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.
Showing posts with label Nathan Lucrezio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nathan Lucrezio. Show all posts
You may remember this fantastic little Christmas medley from 2015 when Courtney, Nathan, Angelo and Jaz put together this festive treat;
Well now you can get the single on iTunes and Spotify so make sure you treat yourself to this merry Christmas medley, it's the perfect way to ring in the season.
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!
Hello and welcome to the first Aladdin musical news post of 2016! (Last week's 2015 round up totally doesn't count!)
With this being a new year and Aladdin soaring to international success I figured it was time to make a few changes to the way I've done things before and make these posts a bit more organised than they've been in the past... or at least try to!
So let's start on some fantastic news! Aladdin rang in the New Year by breaking the New Amsterdam house record for the 11th time, taking $2,398,110.00 and beating the previous record, set only the week before, by over $300,000! Aladdin's record breaking run made it the 3rd highest-grossing show of 2015! Massive congratulations to the cast, creative team and everyone at the New Amsterdam Theatre who bring this magical show to life! What an incredible way to start the year!
And New Year, new cast member! Please give a warm Agrabah welcome to Giuseppe Bausilio who joined the cast on 6th January!! Welcome to the show Guiseppe, I wish you a fantastic run!
As well as looking forward, New Year is also a time to look back and reflect on the year that was. And that's exactly what Disney Theatrical did with this video of their Best Moments of 2015;
Aladdin Broadway - Cast News
This section will feature everyone's favourite citizens of Agrabah! The amazingly talented cast of Broadway's Aladdin! Here you'll find links to interviews, news about upcoming performances and maybe even a few videos!
Adam Jacobs sang the National Anthem at the Brooklyn Nets V. Boston Celtics game earlier this month. Sadly it's not turned up on YouTube yet but I'll keep looking! Congratulations Adam!
Courtney Reed as Princess Jasmine, Photo by Cylla Von Tiedemann
Aladdin's Nathan Lucrezio has released tribute video to Michael Flatley showcasing his incredible dancing skills!
As someone with two left feet I wish I could move like that! Absolutely amazing!
And if you need any more reasons to love this totally crazy, but totally amazing, cast then just check out these pictures and videos from Courtney's Instagram showing just when the cast get up to in their rehearsal breaks! Here and here!
Aladdin Broadway - Creative Team News
Want to know what Aladdin's incredible creative team did next? Well this is the section for you. Expect lots of Alan Menken updates to dominate this section!
Speaking of Alan Menken - you are watching ABC's Galavant, right? If not then check it out! It's hilarious!! A weekly dose of Menken/Slater music can't help but make you smile!
And Alan was also Lin-Manuel Miranda's special guest for the first ever digital #Ham4Ham performance! You can check out their brilliant Little Mermaid medley below;
On Tuesday 19th January the Metropolitan Room will be host to Gone to Soon - Now and Forever an evening of Howard Ashman celebrating the life and music of the musical genius who helped inspire generations. You can read more about the event and purchase tickets here.
Hot off the success of Aladdin in 2014 and Something Rotten! last year, Casey Nicholaw is bringing Tuck Everlasting to Broadway this Spring!Tuck also reunites Casey with his original Omar, Andrew Keenan-Bolger (Newsies, Submissions Only), who starred in the successful Atlanta pilot last year. Previews are due to begin 31st March with Opening Night set for 26th April. If his previous shows are anything to go by then this will be a hit!
Aladdin Broadway - Old Friends
They may no longer be with the show, but they'll always be in our hearts. This section is for news and updates on those who have left Agrabah behind for new adventures.
Brian Gonzales, James Monroe Iglehart, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Adam Jacobs and Brandon O'Neill in 5th Avenue's Aladdin, Photo by Chris Bennion
Genie & Babkak's former Stand By Michael James Scott is currently starring in Casey Nicholaw's latest smash, Something Rotten!, and took some time out to talk with Broadway Box about why he loves the show and why Casey Nicholaw is his Broadway Genie!
Last week original Aladdin cast member Marisha Wallace and Nick Rashad Burroughs sold out their 54 Below show Baptized by Broadway! Due to the overwhelming response Marisha's even hinted that they could do another show! Congratulations both!!
Aladdin International
After becoming "the surprise hit of the season" on Broadway Aladdin has continued to soar to a whole new world of success. Last year saw productions open in Tokyo and Hamburg and this year will see new productions opening in London and Sydney with more still to be announced! This section is all about the international productions of the show. And I'll admit right now that it'll probably have a pretty heavy London bias as I can't wait to see that show!!
The Wall Street Journal this week posted an interesting piece on how Disney Theatrical is subtly tweaking the international productions of Aladdin to appeal to their national audiences (like renaming Kassim to Kasser in Germany as nothing rhymes with Kassim!)
You can check out footage from the Tokyo production right here;
The Hamburg production;
And finally, some interviews and footage from Hamburg's Opening Night last month;
With Aladdin due to open in London in a few short months, London Theatre Direct took a look at some little known facts about the animated classic and the Broadway sensation. You can read Part 1 and Part 2 right here.
Other Disney Stuff!
And finally this section. With the cast album coming up next week (so hyped!) I'm expecting this section to be mostly about The Hunchback of Notre Dame for now, but we'll just see what happens in the future. After all, I'm sure Disney Theatrical have lots of exciting projects coming up and there's a live action Beauty and the Beast movie coming next year.
And now for something very special. Last weekend saw the curtain fall for the final time on Disney's Californian Adventure's Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular. The Orange County Register was there to talk with fans as the magic carpet soared away for the last time. This is one of those shows I always wanted to see. It was one of the reasons I wanted to go to the original Disneyland one day. My friend posted this to my Facebook page this week (they know me so well!) so now I'm going to leave you with the full last ever performance of Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular!
James Monroe Iglehart as Genie, Photo by Cylla Von Tiedemann
As another year draws to a close we're at Christmas Eve once more. To get you in the festive mood here's some carols and messages from the cast of Broadway's Aladdin!
