This blog is dedicated to Disney's Aladdin: Broadway's New Musical Comdey. Following a successful Pilot Production at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre in 2011, and regional and international productions in 2012, Disney announced that Aladdin would be coming to Broadway in 2014. Aladdin had it's pre-Broadway engagement at Toronto's Ed Mirvish Theatre and opened on Broadway 20th March 2014.
Yesterday the cast of London's Aladdin played to a packed audience at West End Live!
If you couldn't make it, or if you just want to re-live the magic, Official London Theatre have posted the full performance for you to enjoy!
You've gotta love Leon, Julian and Daniel wearing shirts that match their Babkak, Omar and Kassim costumes!
West End Live continues today, with Disney's The Lion King at 12:10pm, and Aladdin's own Trevor Dion Nicholas joining a host West End stars to take it home at 4:00pm.
UPDATED!
I'm well overdue adding this! Here's the always amazing Trevor Dion Nicholas from West End Live!
And here's London's original Babkak, Nathan Amzi bringing even more Disney magic to West End Live with Hunchback's 'Out There'
It's Eurovision time again! No, not the one where all the votes are political and we had to bring out Andrew Lloyd Webber to help crack the top 5 (though Jade is now our Jasmine!), the good one, WEST END EUROVISION!
Yes, next month sees the return of Theatre Mad's West End Eurovision in support of the fight against HIV and AIDS. Next month 8 shows will compete to be crowned the winner, but right now you can help Aladdin win best video indent by texting AL to 82727 (texts cost £3 plus standard message costs, Theatre Mad receives 98% of the donation).
You can check out Aladdin's hilarious indent right here;
The cast of Disney's Broadway Hits, Photo by Manuel Harlan
Last week BBC Radio 2 aired the fantastic Disney's Broadway Hits concert as part of their Friday Night is Music Night series (and you can still listen to the full show right here!) I can't put into words how much I loved hearing this concert again, but now Sky Arts is going one better with a real Christmas treat for you!
Tomorrow morning Sky Arts will be airing Backstage with Disney on Broadway: Celebrating 20 Years at 9am followed by Disney's Broadway Hits at London's Royal Albert Hall at 10am!! What a Christmas present!!
I can't wait to watch this again and again! As someone who had tickets to see Tarzan but the show closed a month before I was due to see it, seeing Josh Strickland sing some of those songs in person was something I'd waited over 10 years for and he didn't disappoint. Finally seeing Ashley Brown live was electrifying. Hearing songs from Aida and King David live was something I never thought would happen. The Aladdin finale with Trevor Dion Nicholas and the West End cast raising the roof and bringing the audience to their feet is out of this world. And, of course, Alan Menken himself singing "Proud of Your Boy", dream come true. This concert is truly magical so make sure you don't miss it!
The cast of London's Aladdin, Photo by Johan Persson
We heard a lot about the incredible creative team behind Aladdin as the show premiered first in New York and then around world, and we hear a lot about the amazing casts who bring this magical show to life every night. But what about the people behind the curtain?
Shortlist and Stylist recently went behind the scenes of the West End production of Aladdin to see just how the magic is made on stage, talking with the stars, stage and company managers and orchestra members to get a feel for what it takes to bring Agrabah to life eight shows a week!
You can read both of these great articles by clicking the links below!
It takes a lot of work to create that phenomenal cosmic Genie magic every night but the results are simply wonderful. When you hear the audience gasp and burst into applause when the magic carpet is revealed, it's just an amazing feeling and you know you're seeing something very special.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words but in this case I think it's 1001! (ok bad joke, sorry!)
Here's our first official look at the new West End production of Disney's Aladdin!
Trevor Dion Nicholas as Genie and the cast of Aladdin, Photo by Deen van Meer
The cast of Aladdin perform Arabian Nights, Photo by Deen van Meer
Jade Ewen as Princess Jasmine with Michelle C Hopewell, Sadie-Jean Shirley & Marsha Songcome, Photo by Deen van Meer
Jade Ewen as Princess Jasmine and the cast of Aladdin, Photo by Deen van Meer
Dean John-Wilson and Jade Ewen as Aladdin and Jasmine, Photo by Deen van Meer
Dean John-Wilson as Aladdin, Photo by Deen van Meer
Trevor Dion Nicholas as Genie, Photo by Deen van Meer
Trevor Dion Nicholas and the cast of Aladdin, Photo by Deen van Meer
Dean John-Wilson as Prince Ali, Photo by Deen van Meer
Dean John-Wilson and Jade Ewen as Aladdin and Jasmine, Photo by Deen van Meer
The show looks amazing! Hopefully this is just the first batch of photos as we still need to see the villainous Don Gallagher and Peter Howe as Jafar and Iago and Stephen Rahman-Hughes, Rachid Sabitri and Nathan Amzi as Kassim, Omar and Babkak!
I'm not going to review the show yet (as incredible as Friday's performance was, it was still a first preview and it's not fair to the cast or creative team to review the show whilst they're still working to make it the very best it can be) but as first impressions go Aladdin burst on to the West End in spectacular style!
'Arabian Nights' is still my favourite opening to any Disney show. When they gather the full cast on stage and Genie joyfully proclaims "Everybody sings!" that wall of music just hits you and it feels amazing. The energy in this show is insane and the ensemble give everything they've got, especially here and in the show stopping 'Friend Like Me'. It's no exaggeration to say they make the show what it is.
The cast, from leads Dean John-Wilson and Jade Ewen as Aladdin and Jasmine through to Nathan Amzi, Rachid Sabitri and Stephen Rahman-Hughes as Aladdin's new trio of friends all gave great performances and I'm looking forward to seeing them all again on opening night. In fact I want to give a special shout out for the trio as 'High Adventure' had me in stitches, easily one of the best songs in the show.
Trevor Dion Nicholas as Genie
A year ago I was fortunate enough to see Trevor Dion Nicholas play Genie on Broadway. It was only after the show that I learnt it was his first night. I never would have guessed. I wrote back then that Trev "gave a phenomenal performance ... he didn't have easy shoes to fill but he rose to the challenge and gave the audience everything they could wish for in a Genie."
On Friday night he proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was born to play this role. I saw a star being born on that stage and I wasn't alone. I've never seen a mid show standing ovation in the UK before (heck, I've been to shows where they don't even get an ovation at the curtain call) but Trevor, along with Dean and the incredible ensemble, brought the audience to their feet for a well deserved ovation after the tour de force that is 'Friend Like Me'. If there is any justice in the world this will do for Trevor what it did for James Monroe Iglehart in America. Put his name on the Olivier Award now!
There's been some minor changes to localise the show for the UK. Some of them worked great (I loved Genie's "No, I'm from New York!" and the Bruce Forsyth reference had the crowd howling), others felt a little like change just for the sake of change (I preferred the old Pyramid joke to the Ibiza reference) but that mostly just comes down to personal preference.
With this being a first preview there were one or two minor issues. The microphone levels seemed to be slightly off during 'These Palace Walls' and in the finale I could see something that I shouldn't have been able to (and never have before even from the front row at the New Amsterdam). I'd also love just a little more energy from 'Babkak, Omar, Aladdin, Kassim' as, whilst a great performance, it didn't quite capture that "I want to get up and join in" feeling that it has on Broadway. I know that's not a fair comparison and it seems like an insane ask from a cast that is already giving so much but I know they have it in them, they proved it many times over on that stage on Friday. And I'll be honest, I know that these (and any other issues) will be long sorted by opening night. In fact, they probably have been already!
If Friday night is any indication Aladdin is going to be the biggest thing to hit the West End this year. The audience loved every second and the show received two well deserved standing ovations. My hands were still raw the next day from clapping so much. As we were driving home on Saturday all I kept thinking was "I wish we'd bought tickets for tonight, I don't want to wait another two weeks to see it again." This show isn't a diamond in the rough, it's shining, shimmering, splendid and I can't wait for everyone to see it!
Adam Jacobs & Courtney Reed as Aladdin & Jasmine, Photo by Mark Kitaoka
As Aladdin rapidly approaches it's West End debut I'm definitely starting to feel the excitement building! It's been over a year since I saw the show and I can't wait to see it again when it opens here on Friday!
But before that there's plenty to catch up on with our Broadway friends!
Aladdin Broadway - Show News
Are you a Disney Vacation Club member? If so then they have a magical treat in store for you! A special performance of Aladdin just for DVC members and their guests that will be filled with member recognition and fun surprises! To learn more and book your tickets go here!
Have you ever wondered how they make magic every night at the New Amsterdam Theatre? Well wonder no more as CNET goes behind the scenes of Broadway's Aladdin to show you just how much work goes in to making magic very day. And in case you're wondering - the carpet really is magic, even CNET can't tell you how it flies :o)
The Knockturnal recently posted a great video interview with Adam Jacobs, James Monroe Iglehart, Courtney Reed and Jonathan Freeman (including a well deserved shout out for their cast mates and the most incredible ensemble on Broadway)
Adam Jacobs and James Monroe Iglehart recently sat down with some of their Lion King cousins to discuss their show with Madame Noire;
Aladdin Broadway - Cast News
Adam Jacobs as Aladdin, Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann
Adam Jacobs will be joining a host of Broadway stars at the Lincoln Centre in June to take part in A Night of Broadway Stars. During the event, which is raising money for homeless children, Adam and his fellow stars will perform for and with the homeless children of Covenant House. You can purchase tickets to the June 6th event and read more about Covenant House right here.
And you can watch Adam's recent appearance on the always hilarious Tyler Mount Vlog right here;
And if you've not got your tickets yet to Adam and Arielle Jacobs' Sibling Disobedience concert at 54 Below you can now get 35% off using the code SIBLING35
And you can catch Broadway.com's interview with the siblings right here;
JMI and DDR's scare war has progressed to a creepy smile war this month with the following photos on Instagram! DDR1, JMI1, DDR2, JMI2 Ain't it great to have friends like these! Love all the back stage antics at this show!
Aladdin's Ben Jeffrey is performing a one night only concert next month to benefit the Gateway Centre for Performing Arts and he will also hold two Master Classes and Aladdin KIDS! production camps! You can get more details of all these event at Broadway World.
Aladdin's Lauryn Ciardullo and all the fantastic Broadway stars who too part in the first Broadway Bee raised an incredible $33,000 for Broadway Bound Kids!
Aladdin Broadway - Creative Team News
To celebrate Casey Nicholaw's historic achievement of having 4 shows running simultaneously on Broadway Disney Theatrical held a special celebration for the awarding winning Director/Choreographer and invited the casts of Aladdin, The Book of Mormon, Something Rotten! and Tuck Everlasting to celebrate his success. Broadway World were there to capture pictures from the event. Congratulations again Casey on this fantastic achievement!
Dean John-Wilson in rehearsals, Photo by Johan Persson
As the Aladdinnears it's West End debut (tomorrow is the invited dress rehearsal for the show and previews begin on Friday) the interviews are starting to flow!
London Theatre stopped by the final rehearsals of the show to talk with our three leads - Dean John-Wilson, Jade Ewen and Trevor Dion Nicholas - and the result is a great interview!
Digital Spy spoke with Dean, Jade and Disney Legend Alan Menken about bringing Aladdin to the West End! And you can read solo interviews with Jade and Alan Menken here and here.
The Daily Express also has some comments from Dean and Jade on their reactions to landing the dream roles of Aladdin and Jasmine!
Our Broadway Genie may be in London but that hasn't stopped him and his band, Neighbourhood Goliath, from putting the finishing touches to their LP! Look out for it soon and follow them on Twitter!
Aladdin's Ethan Le Phong and his Miss Saigon dressing room buddy share their latest updates in the latest Dressing Room 14 video;
The show hasn't even opened yet and already Aladdin's booking period has been extended! You can now book tickets for the show through to 11th February 2017 so grab some fantastic seats now!
The cast are all there;
Make way! We’ve arrived at the Prince Edward! Keep checking for glimpses behind-the-scenes as Agrabah comes to life! pic.twitter.com/2ugRaSRRGf
Some potentially very exciting news came out of ABC's recent fall schedule announcement. In a call with Broadway World ABC President Channing Dungey revealed that the network is considering a live musical event following NBC and Fox's recent successes;
'Dungey told BWW, "we have some things we are currently in development on," but added the project must be one which, "speaks to the heart of who we are at ABC as part of the Disney family."'
So if you want to see your favourite Disney musical done as a live TV event then keep your fingers crossed as your wish may just come true!!
It's unlikely to be Aladdin as it's still a relatively young show and is only just being rolled out around the world but stranger things have happened and it would be great to do it now with as many of the original cast as possible. Personally I think Newsies is a good bet or even The Lion King as part of it's 20th anniversary next year.
And speaking of adaptations;
There are no words. If The Jungle Book is anything to go by then this is going to be very special.
Not content with playing one Disney villain in Frollo, Hunchback's Patrick Page has taken on the role of another Disney villain as Hades in Hadestown (though this Hades probably doesn't have much in common with his Disney counterpart). You can see photos from the show and an interview with Patrick at Broadway World and a video portrait right here.
Is this really Disney related? Well it's ABC and features Menken/Slater music so I think it's close enough! Here's the #MoreGalavant video which has been shared by Alan Menken and Michael Kosarin!
Now for something a little different. David Friedman, who was a conductor and vocal arranger on Disney Classics like Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin before writing the music and lyrics for Aladdin and the King of Thieves, has written a new musical revue Listen to My Heart which will premiere at the Elmira College Theatre this week. The show will run Thursday-Sunday this week and admission is free so it's definitely worth checking out if you're in the area!
It can't be easy moving to a new country but luckily London's new Genie had a Disney Prince and Princess waiting to show him the town.
Thanks to Disney Theatrical we can share in their adventures as they just posted a new video of Dean and Jade showing Trevor all that London has to offer!
Disney's Aladdin opens in less than 3 weeks at London's Prince Edward Theatre! Tickets are available now with previews starting 27th May. The show officially opens 15th June.
Welcome to the latest Aladdin musical news round up for all the latest goings on in the fabled city of Agrabah! It's been a busy few weeks for the cast and creative teams on both sides of the Atlantic (I really need to start doing these posts more often!) so let's get started!
Aladdin Broadway - Show News
First up I just want to say a belated farewell to both Giuseppe Bausilio and Donald Jones Jr. who have both left the show recently and wish them both the very best for the future. And of course to Trevor Dion Nicholas who's flown the magic carpet to London to make his West End debut!
Now, let's look at what is possibly my favourite video that Disney on Broadway have posted to their YouTube channel so far. James and Don's Scare War was hilarious to watch (and still continues!) but here James just takes it to the next level for April Fools Day!
I love how much fun James is having here!
You can read a little more about the event at People.
And speaking of having fun, yesterday was May 4th, traditionally recognised as Star Wars Day so the Aladdin gang decided to get in on the fun with a little back stage lightsaber action! I just love this picture!
Now you may be aware that some performances of Aladdin are interpreted in American Sign Language (ASL). But in a touching video James recently showed that he doesn't need an interpreter to say you've never had a friend like him. Check it out here.
Aladdin's had it's fair share of guest stars in its first two years and the latest is Telemundo's Veronica Albornoz who appeared in the show last month! You can see some back stage pictures right here courtesy of Adam Jacobs' Instagram.
And just in case you missed it - last month Aladdin made the switch to a digital lottery. This is, of course, much more convenient for most people (if you aren't lucky enough to win you'll know in the morning so you can plan something else for you evening) but I've got to admit I'll miss the videos of James and other cast members occasionally granting lottery wishes in person before the show. Those moments were always magical to see.
Aladdin Broadway - Cast News
First up some big news for Aladdin fans - Brian Gonzales will be taking a break from Agrabah in August as he stars as Francis Henshall in One Man, Two Guvnors at WaterTower Theatre in Addison, Texas. Congratulations Brian on your new production!
Aladdin himself is due to teach a musical theatre workshop next month as Adam Jacobs and his sister Arielle Jacobs teach A Class Act NY's Dynamic Duo Broadway Workshop on 7th May, coaching 7-18 year olds on Broadway audition techniques. You can get on the wait list for the workshop right here.
Have you ever wondered what a Broadway star keeps in their dressing room? Well wonder no more as Adam shows Broadway.com around his dressing room and his favourite back stage items.
In March, Adam performed at Lancaster Bible College and spoke about getting in to musical theatre and his career so far with Lancaster Online and KpopStarz.
If you read this blog then you have no excuse not to own this yet!
If you can't get enough of Adam's amazing voice on Aladdin's original cast recording and his own debut album, Right Where I Belong, then I've got exciting news for you - Adam is going to be lending his vocals to Daniel and Laura Curtis' new album, Overture. The album is due to be recorded in both England and New York and feature some of Broadway and the West End's biggest stars. It's due to be released in October and you can read more about it right here! Can't wait? Then check out the Studio Cast Recording of An American Victory which stars Adam along with Ashley Brown (Broadway's original Mary Poppins) and many more and is on sale now!
And you can catch James right now in the Talk 4 Two podcast! I've not had chance to listen to it all yet but it promises to be insightful, funny and just a good time so check it out!
As the majority of the creative team is gathered in London, rehearsing for the West End debut of Aladdin, Director/Choreographer Casey Nicholaw is celebrating a feat unequalled on Broadway since 2001. With the debut of Tuck EverlastingCasey now has 4 shows running on Broadway simultaneously! Congratulations Casey on this astonishing achievement!!
But that's not all - it could soon be 5! Casey's next show, The Prom, will premiere at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre on 18th August where it will run through 25th September. Could Broadway be next? Keep your fingers crossed! The book is by Bob Martin and Aladdin's Chad Begulin with music by Matthew Sklar and lyrics by Chad Begulin. You can read more details at Broadway Buzz, it sounds like a funny and touching show and I really hope it makes it to Broadway.
And speaking of Chad Beguelin - Aladdin's fantastic book writer recently joined with other Broadway writers to speak with Broadway World about the role a writer plays in creating a musical.
Now back to Casey (what you thought 4, potentially 5, Broadway shows was enough?). Playbill is reporting that Casey will collaborating with songwriter David Yazbek on a musical adaptation of Tootsie, but don't expect it any earlier than late 2017 due to Casey's busy schedule!
Yes, London Theatre's new profile is right - Casey Nicholaw "is potentially the hardest working man currently working in musical theatre." In fact, I think you can take out that "potentially"!!
Aladdin and Something Rotten! star Marisha Wallace recently took part in the Broadway Sings Whitney Houston concert. Here she is nailing "So Emotional";
Marisha is taking a break from Something Rotten! this summer to star as Effie White in Dreamgirls in Dallas (so make sure to check that out if you're in Dallas this summer) but she'll be back with Broadway's Team Rotten in August!
It's been a busy month for Giuseppe Bausilio as he recently did an interview with Keith Price on Curtain Call which you can check out right here, appeared on Seth Rudetsky's Seth Speaks in a 3 part interview that you can watch here - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 - and an interview with Telebaern which you can watch here!
Aladdin on Tour
Aladdin's first US Tour may not begin until next April but the magic carpet will be making a quick stop in Chicago this summer as part of the Broadway in Chicago Summer Concert on Monday 15th August. There's no word yet on whether this will be the Broadway or Touring cast but I'd imagine it will be the original Broadway cast due to the date of the event. If you're in Chicago make sure you check it out for a fantastic preview of the magic that's heading your way next year! More details and tickets can be found at the Broadway in Chicago website.
Aladdin International
Myrthes Monteiro & Enrico De Pieri at the LEA Awards, Photo by Morris Mac Matzen
First up a massive congratulations to the Hamburg production of Aladdin for winning Best Show of the Year at the LEA Awards last month! What an incredible and well deserved achievement!
And another congratulations on your cast recording!
I'm pretty sure that the Tokyo cast of Aladdin have also released a cast album but I can't find a link right now!
Now, has it really been over 3 weeks since this magical moment?!
Time seems to fly faster than a magic carpet these days! The Aladdin London gang have now completed their 2nd day of full run through rehearsals and are preparing to move into the Prince Edward Theatre and begin tech rehearsals next Monday!
Dean John-Wilson and Jade Ewen, Photo by Helen Maybanks
London's very own Aladdin, Dean-John Wilson, recently spoke with Digital Spy about earning his stripes and how Aladdin is allowing him to achieve his life-long goal of originating a role.
Before taking on the title role of Aladdin Dean starred in Miss Atomic Bomb. You can catch an interview with him on The Curtain Up Show right here.
Jade Ewen, recently spoke with Sunday World about landing "a dream role" as London's Princess Jasmine.
But that's not all! When Dean and Jade went to visit the Broadway cast of AladdinWhat's On Stage went with them and now you can check out their video where they talk with the stars about the show!
Now here's something really special. If you live in the UK and follow this blog then chances are you've already seen this but for those who missed it or live elsewhere here's the incredible Trevor Dion Nicholas bringing down the house with "Friend Like Me" on Tonight at the London Palladium;
And here's a special look behind the scenes of this one night only event;
Nathan Amzi with Christine Allado, photo by Bonnie Britain
Rachid Sabitri (London's Omar) recently guest starred in the new series Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. Well, recently if you live in America - here in the UK we'll be seeing it in a few weeks on W! If you want to watch out for it in the UK or watch it on catch up/on demand in the US then it's episode 7, Citizens of the World.
Aladdin's Daniel de Bourg recently posted a video update to his YouTube Channel to keep his fans up to date with his work so naturally Aladdin came up! Check it out right here;
And in addition to starring in Aladdin, Daniel will also be teaching at Rise Studios summer school this year where the performing arts class will be an Aladdin style workshop! You can read more details here.
And if you're not following the London production of Aladdin on Twitter and Instagram then make sure you start following them today!
The Sydney Morning Herald posted an interesting article recently about Sydney's recent musical boom and the wave of shows due to open this season, including Disney's Aladdin.
Other Disney Stuff
Ok, first I just have to say, if you haven't seen The Jungle Book yet, why the heck not?! Seriously, that film is beyond amazing and, dare I say it, even better than the original animated classic. Disney have experimented a lot with adapting their classic animated movies to live action with mixed results but with The Jungle Book they've truly cracked it and the result is nothing short of a masterpiece. I can't wait to see what next year's Beauty and the Beast has in store for us! And, if it's done to this quality, bring on Aladdin!!
The next D23 Expo has officially been announced for 2017! The Expo will once again take place at the Anaheim Convention Centre and will run July 14-16. Tickets will go on sale July 14th this year. Here's hoping they have another Disney on Broadway concert and bring back James Monroe Iglehart! And on that note I need to seriously consider going to this one! It'd be nice if Anaheim didn't cost twice as much as Florida when you visit from the UK (otherwise I'd have definitely already been as I'd love to see the original Disneyland) but some things are worth it!
The Hunchback of Notre Dame's Patrick Page will be starring as Hades in the New York Theatre workshop production of Hadestown. The new musical will run May 6th to June 12th.
Hunchback and current Fiddler on the Roof star Samantha Massell recently joined with her Fiddler co-stars to share alumni stories with the Birthright Israel Foundation for Passover. And you can see a great video of Samantha and Monica Swayne (who's starring in Fiddler in Syndey) interviewing each other over at Broadway World.
And whilst we're on Hunchback - The Paper Mill Playhouse is to be honoured with this year's Regional Theatre Tony Award! Massive congratulations to the entire Paper Mill team! And another huge congratulations to Hunchback star Michael Arden for his best director Tony nomination for Spring Awakening! What an incredible achievement!
The Little Mermaid's Tituss Burgess (perhaps better know these days for Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) will be making his West End debut at the London Hippodrome this September! Now that's going to be an amazing show!
We're still over a year away from the Denver preview run of Frozen but casting has already begun with Betsy Wolfe as Elsa and Patti Murin as Anna according to the latest reports from around the web. I'm really interested to see how this show develops and hopefully I'll get to see it in 2018.
And finally, if you're a Disney fan, this is just incredible to listen to!
Last night saw Disney Theatrical's official press launch for Aladdin in the West End!
Disney Theatrical's President Thomas Schumacher took to the stage of the Lyceum Theatre (The Lion King's London home) to welcome the press and take them through Aladdin's journey to the West End.
You may know (or could have reasonably guessed) that Aladdin was Broadway's most attended new show of 2014, but did you know it was actually 2015's most attended show on Broadway?! How amazing is that! Aladdin has had the fastest international roll out that Disney Theatrical have ever done and now it's about to open in London!
Dean John-Wilson at the Press Launch rehearsal, Photo by Jade Ewen (via Twitter)
Thomas Schumacher wasn't the only one on stage for the Press Launch as Dean John-Wilson and Jade Ewen took to the stage to perform the Oscar winning "A Whole New World". Then, Dean went solo for Aladdin's beautiful ballad "Proud of Your Boy" before Trevor Dion Nicholas brought the magic with "Friend Like Me". How I wish I could have been there to see that! I'm counting the days until previews begin in May. I can't wait to see this show!!
You can read what the press thought of the launch right here;
Adam Jacobs & Courtney Reed as Aladdin & Jasmine, Photo by Matthew Murphy
Salaam worthy friends, happy Valentine's Day and welcome to the second Aladdin musical news round up of 2016! It's an exciting time in Agrabah as the West End cast are preparing to start rehearsals and the original Broadway cast are rapidly approaching the end of their current contracts (fingers crossed they extend again!) so expect to hear some casting news very soon!
Aladdin Broadway - Show News
Aladdin tickets for $45? It sounds too good to be true but it's not! There is a catch though. Broadway Roulette offers you the chance to see some of Broadway's greatest shows, including Aladdin, for an amazing price. The only catch is you can't pick your show! If you're like me and travelling thousands of miles to see a specific show then this probably isn't for you, but if you don't mind what you see (or you have a free night after seeing your main show) then this is incredible value for a Broadway show! You can find full details and a list of all the shows available on their website.
Last year Rodney Ingram appeared on the Tyler Mount Vlog, this time it's Courtney Reed's turn as Tyler challenges our Disney Princess to a game of "Disney Name That Tune" that will have you grinning from ear to ear;
Aladdin's Nathan Lucrezio (who did that amazing tap video on YouTube) returned to Penn State to join other alumni in We Are... On Broadway!, a one night only concert to help raise the profile of the theatre school and encourage students to study the creative arts. You can read some articles on the event here and here.
Last week saw the world premiere of Alan Menken's newest musical, A Bronx Tale, which officially opens tonight at New Jersey's Paper Mill Playhouse. The show reunites Alan with lyricist Glenn Slater (Tangled, Sister Act, Galavant) and is directed by Robert DeNiro and Jerry Zaks. Last week Alan spoke with North Jersey about what attracted him to the show, the style of music and the creative process for the show and this week Glenn Slater spoke with Playbill about 20 years of making music with Alan Menken! You can learn a bit more about the production here, go behind the scenes at rehearsals right here and see production photos right here.
John Tartaglia, who played Genie in The Muny's production of Aladdin is returning to The Muny this year as the director of their production of The Wizard of Oz. The show will run from June 13th-22nd this summer.
Big news for Samantha Massell! After seeing her first cast album, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, released this month its just been announced that the new production of Fiddler on the Roof will release a cast recording next month. Two cast albums within two months has to be some sort of record! Samantha isn't the only Aladdin alumni to feature on the recording as Brandt Martinez is also part of the cast! Congratulations both!
Last month saw London's Aladdin and Jasmine, Dean John-Wilson and Jade Ewen, visit Broadway's Agrabah ahead of the upcoming West End production and met their Genie for the first time!
This week Trevor left the bright lights of Broadway;
Trevor Dion Nicholas, Photo by James Monroe Iglehart
Hope he brought that umbrella with him!!
Of course when you're a Genie, there's only one way to travel!
Yes, something truly magical is coming to London and I can't wait for it to arrive!!
London's Aladdin, Dean John-Wilson, has one final stop to make before donning Aladdin's famous fez and vest. He's starring in the world premiere of Miss Atomic Bombalongside Catherine Tate at the St James Theatre from 7th March until 9th April. So if you want to catch Dean before he comes to Agrabah then this is your chance!
The big news this week was, of course, the official announcement of Frozen: The Broadway Musical! Yes, Elsa, Anna and everyone’s favourite snowman will be joining Aladdin and The Lion Kingon the Great White Way!
Directed by Alex Timbers the show will reunite writer Jennifer Lee with song writers Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. The Broadway production will feature choreography by Peter Darling and will reunite the Aladdin team of Natasha Katz (Lighting Design) and Bob Crowley (Scenic Design), with Crowley also designing the costumes for this production. Given how amazing Aladdin looks I can’t wait to see what they come up with for Frozen!
There were two big surprises for me with this announcement. First, how far away it is! Aladdin was announced in January 2013 and officially opened on Broadway in March 2014. Frozen won't even begin it's out of town preview run until Summer 2017 (at the Denver Centre for the Performing Arts) and isn't set to reach Broadway until Spring 2018. Which leads nicely to my second surprise - how long the preview run potentially is. The Little Mermaid had a similar summer preview run in Denver (July-September 2007) before starting Broadway previews in November that year for a planned December opening (which was ultimately delayed to January by the stagehand strike), whilst Aladdin, which had a March opening on Broadway, didn't being it's Toronto run until November.
To me this shows that Disney have learnt a lot from their recent successes and failures. The Little Mermaid was the last Disney show announced straight for Broadway. It and Tarzan, which didn't even have an out of town try out, are generally considered Disney Theatrical's biggest failures (here's where I have to add that I loved Mermaid, I wish I could have seen Tarzan, and both have had success around the world and regionally since so "failure" isn't really the right word). Even Aladdin, which is a record breaking success, needed a lot of work between it's Toronto run and it's Broadway debut. Disney have recognised this and given themselves time to make sure they get Frozen right. They have a long creative window before the show begins it's Denver run (presumably July/August 2017) and with the show not scheduled to hit Broadway until Spring 2018 they'll have plenty of time to enjoy a longer preview run in Denver and a bigger break during which they can do any retooling required before the show opens on Broadway.
I'm really excited to see what Disney and this creative team come up with for Frozen. I loved the film but musically it was very front loaded so I'm looking forward to hearing all the new material that will have to be created. I also think that visually this has the potential to be absolutely stunning and the creation of Elsa's ice castle will rival The Lion King's Pride Rock and Aladdin's magic carpet ride. Disney Theatrical have been on fire recently, with Newsies, Aladdin and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (even if the last one didn't make Broadway) so I have every hope that this will be something very special as well.
