So Long, and Thanks for All the High Adventures!

Brad Weinstock, Milo Alosi, and Zach Bencal as Omar, Kassim, and Babkak in Aladdin. Photo by Disney

 

For the first time in the Broadway show's history Aladdin's trio will take their final bows together as Zach Bencal, Brad Weinstock, and Milo Alosi end their incredible runs as Babkak, Omar, and Kassim today at Broadway's New Amsterdam Theatre.

These three pals, who are thick as thieves, have played the roles together since the show re-opened on Broadway in September 2021 when Zach Bencal brought his Babkak to New York having originated the role for the original US Tour.

The move to New York reunited him with Milo Alosi who originated role of Kassim for the US Tour before joining the Broadway production in February 2019.

And what can I say about Brad Weinstock? Brad has been Broadway's Omar since February 2016, when he took over from original Omar, Jonathan Schwartz, and is one of the longest serving cast members in the show!

These three have all been with the show for the best part of a decade. I have been blessed to see all them on tour and on Broadway multiple times over the years, and to finally meet them properly earlier this year, and we could not have asked for a greater trio.

To Brad, Milo, and Zach, I hope you have an incredible and emotional final show today. Thank you for everything you have done for this show, for all the laughs and memories over the years, and I wish you all the very best for what comes next. No matter how much you clean up your act and go legit, you'll always be street rats to me. Thanks for all the high adventures.

A New Dawn at London's Aladdin

Matthew Croke as Aladdin, Photo by Disney

On Saturday the original cast of London's Aladdin brought audiences to their feet one last time and even Abu the monkey got to make his West End debut as departing star Dean John-Wilson threw Aladdin's little buddy into the crowd of cheering fans before making his final bow.

Today its a whole new world at the Prince Edward theatre as a new cast begins granting wishes in the West End.

Speaking of wishes - leading the company will be Matthew Croke in the iconic title role of Aladdin and this really is a wish come true for our newest star!



Matthew Croke (Aladdin) with Trevor Dion Nicholas (Genie) in rehearsals, Photo by Johan Perrson

And did someone say promotion?  Leon Craig (original Standby Genie/Babkak), Miles Barrow and Daniel de Bourg (original ensemble) will be taking on the roles of Aladdin's trio of pals full time as Babkak, Omar and Kassim respectively.  I love to see hard work, dedication and talent rewarded so I'm really happy for these guys and excited to see what they bring to the trio next time I see the show.



Matthew Croke (Aladdin), Daniel de Bourg (Kassim), Leon Craig (Babkak) and Miles Barrow (Omar) in rehearsals, Photo by Johan Perrson

Completing new principal cast members is Nick Cavaliere, who will be taking over the role of Jafar's scheming henchman Iago.

Jade Ewen (Jasmine) with Don Gallagher (Jafar) and Nick Cavaliere (Iago) in rehearsals, Photo by Johan Perrson

And joining what is arguably the hardest working ensemble in the West End is Chanelle Anthony, Danny Becker, Cindy Belliot, Filippo Coffano, Nolan Edwards, Sinead Kenny, Travis Kerry, Dann Kharsa, Tarisha Rommick, Joshua Steel, Monica Swayne, Niko Wirachman and Damien Winchester.

Cindy Belliot in rehearsals, Photo by Johan Perrson

Sinead Kenny in rehearsals, Photo by Johan Perrson

Original ensemble member Oliver Lidert will now take on the Standby role for Genie, Babkak and Sultan.

I just want to say a massive congratulations to all the new and promoted cast members and to wish everyone, new cast and original cast alike, the very best for tonight's show.  I know it's going to be absolutely magical and I can't wait to get back to London and see you all on that stage!  Makes some magic!!

Matthew Croke and Jade Ewen as Aladdin and Jasmine, Photo by Disney

Welcome to Agrabah! Brad & Major Join Broadway's Aladdin!

This week Broadway's Aladdin welcomed two new cast members as Brad Weinstock and Major Attaway joined Disney's record breaking musical!

Both Brad and Major are making their Broadway debuts in Aladdin!  Brad has previously starred several regional and Broadway in Chicago productions and in the national tours of Jersey Boys and Wicked.  Major has starred in several regional productions including Hot Mikado and Ashman and Menken's classic Little Shop of Horrors.

Photo by Brad Weinstock via Twitter

Brad is making his Broadway debut as our new Omar, replacing original cast member Jonathan Schwartz who took his final bow last weekend.

Major is making his Broadway debut as our new Stand By Genie/Babkak, replacing Trevor Dion Nicholas who is moving to London to star as Genie in Aladdin's upcoming West End premiere!

Best wishes to you both!  I hope you're having a fantastic first week!  I wish you both an incredible run and I look forward to seeing you in the show later this year!

Salaam Worthy Friends - Aladdin Bids Farewell to Marisha Wallace, Bud Weber & Michael James Scott

Marisha Wallace backstage at Aladdin

Bud Weber at Aladdin's Opening Night, Photo from Playbill Vault



 

Michael James Scott at Aladdin's Opening Night, Photo from Broadway World by Linda Lenzi

Today three more original cast members will take their final bow at the New Amsterdam Theatre as the bid the kingdom of Agrabah and Broadway's Aladdin goodbye.

As well as being part of Aladdin's incredible ensemble you may have been lucky enough to see Bud and Marisha in two of the show's main roles as Bud was one of Aladdin's understudies and Marisha was an understudy for Babkak (which I really wish I could have seen).

Michael James Scott was one of the show's amazing Stand Bys and has been on as both Genie and Babkak.  I had the pleasure of seeing Michael as Babkak last year and he gave a fantastic performance.

All three will be back on Broadway later this month as they join Aladdin's
 Director/Choreographer Casey Nicholaw to help him bring a little Something Rotten! to the stage.

I just want to wish all three the very best of luck and say thank you for all that they have done for the show.

Broadway News Round Up 9

To start this week's news round up here's one final piece on the Tony Awards and this one is rather special as it's written by Aladdin's own Marisha Wallace - True Story: I'm a Black Girl from North Carolina & I Performed at the 2014 Tony Awards!  Marisha is part of the ensemble and one of Jasmine's attendants, but if you're really lucky you may also get to see her playing the part of Babkak (I love this as it shows incredible gender equality by Disney for these supporting roles and it's also a nice call back to Howard Ashman's original treatment where there was a female member of Aladdin's gang).

Continuing the theme of great female performances, Courtney Reed took part in Broadway Sessions on May 23rd and Broadway World have now posted a video of her singing Gravity.

The New York Times has published an article focusing on the work of Glen Kelly that's well worth a read.  Glen Kelly provided the dance music arrangements for Aladdin and this article provides a fascinating insight into an area that I admittedly had no knowledge about.

We Blog the World has posted a short fan review of the show.  They even used the photo manip of Genie holding aloft a Tony Award that I made which, I have to admit, is kinda cool!

Emerson College's Entertainment Monthly has also posted a positive review, calling James Monroe Iglehart's Genie "one key player that elevates it to Broadway stardom", Adam Jacobs "everything you want in the character of Aladdin" and Don Darryl Rivera "a standout ... his comedic moments have the entire audience laughing out loud".

Last week Merwin Foard took the stage as Sultan Hamed.  Since I posted a photo of him as Jafar I figured I'd post this one as well (any excuse to post a photo!)

And finally another Vacation Alert!  Adam Jacobs will be away from 7th-14th July, and a quick reminder that Courtney Reed will be away from tomorrow (1st July) until 6th July.

Ok, one last thing!  On a more light hearted note JMI's Genie topped Broadway.com's weekend poll as the most wanted guest at a 4th July BBQ party!

Big Changes for Broadway's Aladdin

This week's Press Day saw a LOT of information released about Disney's Aladdin.  In addition to the official First Look video and character portraits there's been a ton of interviews and images coming out from the event.  I'll be posting a big round up post this weekend but I couldn't wait to share this video from Broadway World.

The 15 minute video features interviews with stars Adam Jacobs, Courtney Reed, James Monroe Iglehart and Jonathan Freeman along with Director and Choreographer Casey Nicholaw and Writer and Lyricist Chad Beguelin.  It's a great video and well worth watching, but part way through Casey Nicholaw drops a small bombshell - Babkak, Omar and Kassim are no longer the narrators of the show!!

For those who don't know, Babkak, Omar and Kassim are Aladdin's 3 friends from the streets of Agrabah.  The original version of Aladdin was envision by Howard Ashman as much more of a Hope-Crosby road movie with his 3 friends serving as both characters and narrators.  During the development of the movie these characters, along with Aladdin's mother and a wealth of Ashman/Menken music, were cut from the film.  When developing the show for Broadway the creative team went back to the original vision for Aladdin and restored Babkak, Omar and Kassim as Aladdin's friends and narrators.

Brian Gonzales, Andrew Keenan-Bolger and Brandon O'Neill as Babkak, Omar and Kassim in the 5th Avenue Pilot Production of Aladdin with James Monroe Iglehart and Adam Jacobs as Genie and Aladdin, Photo by Chris Bennion

It stayed that way from the 5th Avenue's Pilot Production back in 2011 right the way through to the recent pre-Broadway run in Toronto.  Not any more.  According to Nicholaw, whilst Babkak, Omar and Kassim are still Aladdin's friends, in the Broadway production they will no longer be narrators.

This is a pretty major change.  As narrators, Babkak, Omar and Kassim consistently broke the 4th wall to joke with the audience and also helped moved the show along as they sang several reprises of Arabian Nights throughout the show.  Whilst removing them as narrators won't affect the story it has the potential to make a massive difference to both the tone and the pace of the show.

It also raises several questions;

If the trio are no longer narrators does that mean there is no longer a narrator in the show or has that role been given to the ensemble?
If the whole narrator idea has been cut (or reduced to just the start of the show/lead in to the original Arabian Nights) does that mean that the Arabian Nights reprises are cut?
If the reprises are cut will there be any new songs to replace them?  How Quick They Forget maybe, or new material for the lead characters?
Has the cast album been recorded and, if so, was it recorded before or after these changes?

We won't have to wait too long for answers as Broadway previews begin in less than a week!  That said, I won't be looking for or posting any plot details here until after the show opens in March.  I'm lucky enough to be seeing the show next month and, since it sounds like it's changed a lot since I saw it at the Tuacahn, I want to be surprised.  I'll still be covering all the news in the run up though!

Personally, I'm a little sad to hear that Babkak, Omar and Kassim are no longer narrators, I really enjoyed them in that role when I saw the show.  That said, all the comments out of Toronto were that the changes made during its pre-Broadway run made the show stronger.  I trust the creative team and know that they've done this to make the show better.  I can't wait to see what they have in store next month!

Last Chance to See Aladdin at The Muny!!

If you're in St Louis and planning to see Aladdin: The New Stage Musical you now have just two chances left to see the show before the end of its run!  Tickets for tonight and tomorrow are available here.

If you're still undecided here's another review, this one from KDHX, calling Aladdin "everything a stage musical should be" and "a treasure of fun and surprises for everyone".

So if you want to see some live camels...

Eddie Korbich and Jason Graae as Babkak and Omar, Photo by The Muny

Call her a princess...

Samantha Massell as Jasmine with ensemble, Photo by The Muny

Watch some fantastic villains plotting...

Thom Sesma and Curtis Holbrook as Jafar and Iago, Photo by The Muny

Or just see two friends makin' some magic...

Robin de Jesus and John Tartaglia as Aladdin and Genie, Photo by The Muny

Then make sure you grab your tickets now and catch this amazing show before the magic carpet flys away!

Edit - Last night tonight!!  I just want to take this opportunity to wish everyone at The Muny all the best for their final show of Aladdin tonight.  I hope they've all had a magical time with the show.

Tuacahn Updates Keep Coming!!

Firstly, I want to say a big thank you to Heidi from the Tuacahn for her kind words in the comments of an earlier post, and for advising me that Deanna Dys will be Choreographer for the Tuacahn's production of Aladdin: The New Stage Musical.  If you want to know more about Deanna, her past experience and some teases about her work with on Aladdin then be sure to check out this radio interview that the Tuacahn posted on their YouTube channel;

And also make sure you check out the Tuacahn's latest blog post where Todd Dubail (Kassim), Randy Aaron (Omar) and Paul Vogt (Babkak) pose for press photos with some their new co-stars...

Updated - The Tuacahn have very kindly given me permission to post the picture here as well

Todd Dubail as Kassim, Randy Aaron as Omar and Paul Vogt as Babkak, Photo by Tuacahn

The Tuacahn Cast Part 3 - The Trio and The Sultan

As promised the final part of my more in depth look at the Tuacahn's cast of Aladdin: The New Stage Musical;

Paul Vogt is Babkak

Best known for his film and TV work, especially MADtv, Paul actually has an extensive background in live theatre, having starred in a wide variety of productions from musical theatre to Shakespeare, including playing the title role in Sweeney Todd, and of course starring as Edna in Hairspray first in Las Vegas, then on the first regional tour before making his Broadway debut in the role.  Paul is no stranger to Disney either, last year appearing in The Muny's production of The Little Mermaid as the sea witch Ursula (in a fantastic nod to Divine's inspiration of the character's design).

Randy Aaron is Omar

A graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, Randy has appeared in the national tour of 9 to 5 and a wide variety of regional productions including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Peter Pan, The Tin Pan Alley Rag, Memphis, Dreamgirls, A Chorus Line, Once on this Island, Dame Edna Back with Vengeance, and Junie B. Jones amongst others.  Like others in the cast he is no stranger to Disney, having appeared in a regional production of Beauty and the Beast.

Todd Dubail is Kassim

Last seen at the Tuacahn in 2010's production of Tarzan where he played the role of the villain Clayton, this time Todd is playing one of the heroes.  Perhaps best known for playing the role of Pharaoh in that national tour Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat to much critical acclaim (a role he first played seven years earlier in Elvis' hometown of Memphis!), Todd has also appeared in national tours of Grease, Leader of the Pack and Jesus Christ Superstar as well as in a wide range of regional productions including Ashman and Menken's Little Shop of Horrors.

Bob Walton is the Sultan

A veteran of stage and screen, Bob has previously appeared on Broadway in The Drowsy Chaperone, 42nd Street, Once Upon a Mattress, Show Boat and City of Angels.  On TV he has appeared on Law and Order: SVU, Hope and Faith, Picket Fences and Newhart amongst others.  In addition to this Bob and his brother Jim having been writing and performing new musicals together since 1991, including My Brother's Keeper, Double Trouble and Mid-Life! (The Crisis Musical).  More information on their works can be found at their website here.

And that wraps it up! More information about the rest of the cast and creative team is expected to be annouced shorty so please keep checking back and remember to keep reading the Tuacahn's blog here for all the lastest news and updates direct from the theatre (you can also find the Tuachan on Facebook and follow them on Twitter).  Tickets for Aladdin: The New Stage Musical are now on sale and the show runs from June through to October.  It's currently breaking Tuacahn sales records so make sure to grab your tickets fast to be sure of a good seat!

Good Pals. Blood Brothers.

Just as I was about to call it a night 5th Avenue kindly pointed me in the direction of a new video on their youtube channel!

Brian Gonzales (Babkak), Andrew Keenan-Bolger (Omar), Adam Jacobs (Aladdin) and Brandon O'Neill (Kassim) performed "Babkak, Omar, Aladdin, Kassim" at 5th Avenue's Spotlight Night last week.  Replaced by "One Jump Ahead" in the original animated classic when Aladdin's friends were cut from the script, the song was later released in demo form in The Music Behind the Magic collection.  It's great to hear this song with all the harmonies!

Interesting to note is that whilst the song has gone through a few changes, it still makes reference to Baghdad as the setting.  What this means for Agrabah is currently unclear, but I can't see it being cut from the script completely.  Maybe Baghdad is the capital city in the kingdom of Agrabah?  Then again, I never saw them adding "Call Me a Princess" back into the story, so what do I know!