!

JC Montgomery returns as the Sultan, a role he originated for the US Tour before taking over on Broadway in 2018.

Milo Alosi and Brad Weinstock are returning as Kassim and Omar, and joining them for some high adventures is Zach Bencal as Babkak! Zach originated the role for the US Tour so I'm incredibly excited for him to make his Broadway debut in the role when the show reopens next month.

Also transferring from the Tour to Broadway is Frank Viveros as standby for Genie, Sultan, and Babkak. He will be joining returning standbys Dennis Stowe (Jafar/Sultan) and Juwan Crawley (Genie/Sultan).

Aladdin's incredible ensemble will feature Tia Altinay (who has been with the show since the world premiere in Seattle), Mary Antonini, Netanel Bellaishe, Michael Callahan, Mike Cannon, Matthew deGuzman, Jacob Dickey, Mark DiConzo, Olivia Donalson, Josh Drake, Samantha Farrow, Jacob Gutierrez, Heather Makalani, Stanley Martin, Paul HeeSang Miller, April Holloway, Amber Owens, Jaime Kasey Patterson, Bobby Pestka, Ariel Reid, Tyler Roberts, Jaz Sealey, Charles South, Angelo Soriano, and Katie Terza.

It's an exciting mix of new and familiar faces, and I can't wait to see them all bringing that joyous energy back to the New Amsterdam stage! So please join me in wishing them all a very warm welcome/welcome back, and a massive congratulations to all of the new members of the Aladdin family, especially those making their Broadway debut during this historic return!

One of the best parts about new castings is seeing those joining the cast sharing their reactions to the news. So here's our new Aladdin, Jasmine, and Babkak in their own words!

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A post shared by Michael Maliakel (@michaelmaliakel)

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A post shared by Shoba Narayan (@shoba_narayan)

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A post shared by Zach Bencal (@zbencal)

Aladdin will begin granting wishes once more on September 28th. Tickets are on sale now.