4th July Parade, New Photos and More from Tuacahn's Aladdin!

With last month's focus on The Muny's short run and then the 1st anniversary of the show, I didn't post some fantastic updates from Tuacahn!

Whilst I don't think they celebrate 4th July in Agrabah, Aladdin and Jasmine both joined in the festivities for St. George's annual 4th July parade.

Samuel Warburton and Haley Carlucci as Aladdin and Jasmine, Photo by Tuacahn

Tuacahn's production of Hairspray also had a float in the parade showcasing Tracy Turnblad and Link Larkin.  You can check out the full gallery at Tuacahn's Facebook page, including Tracy and Link on a magic carpet ride when the cast decided to switch floats!

Samuel Warburton and Haley Carlucci as Aladdin and Jasmine, Photo by Tuacahn

I know quite a few fans felt that there weren't enough production photos released from 5th Avenue's pilot production of Aladdin, but that's certainly not the case this time around!  As some of you have no doubt already seen, at the end of last month Tuacahn uploaded a massive gallery of production photos to their Facebook page.  Make sure you check them out asap!  Here's a selection;

Proud of Your Boy - Dan Domenech as Aladdin, Photo by Tuacahn

Call Me a Princess - Haley Carlucci as Princess Jasmine, Photo by Tuacahn

Can your friends pull this out their little hat? - Edward Juvier as Genie, Photo by Tuacahn

Why Me? - Michael G. Hawkins and Jeff Asch as Jafar and Iago, Photo by Tuacahn

Street Rats on 3! - Paul C. Vogt, Randy Aaron, Todd Dubail and Dan Domenech as Babkak, Omar, Kassim and Aladdin, Photo by Tuacahn

And if you want an idea of some of the effects and the scale of this production;

The Cave of Wonders appears, Photo by Tuacahn

Genie leads Prince Ali's parade to the stage, Photo by Tuacahn

Seeing these reminds me just how lucky I was to be able to see this show at the Tuacahn.  It really is the perfect setting for the show and the cast is amazing.  And yes the parade does include peacocks;

Prince Ali's peacocks, Photo by Tuacahn

And finally, last week KSL news confirmed that Aladdin has been breaking Tuacahn box office records all summer and posted a video interview with Dan Domenech (Aladdin), Haley Carlucci (Jasmine), Edward Juvier (Genie) and Director Scott Anderson which includes production footage from the show!  Check it out here!

If you've not been and are able to get to the Tuacahn in the next 2 months, I really can't recommend it enough!  This show (and Hairspray) is well worth the trip.  It's a fantastic production at an amazing venue.  Where else do the cast come out (in costume!) to greet the fans after the show?!  Tickets are still available at the Tuacahn's website and the show runs until 19th October.  Take the magic carpet ride, you won't regret it!

So it goes short and sweet... - Dan Domenech and Haley Carlucci as Aladdin and Jasmine

Tuacahn's Aladdin - First Review, First Interview and Even More Pictures!

Well the first review is now in and it looks like the Tuacahn has a hit on it's hands!  The Salt Lake Tribune says that "Tuacahn's 'Aladdin' flies high" and "strong comic acting, onstage chemistry and a live orchestra help ground a stage show packed with special effects."

The full review can be seen here.  If you are planning on seeing the show, make sure you book your tickets (at the Tuacahn's website) as quickly as possible because the Tribune's review goes on to state that this could be a "tough ticket this summer, as many of the shows are already sold out. Last year, some 20,000 people were turned away for Tuachan’s production of "Little Mermaid" and that could easily happen for "Aladdin" this year."  Indeed Aladdin's fundraiser premiere was held to help raise money towards the Tuacahn's planned expansion so that they don't have to worry about turning people away at future productions (such as next year's Mary Poppins).

Another key thing to note from the review is that those critics who were dissatisfied with the staging of "A Whole New World" in Seattle last year will be happy to know that in this production the carpet flies high over the audience.

The Tuacahn Blog has also been updated with their own look at the cast of Aladdin: The New Stage Musical and Hairspray, with the majority of the cast impressively pulling double duty and working on both shows!  And their Facebook album has been updated to feature new promotional images of all the core cast members;

Dan Domenech as Aladdin, Photo by Tuacahn

Haley Carlucci as Princess Jasmine, Photo by Tuacahn

Edward Juvier as Genie, Photo by Tuacahn

Michael G. Hawkins as Jafar, Photo by Tuacahn

Jeff Asch as Iago, Photo by Tuacahn

Paul C. Vogt as Babkak, Photo by Tuacahn

Randy Aaron as Omar, Photo by Tuacahn

Todd Dubail as Kassim, Photo by Tuacahn

Bob Walton as the Sultan, Photo by Tuacahn

The photos really show off the fantastic costumes that have been created for this production.  Some are closer to the movie than they were in Seattle, some are wildly different, but they all look amazing.

Shortly before the show opened Dan Domenech was interviewed by the Las Vegas Review.  You can read the interview here.  There's some really nice stuff in there, including that his first CD was Aladdin when he was a kid (kinda makes me feel old - I had it on cassette!), so make sure you check it out.

That's about it for this time (I will get The Muny cast article done, I've just been busier than expected as I've suddenly realised I'm going to Utah VERY soon and haven't even started to get anything ready!).  The only thing left to mention is that the Tony Awards were last weekend and there were some fantastic wins for Disney Theatrical with Newsies and Peter and the Starcatcher bringing home a combined total of 7 awards, including the award for Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics)Written for Theatre for Alan Menken and Jack Feldman for their work on Newsies.  I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate them both, all other award winners, and everyone involved with both productions.

Edit - Updated Already!!  Here's a short behind the scenes preview video at KUTV and that carpet ride does look like it has the potential to be amazing!

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!