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 Samantha Massell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Samantha Massell. Show all posts
UPDATED - And you can now watch the announcement for yourself right here!
Gotta admit, I cracked up when James did his little backtrack after saying they were announcing the awards! But my favourite moment had to be the smile they all shared when Adam announced Andrew Keenan-Bolger as a nominee for the Distinguished Performance Award, it just made my heart glad and I couldn't help but smile with them.
I just want to say a massive congratulations to all nominees and give a special shout out to some Disney/Aladdin alums!
Congratulations to Director/Choreographer Casey Nicholaw and Seattle Omar Andrew Keenan-Bolger, and the entire cast and creative team, on Tuck Everlasting's nomination for Outstanding Production of Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical! And a massive congratulations to Andrew for his Distinguished Performance Award nomination!
Congratulations to Samantha Massell, Brandt Martinez and the entire cast and creative team of Fiddler on the Roof for their nomination for Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical!
Congratulations to Director Michael Arden and the entire cast and creative team of Spring Awakening on their nomination for Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical and especially for Deaf West Theatre's Special Recognition Award for Unique Contribution to Theatre!
Good luck and congratulations to all the nominees this year!
The Broadway Princess Party is returning to 54 Below!!!
Yes, tomorrow night, Courtney Reed (Aladdin), Sierra Boggess (The Little Mermaid), Samantha Massell (The Hunchback of Notre Dame) and more will be joining Laura Osnes at 54 Below for another Princess Party!
After two sold out shows last year the princesses are back for more nights of musical magic!
And if you can't wait to meet the princesses then People has you covered as they interview the stars and ask that all important question - just what would a modern day Disney princess wear?
Last year's concerts looked amazing so I really wish I could make it to one of these! If you can, be sure to check it out! It'll be a fantastic evening of music and Disney magic!
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.
Adam Jacobs and Courtney Reed as Aladdin and Jasmine, Photo by Matthew Murphy
Ok, new year, new start!
The second half of last year just flew by and I really fell behind with these news updates (I still can't believe the last one was done in July!). For that I can only apologise and say I'll do my best to make sure it doesn't happen again. Like I said, new year, new start.
This post is going to be really link heavy as I try and get this blog back on track and I'm afraid this post won't cover everything. I've gone through all my Google Alerts but trying to go back that far through Twitter is insane so there will be things I've missed so let me apologise in advance for anything I've not covered!
Two things that do stick in my mind that weren't in my Google Alerts are the royal family of Agrabah's TV appearances! Courtney Reed appeared on Showtime's The Affair (season 2 episode 8) and Clifton Davis appearing on Madam Secretary (season 2, episodes 8-10) so if you've not caught them already that's certainly something to catch up with on demand!
Ok, I'll try and break up all the links with as many pictures and videos as I can to help keep things interesting! Here we go :o)
OnStageBlog has posted a new (and glowing) review of the show.
The new Bway Zone website dedicated to everything Broadway has a page dedicated to Aladdin. Nothing you won't have already seen I'm sure but it's a nice page and the site has a LOT more to explore.
But if you want something even more in depth then check out this video on Adventures by Disney's new New York City Adventure! You get to take part in a Broadway dance class (seen in the video learning some of the choreography for "Arabian Nights"), visit the New Amsterdam's prop room and all the wonderful props from all of Disney's magical shows, see Aladdin and then go back stage for a Q&A with some of the cast (like Don Darryl Rivera and Jennifer Rias in this video). This one is definitely on my list next time I head to NYC!
The cast of Aladdin perform at the White House! Photo by Scott Suchman
Back in July the cast of Aladdin gave a very special performance at the White House! Afterwards, Broadway World posted a wonderful look behind the scenes of the cast's visit!
Adam Jacobs and Courtney Reed as Aladdin and Jasmine at the White House! Photo by Scott Suchman
And, in case you missed it, you can still catch the entire performance right here courtesy of the White House's YouTube channel!
I never get tired of that!
As part of Good Morning America's 40th Anniversary they went back behind the scenes of Aladdin and you can watch the whole segment right here!
Aladdin also continues to set house records at the New Amsterdam Theatre, first taking over $2 million during a 9 show week this summer and then again at the end of November! Then, as I already reported, they incredibly broke their 9 show record with an 8 show week at Christmas! That means Aladdin has now set an astonishing 10 house records at the New Amsterdam Theatre! In addition to its Broadway success, Forbes reports that Aladdin's Tokyo production has been sold out since it open earlier this year.
Ok, this next part I should probably just call the James Monroe Iglehart section! That man was one busy Genie last year!
James Monroe Iglehart hosted the 15th annual Make Believe on Broadway gala, a special event to raise money to bring interactive theatre to chronically ill children. As James told Backstage, "When you get into a hospital and you see kids are going through something and you realize you have a gift that you've been blessed with and that you can use...it opens up a whole different world. All of a sudden you're not performing just for the applause, just for the money. You're performing because you're brightening someone else's day."
But I've still not mentioned D23! Yes, as you all know James was a very special guest at this year's D23 convention in Anaheim! And we didn't event have to wait for The Originals concert to hear him sing!
In the opening Legends panel, which saw Jafar's animator Andreas Deja become an official Disney Legend, James took to the stage to perform Oogie Boogie's Song from The Nightmare Before Christmas to honour another new Disney Legend, Danny Elfman.
And then there was the concert!! Hopefully I'm ok posting this since videos are all of YouTube and it's just so good I wanted to share the full thing!
If you're reading this blog then I'm 99% certain you've seen this, but just in case you managed to miss it here's Aladdin's Courtney Reed singing the most adorable version of "Do You Wanna Build a Snowman" that you will ever hear;
(And you can read her heart warming reasons for making the video here)
Adam also took part in a fantastic interview with Going for Broadway, covering everything from his early education to current success in Aladdin.
Adam Jacobs spoke with Celebrity Radio about Aladdin and his new album Right Where I Belong and you can listen to it right here!
Last summer Richard-Salvador Wolff and Myrthes Monteiro, who play Aladdin and Jasmine in the Hamburg production, came to Broadway to see the show and Adam Jacobs captured the moment on Instagram.
And now here's a few pieces I missed from my post about Aladdin's recent Blu-Ray release! Scott Weinger spoke with Nuke the Fridge about the film and the new Blu-Ray (and touched upon the Broadway show as well). The cast of Broadway's Aladdin spoke with E! about the challenges the show faced in the beginning and it's rocky road to Broadway success. And something a little extra special - Brad Kane and Lea Salonga reunited on ABC to sing "A Whole New World" for the first time in over 20 year!
Aladdin is full of magic, but not all that magic takes place on stage. Aladdin's Joshua Dela Cruz (with help from Donald Jones Jr. and Angelo Soriano) popped a very special question this summer;
Aladdin's Tia Altinay joined up with Newsies Adam Kaplan to speak at the Actors Connection's Perfroming Arts Camp to help educate and inspire Broadway's next generation. Broadway World was there and has a video from the event!
Aladdin's Rodney Ingram recently appeared on the Tyler Mount Vlog;
Aladdin's original Standby Jafar and Sultan, Merwin Foard, has hit the road with a new production of The Sound of Music and is the focus of a new article in the Charlotte Observer. I hope that the show does make it to Broadway, Merwin certainly deserves his time in the spotlight.
Aladdin's incredible book writer and lyricist Chad Begulin has a new show coming up this year! Gotta Dance just finished it's out of town run in Chicago and is due to premiere on Broadway this Spring!
I think that's just about it for Aladdin but there's still some important Hunchback news I want to share!
Samantha Massell at Fiddler on the Roof Opening Night, Photo by Walter McBride/Broadway World
Fiddler on the Roof recently made a triumphant return to Broadway and with it Samantha Massell made her Broadway debut as Hodel! Congratulations Samantha!! Samantha was voted Best Theatre Discovery of 2012 by St. Louis' River Front Times for her performance as Jasmine in The Muny's pre-Broadway production of Aladdin and was recently part of The Hunchback of Notre Dame's incredible cast (and will be on the cast recording due for release this month). Sam's not the only Disney alum in Fiddler though as Aladdin's Brandt Martinez also stars in the show!
Ciara Renee as Hawkgirl
Continuing the trend of Disney's Broadway stars making the jump to DC Comic's TV multiverse, Hunchback's Ciara Renee made her DC debut on The Flash last year as Hawkgirl! This month she'll star in CW's latest DC series Legends of Tomorrow! As a pretty big comic geek I'm really excited to see this one!
Speaking of Disney stars who made the jump to the DCU - here's Newsies and Supergirl star Jeremy Jordan singing a fantastic Disney medley! You just have to listen to this, Jeremy's amazing! And when you're done, search for him singing Let It Go, you'll be glad you did!
I'm still crossing my fingers the circus comes back to town in Gotham so James can be on the show again. Or, better yet, come back in a new role as a major character (hey, it worked for Mark Hamill in the legendary animated series!). It was nice seeing The Little Mermaid's Norm Lewis this season as well!
Back to Hunchback! The Tuacahn Amphitheatre in Utah had another incredible season last year and their relationship with Disney seems to be going from strength to strength. I loved their pre-Broadway production of Aladdin in 2012 and last year they teamed with Disney to launch a new musical, When You Wish (you can read the Salt Lake Tribune's review for that and their productions of Beauty and the Beast and Alan Menken's Sister Act here). Well, this year they're staging another two Disney productions! First they're bringing Tarzan back to stage in June, then in August they'll be staging The Hunchback of Notre Dame!!! I might be wrong but I think this will be the first regional production following the US Premiere Productions at La Jolla and PaperMill Playhouse. Both shows will run through to October along with Peter Pan.
If you've ever wanted to see these shows then I would urge you to go to the Tuacahn's productions this summer. I've said it before but the outdoor amphitheatre is the most beautiful venue I've ever seen a show in and they use their unique venue to stage their productions in some truly breath taking ways. Believe me, if I could be there I would be!
Adam Jacobs, Courtney Reed and James Monroe Iglehart as Aladdin, Jasmine and Genie, Photo by Disney
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!
I've said it a few times this year but I just can't believe how quickly this year has gone! We're just 4 weeks away from Christmas (and only 3 weeks away from Star Wars!!) But anyway, back to Thanksgiving!
We don't celebrate Thanksgiving here in the UK but I've got friends and family in America, and this blog is celebrating an American show, so I decided I'd get in the spirit of the holiday and share what I'm thankful for in the world of Aladdin!
Let's start at the beginning - I'm thankful to Disney Theatrical and Thomas Schumacher, that they saw the potential in Aladdin and weren't content to just license it out for easy money, that they came back to it after 2011's initial pilot production and turned it from a diamond in the rough to the Broadway sensation that it is today. There's a beautiful feature on the show on the new Diamond Edition Blu-Ray of Aladdin where Thomas Schumacher says that the reason Aladdin is what it is today, the reason it works, "is because nobody quit. Nobody quit on it, and it was the sheer will of an enormous number of committed people that made the show happen." I'm thankful to each and everyone of them.
Moving away from Aladdin for a moment, I'm thankful of how supportive Disney Theatrical been to The Hunchback of Notre Dame, allowing the show to go back to the book to tell the story they wanted to tell. And then, when it became clear the show wasn't going to Broadway, getting the cast back together to produce a cast album so there will always be a record of that incredible production.
Adam Jacobs and Courtney Reed as Aladdin and Jasmine, Photo by Deen Van Meer
Back to Aladdin and the one thing I can never be thankful enough for is this amazing cast! I've said it before and I will say it again, this cast is incredible! No only are they phenomenally talented and hard working, putting on the best show on Broadway 8 times a week, but they're also some of the nicest, most generous people you could ever hope to meet!
Backstage with Trevor Dion Nicholas
I'm thankful that I got to see Trevor Dion Nicholas make his show and Broadway debut as Genie, and that I got to see Merwin Foard before he left the show. But more than anything I'm thankful for the heart warming welcome back we received. I will never forget standing at the stage door having just seen the show for the first time in over a year and then Jane and I being recognised by both Courtney, who pulled us both into a massive hug, and Adam!
Then it was back stage to see Don Darryl Rivera! And I just have to say here, I'm thankful for every member of this wonderful cast but I'm extra thankful for Don. He's treated me as a friend from the beginning and has been incredibly generous with both his time and support. When it was announced that Brandon was leaving, I'd asked Don if he could get one of the show posters signed for me before he left. I'd thought I'd ask the others to sign it whilst I was there but Don was one step (or one jump if you will!) ahead of me. He met us at stage door with a fully signed poster each!
And then he took us back stage and gave us an incredible guided tour, showing us everything from the props to the costumes to the orchestra pit (I have no idea how they move in there, I had no idea how small it was!!). We also got to meet his wife, Kate, who was just as generous and kind as Don. When she heard we were going to see The Hunchback of Notre Dame she offered to take us backstage there as well!! And I have to say, seeing that set that close up was simply amazing. The set was truly a work of art and the bells were magnificent!
Yes, it's Jafar's staff! Yes, it's awesome!
Don showing off the hidden lamp in Omar's sword! Look for it in "High Adventure"!
And speaking of The Hunchback of Notre Dame it was amazing to finally meet Samantha Massell in person! Which brings me to another thing I'm thankful for - this blog! I never dreamed when I started this that I'd get the chance to interview the cast, I certainly never dreamed I'd get to meet any of them or go back stage at a Disney show! Heck, I thought this would all be over by the end of 2011! This blog has been a gift to me.
But even after going back stage at Aladdin and Hunchback, Don wasn't done yet! When we came back to see the show again before going home he took us to visit the Disney Theatrical offices upstairs at the New Amsterdam Theatre!! I was in Disney and Theatre geek heaven! I'm kicking myself at the moment as I can't find the folder with the pictures I took! The offices are incredible! There was beautiful prints of show photos on the walls, props from the shows, even the prototype of the magic lamp from Aladdin! It was a once in a life time experience that I can never thank Don enough for.
Edit - Found the pictures!!!
I'm also thankful for fun holiday memories. Like the time I gave a one man standing ovation for "Friend Like Me"! It was a great performance ("Friend Like Me" always is) so I leapt to my feet as you do and then slowly realised I was on my own. Even my wife wisely gave me that "you're on your own" look before giggling at my predicament. We were on the front row so I was probably blocking the view of the rows behind me and in full view of the cast on stage! But I would totally do it again! The bows that night were amazing, with Don giving us a thumbs up and Courtney waving to us as the curtain came down. The feeling is something I can't put into words, I'm just so grateful to everyone for it.
Back stage afterwards it was great to see everyone again to say goodbye. Adam gave me a hug and a "thanks for trying" for the standing ovation and Courtney gave us a lovely card before we left.
I had another "pinch me I'm dreaming" moment when Don introduced us to Jonathan Freeman!! It was so surreal stood talking about Aladdin and the various productions in had on the way to Broadway with the original Jafar!! Of course me being an idiot I didn't ask to get a picture! But it was an incredible moment for this lifelong Disney fan!
After how fantastic everyone was to Jane and I last year, we made sure this year we went bearing gifts! Schmackary's for everyone and then some special gifts for a few people who have always gone the extra mile for me. The only reason I'm mentioning this is because I want to share a picture of Don's gift with you now, simply because it's a brand new piece of Iago art by Iago's supervising animator Will Finn!!
Big thanks to Don for this picture with him in costume!
And, of course, I'm thankful that Aladdin is coming to the UK next year! I hope they bring these with them!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you have a wonderful time filled with friends, family, love and laughter.
Adam Jacobs, Courtney Reed and James Monroe Iglehart as Aladdin, Jasmine and Genie
Has it really been a month since I posted one of these? I know I've covered the big headlines like Aladdin opening in Tokyo and celebrating 500 performances on Broadway but that barely scratches the surface of what this fabulous cast have been up to! So it's time to play a little catch up with all the residents of the fictional city of Agrabah!
Later this month Aladdin and The Lion King will both be hosting special matinee performances as part of Playbill's Family Day OUT. Part of Playbill's second annual Playbill Pride, the June 13th event invites LGBT families and allies to a pre-matinee party and lunch with cast members from both shows followed by a 2pm matinee performance. More details can be found at Playbill though tickets are now sold out for both shows.
At the end of last month James Monroe Iglehart hosted the A Broader Way Karaoke Benefitto raise money for A Broader Way, the initiative set up by Idina Menzel and Taye Diggs to help offer girls from urban communities an outlet for self-expression and creativity through the arts. But this is James. He didn't just host, he doesn't just sing, he freestyle raps!!
May was a big month for James as he had his first 54 Below show How the Heck Did I Get Here? Before the event Playbill had a short preview showing off his fantastic freestyle rap skills (seriously, I will never know how people do that! I'd totally run out of words!)
If that wasn't enough James was also The Broadway League's social media correspondent for Broadway's annual Stars in the Alley on 27th May. You can see a LOT more from that event on James' Twitter and Instagram.
James even found time to take part in Schmackary's annual Broadway Bakes event to raise money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Broadway World has pictures from the event. And I have to say, this year was my 4th visit to NYC but only my first visit to Schmackary's and I now have a new favourite cookie! Seriously, never mind the shows I'd be tempted to fly back to NYC just for one of those cookies! They need to open a UK store!!
And after all that he still had time to appear on the Denzel Washington podcast live from Union Hall! You can listen to the full podcast right here!
He may not be up for an award this year but James will be back on the Tonys tonight! Along with fellow Tony Award winner Jessie Mueller he will co-host The Creative Arts Awards which celebrate the hard work of the often unsung behind the scenes heroes who make the shows possible.
And James returned The Electric Company to teach phonic "I blends" his own special way. If you live in America you can view it here.
Last month Adam Jacobs took part in a concert production of Sweet Smell of Success to benefit the American Cancer Society. Broadway.com were on hand to record some of the event, including some of Adam's performance, which you can see here;
This is a rare treat - The Japan News has posted an interview with the Tokyo casts' Genies in English! Here Mitsuyuki Doguchi and Hisashi Takiyama talk about their shared role!
Disney on Broadway's YouTube Channel has posted a few more Aladdin videos this month as they use Etch A Sketch to draw the lamp and go behind the scenes of the cast recording with "A Whole New World". I just love that one year on "Broadway's New Musical Comedy" is now "Broadway's Hit Musical Comedy".
I missed posting this at the time (England's Mother's Day is in March) but Aladdin posted a great little Mother's Day video on Instagram last month.
Remember that recipe video that Disney on Broadway released as part of Aladdin's 1st anniversary? Well now you can get a closer look at all the dishes on Pin Interest.
And if you're like me and still haven't bought one yet, Aladdin keeps posting pictures on Instagram that make you remember - yes you do want your very own Genie Bear!
Aladdin's legendary composer Alan Menken is certainly keeping busy! Last month it was announced that Galavant would be returning for second season (which is fantastic as I loved the first season and was dreading it ending on that cliffhanger!), then came the news that Tangled is getting a TV series in 2017 with Alan Menken and Glenn Slater penning new songs!As I have fond memories of growing up with Aladdin: The Series I think this is wonderful news and a big step in the right direction for the Disney Channel. The fact that they've waiting this long and not just done it quickly to cash in on the film's success and they've got Alan Menken and Glenn Slater involved gives me very high hopes for the quality of this show. And if that's not enough yesterday saw the debut of his newest stage musical The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz at the Segal Centre in Montreal. The show runs now through 28th June and tickets are available here. Oh, and he's also working on a live action adaptation of one of his greatest Disney classics - Beauty and the Beast! Like I said, he's definitely keeping busy!
It may seem hard to believe but this time last year we were all crossing our fingers that Aladdin would take home some Tony Awards! I remember watching a live stream and waking my wife up with a cheer of joy when James Monroe Iglehart won! This year Aladdin's incredibly talented director/choreographer Casey Nicholaw has been nominated again (for both direction and choreography) for his new show Something Rotten! which is also up for the best musical award. Something Rotten! re-teamed Casey with Aladdin's costume designer Gregg Barnes who is up for Best Costume Design of a Musical. I still think it's criminal that Gregg wasn't nominated for Aladdin's amazing costumes so I really have my fingers crossed for him this year! It total Something Rotten! is up for an incredible 10 awards, so congratulations to Casey and his entire team on that phenomenal achievement. Broadway.com have posted a great video interview with Casey about his Tony secrets. Aladdin's scenic designer, Bob Crowley is up for an incredible 4 awards this year including Best Scenic Design of a Play and Best Scenic Design of a Musical and also Best Costume Design in both categories as well! I want to wish them all the very best of luck! I can't promise I'll stay up until 5am watching this time but I'm rooting for you! You can see all of this year's nominees here and The Tony Awards will air live on CBS tonight!
The list of shows I want to see next time I'm in NYC just seems to keep growing. Aladdin again (of course!), Something Rotten! and now it's been announced that Casey Nicholaw's Tuck Everlasting is coming to Broadway next year! The show will begin previews March 19th 2016 with an official opening night already set for 17th April 2016. Andrew Keenan-Bolger, who played Omar in Aladdin's 5th Avenue Pilot Production, starred in this year's Premiere Production of Tuck Everlasting so hopefully he'll stay with the cast and I'll finally get to see him in something! And if Prince of Egypt with Norm Lewis does ever happen then I think I'll need to look at a much longer stay in the city than just a weekend next time!
And if you want to be in one of Casey's shows then you might want to read this fascinating interview he did with Playbill where he discusses what he looks for in the people he casts. It seems the golden rule, like Genie tells Aladdin, is to just be yourself!
I've written previously about the inspiring story of Kylie Myers who touched the heart of Broadway and of the Aladdin cast in particular. Though Kylie sadly passed away before she could make her Broadway debut in a walk-on role in Aladdin her legacy lives on and Kylie made her Broadway debut in April in a Times Square public service announcement for The Truth 365;
We all love Aladdin's fantastic costumes and know that Gregg Barnes is responsible for designing them. But what happens after that? Here's an interesting little piece on the man responsible for providing most of Broadway (including Aladdin) with its footwear. Like the article says, if you're doing big dance numbers eight shows a week then good footwear is essential!
Aladdin's TV appearances keep coming as the show will feature on ABC's The Bachelorette tomorrow night! According to the press release "a group of men audition, trying to sing and dance their way into the Bachelorette's heart with hopes of being chosen to be featured with her in that night's performance of Disney's "Aladdin", the Tony-winning hit Broadway musical." You can see some behind the scenes pictures over at Broadway World and even more at Buddy TV.
One of the best things I've learnt about Broadway whilst doing this blog is how much people want to give back and help nurture the next generation. The Purple Box Theatre Kids recently visited New York as part of the Voices of Broadway program and had an incredible experience, including singing on stage with the cast of Aladdin! You can read all about their amazing journey right here.
And speaking of inspiring the next generation, it sounds like Aladdin did just that for the Highlands High School Variations Show Choir on their trip to NYC last month! You can read their story right here.
Samantha Massell went from Aladdin at The Muny to the US Premiere Production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, now she's returning to The Muny with Hunchback's Andrew Samonsky as they join The Lion King's original Nala, Heather Headley, in Into the Woods this July. Samantha and Andrew also took part in 54 Below's #tbt Throwback Thursday: The Concert last month, which sounds like it was a great night (you can see Samantha singing "It's Raining on Prom Night" here).
VACATION ALERT - Adam Jacobs will be away June 23rd-25th, for those performances Rodney Ingram will be bringing the title character to life. If you want to see Rodney as Aladdin this is a great opportunity as it's rare to know when an understudy will be performing in advance.
And speaking of vacations! Adam, Courtney, James and most of Aladdin's talented ensemble took a little trip last weekend to Walt Disney World to take part in the 2015 IPW convention to promote US travel and tourism. You can see plenty of great photos on Twitter and Instagram of their time in the parks but it was their Sing Off with the cast of The Lion King that made the news! Delayed for 6 hours at La Guardia the two casts treated other stranded passengers to show songs and even some freestyle rap to help pass the time! Disney on Broadway have posted a 4 minute video to their YouTube page but there are longer versions on YouTube. The video below is 14 minutes but it repeats so the full Sing Off is about 7 minutes;
I'm majorly biased but I think the Aladdin cast won!
And finally, round two of Don Darryl Rivera and James Monroe Iglehart's hilarious Scare War!!
