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| Disney Legend Alan Menken |
That changed tonight when my friend Austin sent me a link to Stitch Kingdom where they are reporting that guest in attendance said that Alan Menken introduced Proud of Your Boy saying that
"the musical is currently being tweaked for a Broadway run"
Now the sensible part of me is saying not to get too excited (after all Der Glockner Von Notre Dame has been being worked on for Broadway for what must be nearly a decade now since ending it's Berlin run), but screw it, I'm totally hyped and I was singing the Proud of Your Boy Reprise all the way to karate tonight. The fast transfer and subsequent Broadway success of Newsies, along with Aladdin being The Muny's best selling show this season and still breaking records at Tuacahn (where it's playing until mid-October) make me really optimistic this could actually happen!
Before I went out this evening I tweeted a few of the original cast members the Stitch Kingdom article asking if they'd be up for a Broadway reunion, so tonight I'm going to leave you with the words of Courtney Reed;
"y'all know I LOVE a reunion ;)"
Updated - Thanks to Stitch Kingdom we now have audio of Alan Menken saying the show is coming to Broadway AND his performances of the opening of the new song Somebody's Got Your Back and the Ashman/Menken classic Proud of Your Boy! The emotion Alan puts into that song always puts tears in my eyes.
I cannot wait until this hits broadway! Broadway means more publicity, GMA, National Tour, Today Show, Regis and Kelly, even a cast recording!
ReplyDeleteI KNOW! Just the possibility of the happening and there finally being a cast recording has me so happy right now!
ReplyDeleteI saw a lot of the Disney folks tweeting about this and I immediately came to your blog! haha. It's like my one stop for Aladdin news!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see Aladdin in NYC but... I really really hope it's practically perfect if it makes its way here. I wouldn't want to see another Mermaid and Tarzan happen. Plus I feel like Disney has been super lucky with Newsies success (and even Peter and the Starcatchers) so I get nervous about throwing something else into the mix.
Thanks for being such a great resource! I love your enthusiasm for this show :)
Thank you for your kind words Estelle, they really mean a lot :o)
ReplyDeleteI think the problem with perfect is it's very hard to define. I personally loved Mermaid and I have a friend who saw Tarzan and said he prefered it to Lion King (Tarzan will always be "the one that got away" for me). The version of Aladdin I saw at the Tuacahn was fantastic. It's not the sweeping romance of Beauty and the Beast or the visual spectacle of The Lion King (though I would argue that the Tuacahn production was just as visually impressive as Lion King due to their use of their incredible venue), its much more a musical comedy with that "buddy movie" feeling.
I know critics claimed a variety of issues with the Seattle production, but the reviews for The Tuacahn and The Muny have generally been more positive overall (especially with Tuacahn "fixing" the issues they had with "A Whole New World"). Whether this is because the critics are easier on regional productions or because of the changes made since Seattle I can't say, but it does seem like the show is moving in the right direction. There's still time for more changes, if Disney feel they are necessary, based on feedback from the regional productions, and from the upcoming international premieres as well, so the show should be in the best shape possible when it does hit Broadway.
I know what you mean about adding to the mix though. Disney Theatrical already have 3 musicals and a play on Broadway. Add Aladdin into the mix and that's 5 shows, the most they'll have ever had running at once (I think). Look on the bright side, they don't need to take Aladdin to Broadway, they already have 4 successful shows running, so for them to consider Aladdin making the jump they must be pretty happy with it and confident of success. That's a great testament to the show.
For what it's worth, I was the one that provided the tip and audio to Stitch Kingdom... I'm a Utah native and just saw the Tuacahn on Wednesday :)
ReplyDeleteHi James! It's worth a lot, that was some of the happiest news I've ever posted on this blog. I hope you enjoyed the show at the Tuacahn!
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