Broadway News Round Up 38

Adam Jacobs and Courtney Reed as Aladdin and Jasmine, Photo by Deen Van Meer

Hey everyone, sorry there was no update last week.  I had a vet emergency but happily all's well that ends well so it's back to the show this week!

But first a quick heads up!  Merwin Foard, who has been with Aladdin from the beginning of it's Broadway run and sung in many of your favourite Disney animated classics (including providing Cassim's singing voice in Aladdin and the King of Thieves) recently tweeted "Come see me at the New Amsterdam Theatre July 21-25. Might be your last chance ;)"  I was lucky enough to catch Merwin as the Sultan earlier this year and he's an excellent performer.  If you want to see him please make sure you take this chance!  Merwin, I wish you all the best for the future.  Thank you for being a wonderful Sultan and (I'm sure) a suitably evil and villainous Jafar.

Remember those special Playbill covers that Aladdin had?  Well now you can have them as a background on your tablet or smart phone!  Check them out right here!

Princess Jasmine herself, Courtney Reed, is featured in the latest Broadway Style Guide as she puts her friendship with The Lion King's Chantel Riley to the test in The BFF Game.  And make sure you catch the behind the scenes video right here on Courtney's Instagram.

Ever wondered what Genie might sing in the shower?  Me neither, but James Monroe Iglehart has the answer!

Aladdin's Daisy Hobbs talks with Backstage and the Acting Income podcast about being an actor, being an entrepreneur and the similarities between the two.

Broadway World reports that Aladdin's Dance Captain Michael Mindlin will be one of three alum returning to the Princeton Ballet School this summer to teach at the school's Summer Intensive course.

Aladdin's director/choreographer Casey Nicholaw certainly likes to keep busy!  Now he's re-teaming with Aladdin's writer/lyricist Chad Beguelin, along with his The Drowsey Chaperone writer Bob Martin, on the development of another new musical - Prom Musical.  Michael James Scott, who was one of Aladdin's original standbys and is currently starring in Nicholaw's Something Rotten!, is also taking part in the development lab.

If you want to help a good cause and get some great Aladdin Broadway goodies at the same time then make sure you check out the Bidding For Good auctions for the NYC Dance Alliance Foundation to help raise money for scholarships.  This is your chance to bid on the souvenir package that you can normally only get with VIP tickets and if you're a Disney Pin fan then you definitely want to check it out because this pin is different to the one you get in the fan pack (along with the CD and program) in the theatre.

Young theatre group the Roswell Showstoppers recently travelled to New York when the young performers and their families took in the sights and shows of the city, including a backstage tour of the New Amsterdam Theatre and a performance of Aladdin.  But it gets better - they were later joined by a cast member who taught them some numbers from the show!  It certainly sounds like the trip inspired the next generation of performers!

And, of course, the biggest news of last week was the cast of Aladdin going to Washington to perform at the White House for the Kids State Dinner!  I honestly expected one or two songs and that would be it but the cast actually performed for over 20 minutes!  If you missed it on Friday then you're in luck because someone recorded it and has put the whole thing on YouTube (thank you Maura!) so watch and enjoy!

 

You can also see the official White House photos from the event right here.

 

That's it for the Broadway cast of Aladdin but make sure you also check out this footage from the new Tokyo production of the show!

 

 

And finally, how long has it been since you saw Aladdin on the big screen?  In celebration of the film's upcoming Blu-Ray release D23 are offering fans the opportunity to vote on which cities will receive a big screen D23 screening.  You can cast your vote here!

Broadway News Round Up 23

Tia Altinay, Khori Michelle Petinaud & Rhea Patterson in Aladdin, Photo by Cylla Von Tiedemann

Welcome to another news round up for Broadway's Aladdin!  A shorter edition this week but there's still plenty going on in the magical land of Agrabah.

Broadway World is reporting that Aladdin's Tia Altinay (who understudies Jasmine) will be appearing in tomorrow night's At This Performance... at The Lion Theatre, New York.  At This Performance... is a musical showcase created to highlight the talents of Broadway's standbys, understudies and alternates.  Tickets are $26.25 each and are available from the box office.  For the talent you'd be seeing that's an incredible price so if you're able to attend I'd highly recommend checking it out.

Also on Monday night, Aladdin alumni Andrew Keenan-Bolger will join other Broadway stars performing The Songs of Adam Wachter at Broadway's 54 Below.  Further information can be found here.  Again, it's a fantastic price to see some extremely talented Broadway performers, so if you are in NYC and looking for something to do tomorrow night you really can't go wrong with either of these events.

Timeout is reporting that Aladdin's Yurel Echezeretta (who understudies Kassim) spent time last week visiting Harrison School of the Arts, talking with the students and even directing and choreographing some scenes for their production of West Side Story (including the classic school dance and rumble scenes) which is being put on as part of the school's 25th anniversary celebration.  I guess that technically makes it his directorial debut (or at least co-director), congratulations Yurel!

Ok, now everyone knows that Aladdin's dancers are pretty much the best on Broadway.  They dance their butts off 8 shows a week.  So if you want to learn then you want to learn from the best.  Well, Aladdin's Dance Captain Michael Mindlin is teaching a Dance Audtion Technique Seminar this week on 13th November in NYC.  More details can be found at Playbill.

Even when he's on holiday it seems I can't go a week without posting something about James Monroe Iglehart!  If you missed Freestyle Love Supreme's show (which JMI is a part of) and you live in the USA then the show is now available on iTunes.

And finally, Broadway.com is asking you to rank your Top 10 Must See Performances on Broadway right now.  Aladdin's Adam Jacobs, Courtney Reed, James Monroe Iglehart and Jonathan Freeman have all made the nominations so please give them some support!

From Agrabah to Paris!  It's been an exciting week for The Hunchback of Notre Dame as the show last night completed its preview performances.  Of course the biggest news of the week was our first official look at the cast.  But that wasn't the only news to come out of the La Jolla Playhouse last week.

Theater Mania reported that Ciara Renee (Esmeralda) will be taking part in Broadway Sings P!NK in January 2015.  Ciara will be joined by other Broadway stars singing new arrangements of P!NK's pop hits at two concerts to be held in New York on 19th and 25th January.  More information, including tickets, can be found here.

In addition to our first look at the cast the La Jolla Playhouse also gave us our first look at the fantastic show merchandise that is available to anyone going to see the show.  Since I'm an absolute sucker for Disney's show pins I'll definitely be picking up the pin badge when I see the show next year!

As well as showing off cast and merchandise photos, the La Jolla Facebook team also found time to speak briefly with Hunchback's Tony Award winning Lighting Designer Howard Binkley to discuss the production's tech rehearsals.

And finally, the San Diego Jewish Journal spoke with Director Scott Schwartz about the show.  I swear, the more I read about this show the more excited I get to finally see it!

Ok, that's pretty much it for today.  Except for one final thing I'll be back with in a few minutes...

Broadway News Round Up 21

Courtney Reed as Princess Jasmine, Photo by Cylla Von Tiedemann

Tonight another Disney Theatrical production will begin its road to Broadway and I couldn't be more excited!  But more on that in my next post, first here's all the latest news from Broadway's Aladdin!

First up - Playbill reports that tonight at The Lion Theatre in New York two of Aladdin's understudies will be taking centre stage in At This Performance.  Bud Weber (understudy Aladdin) and Lauryn Ciardullo (Jasmine) and fellow understudies will share songs and anecdotes about their experiences.  Good luck guys, sounds like it will be a great night!  Tickets are available at the theatre's box office or through Telecharge (212) 239-6200.

On November 17th Aladdin's Courtney Reed will be taking part in the annual Rockers on Broadway - Teen Idols as Broadway's finest rock the music of the last 50 years to raise money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.  More information can be found at Playbill and http://www.rockersonbroadway.com/.

Theater Mania are reporting that Aladdin is one of the shows taking part in the 2015's 19th annual  Kids' Night on Broadway.  Presented by the New York Times Kids' Night on Broadway will take place 9-15th January and will allow a young person age 6-18 to see a Broadway show for free when accompanied by a full paying adult (all tickets are sold in pairs).  More details can be found at the official website and tickets go on sale 5th November.  Sounds like a great way to introduce more people to the joy of live theatre.  Other regional theatres, including Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre that staged the world premiere of Aladdin back in 2011, are also taking part.

Broadway World is reporting that Aladdin's Dance Captain Michael Mindlin will be taking part in the BC Beat showcase in New York on Monday 10th November.  BC Beat is a bi-annual choreography showcase, more details can be found at Broadway World.  Good luck to Michael and everyone taking part!

With the movie musical having something of a resurgence in recent years, Sundance TV recently sat down with James Monroe Iglehart to talk about movie musicals and Disney classics.

Broadway.com's latest "Gotta Dance!" video features Aladdin's Donald Jones Jr. who shows off his moves whilst talking about the audition that changed his life.

As a little pre-Halloween treat D23 takes us on a ghost tour of Aladdin's Broadway home, the New Amsterdam Theatre;

And Adam Jacobs preps his dressing room for any trick or treating theatre babies who visit!

Have a great week everyone!