Broadway News Round Up 14

Jonathan Freeman and Don Darryl Rivera as Jafar and Iago, Photo by Deen Van Meer

Time is just flying this year!  Sorry I missed last week's news round up, I was away for a family birthday.  So, without further ado it's catch up time!

First a quick announcement - James Monroe Iglehart will be performing in Speechless at Joe's Pub TONIGHT!!  Tickets can be purchased here and you can read more information at Broadway World.  If you can make it be sure to check it out as it sounds like it should be a hilarious night.

Aladdin continues to make box office magic on Broadway as Variety is reporting that the show has broken the weekly house record for the New Amsterdam Theatre (no easy feat given that an earlier occupant of the New Amsterdam was Disney's own megahit The Lion King) and continues to play to sold out audiences.  Huge congratulations to the cast and crew of Aladdin and everyone at the New Amsterdam Theatre.

NBC New York offers up a rare treat this week as they talk to Jonathan Freeman about playing Jafar for over 20 years and share some brief clips from the show featuring Jonathan and Don Darryl Rivera's Iago.

The other half of Aladdin's villainous duo spoke with Broadway.com about moving to New York and living his Broadway dreams in Aladdin and then took Playbill on a photo walk through of a two show day which is well worth checking out as Don literally takes you from waking up to going to sleep with 2 shows and some great behind the scenes photos along the way.

Of course it wasn't just the villains getting in on the fun as Courtney Reed took part in Broadway.com's latest Character Study video, discussing her character and why Jasmine is her favourite Disney princess.  As you watch you can see the magic of theatre as Courtney is transformed into Jasmine right before your eyes.

You're probably all aware of the Ice Bucket Challenge that has taken the internet by storm in recent weeks to raise awareness of ALS.  Given the amount of charities and good causes that the cast of Aladdin have supported it should come as no surprise that the whole cast this week took the challenge and posted the video on Facebook to prove it.  They also challenged the head of Disney Theatrical Thomas Schumacher, Aladdin's composer Alan Menken, Aladdin's book writer and lyricist Chad Beguelin and Disney CEO Bob Iger (again!)

Also over the last few weeks the cast of Aladdin have been posting photos on Twitter and Instagram using #IHeartTheArts to show their support for The Actors Fund.  You can see them all on Twitter and Instagram but here's a small preview;

Don Darryl Rivera as Iago Hearts the Arts, Photo by Don Darryl Rivera

Of course, the last two weeks also saw the sad death of Robin Williams.  I already shared my own thoughts and the cast's heartfelt tribute the other week but there have been a few other pieces that I wanted to share with you.  When writing my thoughts I deliberately avoided the issue of Robin Williams' depression.  I wanted to focus on what he meant to me and also respect his family's wishes that he be remembered for the joy and laughter that he gave the world.  However, when Patrick Page (The Lion King's Scar and soon to be The Hunchback of Notre Dame's Frollo) shared the deeply personal story of his own battle with depression with Broadway World I felt compelled to share it.  It's not easy to read but I'm glad I did.  It offers a deeper, intimate, understanding of what many people struggle with everyday.  Anyone who's ever even thought "what did he have to be depressed about" needs to read it.  My heartfelt thanks go out to Patrick, this can't have been easy for him to share.

Alan Menken, who worked with Robin Williams, also posted a moving tribute to him on his Facebook page, recalling meeting Robin Williams in LA, the recording sessions in which Robin sang his songs in their original intended style before being let loose to do his thing, the magic that followed and later scoring for Robin's character Charlie Boyd in Noel.

And I just want to end with this.  Many of you will probably already have seen it but I still wanted to post it here.  A fitting farewell from Genie's Supervising Animator Eric Goldberg.

Aladdin on Broadway Pays Tribute to Robin Williams

 

In an emotional finale to the show, last night (Tuesday 12th August) James Monroe Iglehart and the cast of Aladdin led the audience in a sing-a-long of "Friend Like Me" in tribute to Robin Williams.

Disney Theatrical have very kindly provided me with the video to share on this blog;

RIP Robin Williams

In Memory of Robin Williams 1951-2014

 

 

This morning I woke up to the sad news that Robin Williams passed away yesterday aged 63.  Yesterday Disney's CEO Bob Iger released a statement calling Robin "a true Disney Legend, a beloved member of our family" and offered his condolences to his family.  Aladdin's official Facebook page followed suit, saying "The world just won't be the same without the magic, inspiration and laughter you brought to us all".

 

The cast of Broadway's Aladdin and Robin Williams' co-stars from the original animated Aladdin took to social media and joined the world in offering their own personal messages of remembrance and condolence with James Monroe Iglehart saying "Robin Williams! 1 of the Greatest Period. I just want to say Thank You for the laughs" #FallenHero" whilst Gilbert Gottfried offered a simple but poignant "From the Parrot to the Genie... #RIPRobinWilliams".

 

For me, Robin Williams was a large part of my childhood thanks largely to his role as the Genie.  He played more roles than I can list here and I'm ashamed to admit that I've seen less of them than I should have, especially his more recent performances, but for me three will always stand out - Peter Pan, Genie and Mrs Doubtfire.

 

Like many people my age, my introduction to Robin Williams was the Genie.  It's a performance that's stood the test of time and rightly gone down in history as one of his greatest roles (as Genie's animator Eric Goldberg said, if there was ever anyone tailor made for animation it was Robin), but it's not the performance that's stayed with me the most.  That is Mrs Doubtfire.  That may seem like a strange thing to say on a blog dedicated to Aladdin, and I've certainly seen Aladdin far more times than I've seen Mrs Doubtfire, but as a child of divorced parents that film spoke to me on a very personal level.  I've not seen the film in years (something I plan to rectify very soon) but I can still remember the ending, as Robin's character speaks to his children on TV through his reply to another child's letter, saying "some [families] live in separate homes, in separate neighbourhoods, in different areas of the country - and they may not see each other for days, or weeks, months, even years at a time.  But if there's love dear, those are the ties that bind, and you'll have a family in your heart forever. All my love to you, poppet, you're going to be all right. Bye-bye."  It touched me and spoke to a truth that I knew in my own life.  It stayed with me.

 

There has been a lot of talk in the news today about Robin Williams' battles with depression, I just pray that Peter Pan has his happy thoughts again and is able to soar to the heavens once more.  Rest in peace Robin, if anyone deserves to it's you.  Thank you for the laughter and joy that you gave to the world.

 

Many people today are saying that the Genie is free.  It's a fitting tribute, but for me the quote from Aladdin that sums up my feelings comes not from the Genie but from Aladdin;

 

"Genie, I'm... I'm gonna miss you."