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.