Ten years ago tonight, at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, Disney's Aladdin officially opened.
Before Broadway. Before Toronto. This was the production that started it all. It's the reason this blog exists! I was getting married and couldn't make it to Seattle to see the show so I thought I'd start a blog instead. I reached out to the cast, I reached out to the 5th Avenue, and what followed was more than I ever dared dream of. I've made friends with cast and fellow Aladdin fans on both sides of the Atlantic, I've got to go back stage on Broadway and in the West End. This show literally changed my life for the better and it all started here.
But enough about me. If it changed my life just writing about it, what about those who were actually there? I reached out to the principal cast and some of the creative team to see if they'd be willing to share their favourite memories of that time when they were first putting the show together. I can genuinely say that I was overwhelmed by the response. I received everything from funny stories, to personal back stories created for their characters, to heartfelt messages of what the show means to them.
To start these memories, here is an incredible reflection by David Armstrong, who was 5th Avenue's Artistic Director at the time of Aladdin, along with some beautiful costume sketches kindly provided by Aladdin's Costume Designer Gregg Barnes. As Gregg notes, "everything here was "reimagined" for Broadway" so these were the very first vision for Aladdin's time on stage.
But first, to set the mood, here's the trailer for that original 5th Avenue production:
Proud Of Our Boy!
It’s hard to believe that it’s been 10 years since Disney’s Aladdin had its world premiere at The 5th Avenue Theater in Seattle, where I was serving as Producing Artistic Director at the time. There are so many great memories swirling though my head.
Of course, it all started with a phone call from Disney saying that they wanted The 5th Avenue Theatre to partner with them on launching a stage version of their hit animated film. They said that they were not sure what the ultimate goal for the show was. It could be that this production would result in a viable stage version that could be licensed to schools, stock and amateur productions from whom they had been receiving many requests this title. Or, if everything went really, they might consider taking it to Broadway. Based on the show’s subsequent massive worldwide success many people have doubted that Disney every had anything but Broadway in mind – but I can assure that they were sincere in this regard. Remember, this was following their Broadway flops, The Little Mermaid and Tarzan, and they were eager not to repeat those failures, and find a different way to develop this show.
That is why they called us. The 5th had (and still has) an outstanding track record with developing new musicals and bringing them to first life. And we were very good at making them look and feel ready for Broadway, even though they were actually produced on a regional theater budget. Together we developed a plan for Aladdin’s world premiere.
Even though the budget was very modest by Disney standards (and at the top of the range for The 5th) the creative team that was assembled for the show was top of the line in every department. It was especially wonderful to have Director/ Choreographer Casey Nicholaw make a triumphant return to The 5th. Just nine years earlier we had hired Casey for his very first professional job as a choreographer.
The limited budget required that a significant portion of the cast come from Seattle. At first this was challenging for the creative team to wrap their heads around. However, after they came to Seattle for auditions and saw the incredible talent pool that we have here, everyone was in agreement that we would have the level of skill and talent that the show required.
This would ultimately result in three Seattle based cast members going with the show to Broadway. First and foremost is Don Darryl Rivera who created and is still playing the role of “Iago”! The others were Brandon O’Neill who created the role of “Kassim” and has also played that role in the London production, and the amazing dancer Nikki Long, who had appeared in dozens of 5th Avenue Theater productions. They and the other terrific Seattle cast members blended perfectly with Adam Jacobs, Courtney Reed, Jonathan Freeman and all of the other great performers that came out from NYC. I am going to put James Monroe Iglehart in his own category because even though he was based in NY, he had been with us at The 5th for the world premiere of MEMPHIS so we claimed him as part of our 5th Avenue family.
It was clear from the very first preview that the show was a hit, and I had no doubt that it would go to Broadway. Even without all of the spectacular Disney magic and the technical bells and whistles that would be added to the show in Toronto -- the book, music, lyrics and staging were already captivating and magical all on their own. Don’t get me wrong the show looked great in Seattle however, as planned, the costumes were falling apart by closing night and the sets and props would not have held together many weeks more. The focus of this production was always on getting the show up so that everyone, especially the authors and creative team could see what they had.
I could not be more proud of this show -- and the part that my team at The 5th played in bringing it into existence. I especially want to give a shout out to our incredible stage crew, costume shop and wardrobe crew, orchestra and the entire cast of this original world premiere production. Their work lives on in countless ways, large and small, in the Broadway production and when the show reopens this fall, it will be in part because of their passion, dedication and hard work.
David Armstrong
Artistic Director Emeritus of The 5th Avenue Theatre
As David says, so much of The 5th's original production lives on in many ways in the show today. When the show went to Broadway almost all of the original creative team and principal cast went with it, building on and refining that original diamond in the rough until it sparkled like the Broadway smash hit it is today. So it gives me great pleasure to present the cast of 5th Avenue's Aladdin as they look back on the production that started it all, share their favourite memories, and also share a little of what some are doing now/next.
I don't think I can say it better than that.
I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone who came back to me and took part in this. And to everyone at 5th Avenue, at Disney (US and UK), to cast members and fellow Aladdin fans around the world, for all of your help, support, encouragement, and friendship over the last 10 years. None of this would have been possible without you and it truly has been a wish come true. To borrow a line from the live action adaptation, "I owe you everything." Ten years! Just, wow!
If you'd like to learn more about 5th Avenue's original production of AladdinI covered the history of the show in detail for both my Countdown to Broadway piece and in my 5th Anniversary celebration. As we celebrate this 10th anniversary, it is only fitting that rehearsals for the show's Broadway return start today. I am so excited for the show to return to the New York stage and just to experience the magic of theatre again. For now though, here's a gallery of images from the show by Mark Kitaoka, Chris Bennion, and others.
Happy 10th anniversary Aladdin. Thanks for all the magic, and here's wishing you many more years to come.
