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