Countdown to Broadway - St. Louis 2012

Last week I took a look back at the Tuacahn's 2012 production of Aladdin: The New Stage Musical, this week it's the turn of The Muny's production from that same summer as I continue my countdown to Broadway.

On 8th October 2011 The Muny announced the line up for its 94th season stating "Following upon the fantastic success of The Muny production of The Little Mermaid, The Muny presents its premiere of Disney's Aladdin."  The Muny production of Aladdin was to run from 5-13th July 2012.  Along with the Tuacahn Amphitheatre, The Muny was one of only two venues selected by Disney to present a regional production of Aladdin in 2012.

Whilst it was unsurprising that Disney Theatrical chose two theatres they'd worked with before to showcase this revised version of Aladdin (both The Muny and the Tuacahn had presented The Little Mermaid as part of their 2011 seasons), it's interesting to note that both the theatres chosen were outdoor amphitheatres.  I'm not sure if there was anything to this beyond previous working relationships or if Disney thought that the outdoor venues would be able to add to the show in unique ways which couldn't be achieved in a traditional theatre, such as both shows using live camels in their openings, or maybe they felt that the amphitheatre venues could reach a larger audience (The Muny's capacity is an incredible 11,000 people).

In April 2012 The Muny announced that Gary Griffin would be making his Muny debut as the Director of Aladdin whilst Choreographer Alex Sanchez and Music Director Greg Anthony, who both worked on The Muny's production of The Little Mermaid, would be returning to their roles for Aladdin.  Then, at the end of May, the cast was officially announced;

Robin de Jesus as Aladdin
Samantha Massell as Princess Jasmine
John Tartaglia as Genie
Thom Sesma as Jafar
Curtis Holbrook as Iago
Eddie Korbich as Babkak
Jason Graae as Omar
Francis Jue as Kassim
Ken Page as Sultan

Robin de Jesus as Aladdin and John Tartaglia as Genie, Photo by The Muny

The Muny's short run saw a flurry of media releases, Playbill and Broadway World both posted photo galleries from the show's opening night, KSDK News posted a video preview which included interviews with the cast and some footage from the show, and The Muny posted several videos to their own YouTube channel featuring behind the scenes rehearsal footage, an interview with Director Gary Griffin, an interview with John Tartaglia (Genie), an interview with Robin de Jesus (Aladdin), and a special video featuring footage from opening night;

Like the Tuacahn, The Muny's production of Aladdin received some fantastic reviews.  Harry Hamm from CBS St. Louis gave the show 5 stars (written review here, audio review here), calling it "an immensely entertaining, funny, clever, hip show".  St. Louis Today gave a slightly more mixed review, citing problems with the staging of A Whole New World (which I think can be forgiven for a 2 week production) and a lull in the first act, but still went on to call the show "beautifully staged, performed with vigor and bursting with surprises".  And finally, KDHX's review called the show "everything a stage musical should be" and "a treasure of fun and surprises for everyone".

Thom Sesma as Jafar and Curtis Holbrook as Iago, Photo by The Muny

During the course of its short run The Muny's production of Aladdin was the host to a very special guest as writer/lyricist Chad Beguelin (a Centralia native himself) returned home to see the show.  At the time he was asked if the show was heading to Broadway to which he replied "It's always a possibility."

Samantha Massell as Princess Jasmine and Ensemble, Photo by The Muny

The Muny's Aladdin proved to be incredibly popular with CBS St. Louis reporting that it was The Muny's best selling show during their 2012 season, selling a remarkable 74,857 tickets over just 9 shows!  It was also award winning, with star Samantha Massell being voted "Best Theater Discovery St. Louis 2012" by St. Louis River Front Times in their annual "Best Of Awards".

So it went short and sweet but one thing's for sure, the audiences loved it;

 

Muny's Jasmine Voted Best Theater Discovery

I just want to say a big congratulations to Samantha Massell who has been voted Best Theater Discovery 2012 by St.Louis' River Front Times for her performance as Princess Jasmine in Aladdin!

In their annual "Best Of Awards", the RFT said

"What caught us by surprise was the lovely and spirited performance from Samantha Massell as Princess Jasmine. Massell is no stranger to the Muny. For the past two summers she has appeared mostly in ensemble and "lady in waiting" roles. This time the Muny gifted her with a much-deserved "Introducing" credit. And deservedly so. In a cast primarily composed of show-mugging clowns, Massell played it straight. Enchanting yet commanding (as a princess should be), she was the most believable element of the entire fantasy, a worthy companion with whom to share a magic carpet ride."

Congratulations Samantha!  I've no doubt this is only the start of a fantastic career.

Samantha Massell as Princess Jasmine, Photo by Lia Chang

And in case you're wondering where the above photo came from, this summer Lia Chang was able to go back stage at The Muny with the cast of Aladdin (another article I managed to miss during The Muny's whirlwind production).  You can read her article and see all her pictures (both back stage and production) at her website.

The Muny's Most Popular Show? Aladdin!

The cast of Aladdin at The Muny

CBS St. Louis are reporting that Aladdin: The New Stage Musical  was the best attended show at The Muny during their 2012 season, selling 74,857 tickets over 9 shows.  With support like that at The Muny and continued sell outs at the Tuacahn (where the show runs until mid October), it's no wonder Disney are said to be planning a Broadway run for this show!

As a farewell to The Muny's production, here's a a video interview with Robin de Jesus (Aladdin) that I missed back in July!

And a few reactions from the audience as well ;o)

This weekend I've got a lot of catching up to do with the Tuacahn's production and (fingers crossed) there'll be a Broadway announcement in the not too distant future!

Last Chance to See Aladdin at The Muny!!

If you're in St Louis and planning to see Aladdin: The New Stage Musical you now have just two chances left to see the show before the end of its run!  Tickets for tonight and tomorrow are available here.

If you're still undecided here's another review, this one from KDHX, calling Aladdin "everything a stage musical should be" and "a treasure of fun and surprises for everyone".

So if you want to see some live camels...

Eddie Korbich and Jason Graae as Babkak and Omar, Photo by The Muny

Call her a princess...

Samantha Massell as Jasmine with ensemble, Photo by The Muny

Watch some fantastic villains plotting...

Thom Sesma and Curtis Holbrook as Jafar and Iago, Photo by The Muny

Or just see two friends makin' some magic...

Robin de Jesus and John Tartaglia as Aladdin and Genie, Photo by The Muny

Then make sure you grab your tickets now and catch this amazing show before the magic carpet flys away!

Edit - Last night tonight!!  I just want to take this opportunity to wish everyone at The Muny all the best for their final show of Aladdin tonight.  I hope they've all had a magical time with the show.

New Photos for Tuacahn and a New Video for The Muny

Dan Domenech and Haley Carlucci as Aladdin and Jasmine, Photo by Tuacahn

Just a short update tonight.  At the weekend I posted links to Playbill and Broadway World's photo galleries for The Muny's production of Aladdin, now I'm happy to say that they've finally posted galleries for the Tuacahn's production as well.  You've probably already seen some of these pictures with the reviews but there's a bunch of new ones too.  And I can say that the photo of A Whole New World doesn't do justice to the feeling you get when they soar overhead,  it's just something else.  Playbill's gallery can be found here and Broadway World's here.

And The Muny have posted two new videos to YouTube featuring interviews with the director Gary Griffin and John Tartaglia who plays Genie.

Enjoy!

A Wish or Two or Three! - Aladdin's One Year Old Today

Adam Jacobs as Aladdin, Photo by Chris Bennion

7th July, one year ago today Aladdin: The New Stage Musical had it's World Premiere performance at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre.  It was the start of two weeks of preview performances leading to the show's official Opening Night on July 21st (I'm hoping to have something special to celebrate the show's official anniversary later this month, so fingers crossed!).  One year later and the show is going strong with two regional productions currently being performed at the Tuacahn Amphitheatre and The Muny, and two international productions planned to debut later this year.

To celebrate this special anniversary I thought it would be appropriate to feature something new from each of the three productions so far.

The 5th Avenue

James Monroe Iglehart as Genie, Photo by Chris Bennion

It's hard to believe that a year later I've actually found some "new" material from 5th Avenue's World Premiere production of Aladdin but I was on JMI's website (for the first time in way too long, I really need to check it more frequently) and he's posted a fantastic gallery of production photos that I haven't seen anywhere else.  As the majority of these aren't from the small batch released for the show's publicity I'm not going to re-post them here as it's possible that James paid photographer Chris Bennion to use them on his site.  The gallery can be found here and includes some great shots from Prince Ali, Somebody's Got Your Back and the show's Finale.

Tuacahn Amphitheatre


Dan Domenech as Aladdin, Photo by Tuacahn

I missed posting this whilst I was away.  The Spectrum has posted another great review of the Tuacahn's production of Aladdin, concluding that ""Aladdin" lives up to its promise to take the crowd on a magical ride to "a whole new world.""  Also of note is the photo gallery included with the article which includes a good selection of images from the production.  If The Muny and international productions can get good reviews like the Tuacahn is, maybe there's still some hope that Disney will consider taking this show to Broadway or on a National Tour!  Having seen the show last month I have to say it is well worth the trip (even if you do live "A Million Miles Away"), the Tuacahn have put on a spectacular show in what I can honestly call the most beautiful theatre I have ever been to.

The Muny

1st Night Bows, Photo by The Muny

Just opened last Thursday, The Muny's production of Aladdin only has 1 week left to run (making the line "so it goes short and sweet" very appropriate for this production) so expect to see quite a bit of coverage this week as reviews and photos flood in from around the web.  Playbill and Broadway World have both posted photo galleries from The Muny's opening night, whilst The Muny has posted two videos on YouTube, the first featuring some behind the scenes footage from rehearsals;

and the second from opening night;

KSDK have posted a video preview here which includes interviews with the cast and more footage from the show's opening night.

And the reviews are also starting to come in.  Harry Hamm for CBS St. Louis gave the show 5 stars.  He's done a short audio review for the show (which you can listen to here), calling it "an immensely entertaining, funny, clever, hip show" and a more detailed written review which can be found here.  St. L Today gives a slightly more mixed review, citing problems with the staging of A Whole New World and a lull in the first act, but still calls the show "beautifully staged, performed with vigor and bursting with surprises".  And I'm sure there will be more reviews coming in over the next few days.


I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank once again everyone who's helped and supported me with this blog over the last year, especially the staff at both 5th Avenue and the Tuacahn, and the cast of the original production who generously gave me so much of their time and allowed me to have exclusive content on this blog.  THANK YOU!

Adam Jacobs and Courtney Reed as Aladdin and Jasmine, Photo by Chris Bennion

The Muny's Production of Aladdin Premiere's Tonight!!

Rewind the clocks a year, the first Thursday in July saw the World Premiere performance of Aladdin: The New Stage Musical at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre.  Tonight, The Muny's stage will come alive as America's oldest and largest outdoor theatre presents the world's third production of the Aladdin!

Book writer and new lyricist Chad Beguelin

The Muny's production is only running from tonight until Friday 13th July (so if you're in the area and haven't got tickets yet make sure you grab them fast here!) and at least 1 night during that short run they're going to be having a very special guest, the show's writer and new lyricist Chad Beguelin!  According to BND the Centralia native is returning home to see the show!  It's a really nice article about Chad's history and how he went from Centralia to bringing Aladdin to the stage, so make sure you give it a read.  It ends with the extremely optimistic line

For now, "Aladdin" is not destined for Broadway. But ...

"It's always a possibility," he said.

Can't hope for more than that!  All that remains is for me to say I wish the very best of luck to all the cast and crew at The Muny for tonight's premiere and the rest of their run.  If anyone reading is going, I'd love to hear what you think, so please leave a comment below!

The Muny Cast for Disney's Aladdin

Hi everyone, sorry this post is so much later than promised.  I kinda realised last weekend that we were VERY close to flying out to Utah and hadn’t got anything ready!  Pretty much all set now though, so on with the show!

Robin de Jesus is Aladdin

Two time Tony Award Nominee Robin is best known for bringing the character of Sonny to life in the musical In the Heights in both the off-Broadway production and then on Broadway (so it’s quite possible he worked alongside Seattle’s original Jasmine, Courtney Reed!) for which he received one of his Tony nominations. Robin has also appeared in the Broadway production of Rent and starred as Jacob in La Cage aux Folles (another Tony nominated performance).  In addition to his Broadway credits, Robin has also appeared in film and on TV, having appeared on Law and Order: SVU and How to Make it in America and having rolls in films such as Camp and Gun Hill Road (amongst others) with more movies due out later this year.

Samantha Massell is Princess Jasmine

Born and raised in New York City, Samantha has been performing since she was a child (asking her parents for an agent when she was just 8 years old).  Samantha made her Broadway debut in Baz Luhrmann’s production of Puccini’s La Boheme in 2002, staying with the production for its full 8 month run and also performing with the cast on the 2003 Tony Awards.  Studying musical theatre (with a double major in English) at the University of Michigan, Samantha has performed in a wide variety of shows including Little Women, Next to Normal, Brigadoon and Hair.  During her summer "holidays" Samantha was working at The Muny, starring in shows like Titanic, Sound of Music, Kiss Me Kate, Singin’ in the Rain and Bye Bye Birdie.  Graduating with highest honours, Samantha has now returned to The Muny to play Princess Jasmine.

John Tartaglia is Genie

John first joined Sesame Street as a puppeteer at just 16 years old, he remained with the show for 10 seasons and still guest stars today.  Given this history it’s no surprise that John’s Broadway debut was in the original production of Avenue Q where he created the roles of Princeton and Rod (for which he was nominated for a Tony Award).  John is still with Avenue Q, now as the resident director of the current off-Broadway production.  Between starring in and then directing Avenue Q, John originated the role of Pinocchio in Shrek: The Musical and has appeared in a wide range of children’s TV series.  Indeed, John is no stranger to Disney, being know to families world wide as Johnny from Johnny and the Sprites (for which he received the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in a Children’s Series) and having appeared on the Broadway stage as Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast.

Thom Sesma is Jafar

A familiar presence both on and off Broadway, in regional theatres and on TV, Thom (like Jonathan Freeman and Michael G. Hawkins before him) has a very impressive and extensive resume covering everything from musicals like Miss Saigon to Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night to TV’s Law and Order. Thom recently starred in the all-star Shinsai: Theatre for Japan benefit held in memory of the tragic events of March 2011.  He would seem a perfect fit for Jafar, having been playing the Disney villain Scar in The Lion King for almost 3 years now, first for a 2 ½ year run in Las Vegas before returning to New York in January to play the role on Broadway opposite Seattle’s original Aladdin, Adam Jacobs in the role of Simba!

Curtis Holbrook is Iago

Curtis Holbrook is a regular at The Muny, having starred in Footloose, Kiss Me Kate and Singin’ in the Rain (for which he won a Kevin Kline Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor).  In 2009 Curtis recreated the role of Action in the Broadway revival of West Side Story, and has previously appeared on Broadway in shows such as All Shook Up, The Adams Family and Xanadu amongst others.  He has also starred in a wide variety of off-Broadway and regional productions, as well as on film (Hairspray) and TV (most recently on the musical hit Smash which has also featured an appearance by Seattle’s Genie, James Monroe Iglehart).

Eddie Korbich is Babkak
 

Eddie made his Disney debut as Scuttle in The Little Mermaid, staying with the show from its preview run in Denver right through to its final bow in New York, and it’s great to see him back in another Disney musical.  Eddie last appeared at The Muny in 2003's Show Boat and has an extensive Broadway resume having appeared in shows such as Sweeney Todd, Wicked, Seussical, After the Night and the Music, Carousel, Singin’ in the Rain and a Drama Desk nominated performance in The Drowsy Chaperone. He also has extensive regional, TV and voice over credits to his name.

Jason Graae is Omar

Jason has starred on Broadway in numerous shows, including A Grand Night for Singing, Falsettos, Stardust, Snoopy! and Do Black Patent Leather Pants Really Reflect Up?  His off-Broadway credits include a Drama Desk nominated performance in Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh and his one-man show has toured the US and was featured in Time Out NY’s Top 10 Cabaret Shows.  As well as Broadway, Jason has worked regularly in Los Angeles, winning 2 LA Drama Critics Circle Awards and appearing in shows such as Guys and Dolls and The Music Man.  As well as musical theatre, Jason has also appeared on TV, in shows such as Friends and Frasier, and performed opera with LA Opera. On top of this, Jason is no stranger to Disney or Alan Menken, having had a role in Home on the Range.

Francis Jue is Kassim

A regular face at The Muny, Francis has previously starred in The King and I, Mame, Peter Pan, Miss Saigon and Damn Yankees.  His most recent production with The Muny was another Disney classic last year when he brought the role of Sebastian to life in The Little Mermaid.  On Broadway he has created the role of Bun Foo in Thoroughly Modern Millie and also starred in Madame Butterfly and Pacific Overtures.  As well as at The Muny, Francis has also starred in many other regional productions, winning multiple awards for shows such as In the Next Room, Cabaret and Into the Woods.  He has also appeared on TV, starring in shows such as Law and Order and The Good Wife.

Ken Page is the Sultan

A St. Louis native, Ken Page is perhaps best know as the voice of Oogie Boogie in the Tim Burton film The Nightmare Before Christmas (a role he has returned to numerous times over the years for Disney theme park shows, video games, etc.).  On Broadway Ken has an extremely impressive resume, featuring shows such as Guys and Dolls (1976's all black revival for which he won a Theatre World Award), The Wiz, Ain’t Misbehavin’ (both the original production and the revival!), Cats and It Ain’t Nothin’ but the Blues.  He has appeared on stage internationally in London’s West End (including the recorded production of Cats) and in Paris.  A regular star at The Muny, Ken has performed award nominated and award winning performances in shows such as Jesus Christ Superstar, Les Miserables, The Wizard of Oz and Aida, along with being the voice of Audrey II in the Ashman and Menken classic Little Shop of Horrors and King Triton in last year’s production of The Little Mermaid.

And that about wraps it up!  The show runs 5-13th July and tickets are available here.  With such a short run and the popularity of both the original Seattle production and the Tuacahn’s current production, I’d make sure you get tickets sooner rather than later if you’re planning to go as they likely won’t last long.

Muny and European Casting

The Muny Casting Announced for Aladdin: The New Stage Musical

"Adapted from the beloved animated feature, Disney's Aladdin presents the favorite movie characters and all of the songs from the film's Oscar-winning score, plus never-before heard Menken/Ashman songs restored from early drafts of the film. Variety hailed this new full-length stage version of Aladdin as "fresh, funny and very entertaining."

Tony Nominees Robin de Jesus and John Tartaglia star as Aladdin and the Genie, respectively. Joining them will be Jason Graae as Omar, Curtis Holbrook as Iago, Francis Jue as Kassim, Eddie Korbich as Babkak, Samantha Massell as Jasmine, Ken Page as the Sultan, and Thom Sesma as Jafar.

Disney's Aladdin is directed by Gary Griffin and choreographed by Alex Sanchez"

I also want to say sorry for the delay in posting this!  It was announced just before the bank holiday weekend so it slipped by me until read Broadway World's newsletter the other day!  More details on the cast can be found in Broadway World's article here and I'll do my own look at the cast over the weekend (hopefully!).

Single tickets are now on sale here.

European Premiere Casting
Steffen has very kindly alerted me to an update on Denmark's upcoming European premiere of Aladdin: The New Stage Musical.  The original article can be found here.  And here's the translated version (thanks to Google translator and a little editing);

"When Fredericia Theatre opens the European premiere of the musical version of Disney's Aladdin in October, it will be with Johannes Nymark, Maria Lucia and the young talent Pelle Emil Hebsgaard in the three main roles.

All sails are set for when Fredericia Theatre, on 4 October this year, can open the doors to the European premiere of Disney's musical Aladdin, which will be Fredericia Theatre's largest venture to date. Ever since the announcement of the show before Christmas the theatre has been working overtime to find the perfect cast. With just under six months until the premiere, Fredericia Theatre is now proud to present its main cast.

Theatre director Soren Moller is a proud man:

"I am happy, relieved and proud that we have found our dream cast to star in Disney's  Aladdin. These are three extremely demanding roles, and it's hard to find the right actors/actress, who have both the talent and the right look and feel for the characters. It is a cardinal point to me that we never cast someone just because they are known, but because it is precisely that they are the right person for the role. It simply provides the best theatre. In Johannes Nymark, Maria Lucia and Pelle Emil Hebsgaard I will not hesitate to say that we have found three sparkling stars as a dream match for this show."

From stepsko and rain dance to Arabic street boy in a turbanIn the title role of Aladdin, Fredericia Theatre, welcomes back Johannes Nymark. He graduated from the Danish Musical Academy Fredericia in 2009 and has appeared at the theatre in High School Musical. He got his first big breakthrough this spring in Singin 'in the Rain at the New Theatre, where he continued dancing and singing his way through cascades of rain as it fell as Don Lockwood.

After the summer he changes his shoes, stepping out with a turban and a flying carpet as the young Arab Aladdin who falls in love with the beautiful Princess Jasmine. She is played by our greatest young musical star right now, Maria Lucia.

From Disney's Beauty and the Beast to Disney's Aladdin

After success with the title role in Sugar last fall and just now in Chess at Aarhus Theatre, Maria Lucia is back in a big new Disney musical. She made her professional musical debut in Disney's Beauty and the Beast at the New Theatre seven years ago. This will be her second time playing opposite Johannes Nymark as the two played together in Les Misérables at the New Theatre three years ago.

In the role of Jasmine the audience also gets the opportunity to meet Kristine Provide Eriksen, who understudies (alternates?) for Maria Lucia. With critically acclaimed leading roles in shows such as Mamma Mia! in Tivoli and Singin 'in the Rain Kristine has established herself as a leading female musical performer.

United Talent follows in Robin Williams' footsteps

The musical's third major role is the hyperactive, turbo-speed talkative Genie better known as the spirit of the lamp, who Robin Williams memorably provided the voice for in the 1992 Disney classic Aladdin.

After extensive auditions, the theatre decided to give the role to the young talent Pelle Emil Hebsgaard, who was also educated at the Musical Academy. This will be his biggest role ever. Pelle Emil has appeared in several musicals at Fredericia Theatre and has just received lots of acclaim for his performance as Eugene in the successful production of Grease in Tivoli this spring.

In total, the ensemble consists of over 30 musical performers, singers and dancers. The show is directed and choreographed by Lynne Kurdziel,  American formato Animation Company Nørlum and Frausing Jens and Anders Jensen Digmann together create the production's scenography, Anna Juul Holm creates the many lavish costumes, and conductor Christian Baltzer will be swinging the baton for an 18 piece orchestra."

The Magic Carpet Travels to Denmark and Regional US Updates

This weekend blog reader Steffen brought some fantastic news to my attention - the location of the European Premiere of Aladdin: The New Stage Musical has been announced as the Fredericia Teater in Denmark!  The show will premiere on 4th October and run through to 11th November this year.

The theatre's website states (and I apologise to any Danish readers if the translation is wrong!);

"Fredericia Theatre has gained the rights to the European premiere of Disney's new big musical ALADDIN. It is in recognition of the theater's ambitious efforts to develop and demonstrate new musicals, that Disney Group has chosen Fredericia Theatre as their partner for this brand new musical. ALADDIN opens Fredericia Theatre's 2012/2013 season with its premiere on the fourth October 2012 at 19:00."

Tickets are now on sale at the theatre's website.  Thanks again to Steffen for the heads up!

In US news, the Tuacahn have update their website's blog with the first pictures of early set production (Scenic Design by Doug Ellis) and costume materials from the show (Costume Design by Wilma Mickler)!  Make sure you check out their pictures here!  In their post they say that the show will be a "lavish large scale production" including "water screen animations, illusions, a flying carpet as well as 3D animation in segments of the show"!  I'm counting the days till my flight, June can't get here soon enough!  Tickets are on sale here.

The Muny have also been busy announcing the creative teams for their 2012 season, including their production Aladdin: The New Stage Musical;

GARY GRIFFIN (Director) will be making his Muny debut. During his tenure at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Gary has directed Passion, A Flea in Her Ear, A Little Night Music, Sunday in the Park with George, Pacific Overtures, The Herbal Bed, Short Shakespeare! A Midsummer Night's Dream and Short Shakespeare! Romeo and Juliet. Broadway directing credits include The Color Purple (11 Tony® nominations including Best Musical) and The Apple Tree (Tony® nomination for Best Musical Revival). Gary has received eight Joseph Jefferson Awards for directing and has twice been named a "Chicagoan of the Year in the Arts" by the Chicago Tribune. For the Stratford Festival of Canada, he has directed West Side Story, Evita, Camelot, and their current production of 42nd Street. Griffin is directing the Broadway-bound production of Honeymoon in Vegas.

ALEX SANCHEZ (Choreographer) returns to The Muny after choreographing last year’s Disney’s The Little Mermaid. He also served as the assistant choreographer for Damn Yankees. Alex is choreographing the Guthrie Theatre’s production of Roman Holiday. He has choreographed Where’s Charley? (New York City Encores! Series), In The Mood (national tour), Mambo Mouth (Penguin Rep), West Side Story and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Woodminster Theater). Some of his Broadway performing credits include Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Wonderful Town.

GREG ANTHONY (Musical Director) will be returning to The Muny after music directing Disney’s The Little Mermaid in 2011. On Broadway, he served as the associate musical director for Disney’s The LittleMermaid. Greg also musical directed the first national tour of Disney’s The Lion King. His regional work includes productions of Wonderland, Brundibar. Greg is also the music director for the Broadway-bound production of It Shoulda Been You.

Whilst season tickets have been on sale for a while, advanced orders for single tickets are now being taken via their Single Ticket Order Form here and will go on sale 2nd June.

Expect the updates to start becoming more frequent again as we head into summer and these productions head into rehearsals!

One Year Later

Adam Jacobs as Aladdin, Photo by Mark Kitaoka

I can’t believe that this blog is a year old.

This time last year Disney Theatrical officially announced that, in partnership with The 5^th Avenue Theatre, they were finally brining Aladdin to the stage. I originally created this blog to follow the production and limited run of that pilot production. At the time I expected I’d be doing nothing more than re-posting news from other websites, creating one location where you could find out everything about the show. I was happy with that. This blog was, and still is, a labour of love. On a whim I contacted Adam Jacobs and 5^th Avenue when casting was announced. If I’m being honest I didn’t really expect a reply, and I certainly didn’t expect the wonderful magic carpet ride that was waiting for me!

Due to the incredible generosity of The 5^th Avenue and the cast and crew of Aladdin: The New Stage Musical this blog went from simply reporting news to being able to advise fans in advance of upcoming promotional material (such as Courtney Reed’s TV performance of "Call Me a Princess"), and I had the great privilege of being able to interview almost all of the principle cast. And I still hope there’s more to come! One thing I cannot do is overstate how fantastic the people at 5^th Avenue were to me, I really could not have done this without them.

Courtney Reed as Princess Jasmine, Photo by Mark Kitaoka

Those of you who have been coming here over the last year will probably have noticed that this is the first post I’ve done that doesn’t use a quote from the film (or in some cases the show) for the title. The honest truth is I’m running out of appropriate quotes and I don’t really want to double up on post titles (I know I’ve done that at least once already!). And the time felt right for a change, anything related to the original Seattle run will still use a quote as a title but as we move into the show’s next phase of life - officially licensed regional productions - I’ll be using more "normal" titles... maybe the quotes will come back if the show goes to Broadway ;o)

This year Aladdin: The New Stage Musical is being produced exclusively at just two regional theatres; The Tuacahn Amphitheatre in Utah and The Muny in St. Louis. Tickets for The Tuacahn are on sale now, season tickets for The Muny are now available, single tickets will go on sale 2^nd June at the links provided. I hope that I’ll be able to follow both productions as well as I followed 5^th Avenue’s production last year, but whatever happens I will at the very least report the news from around the net as quickly as I can (and for that I owe a great deal to the people at Aladdin Central who have been a fantastic help over the last year).

James Monroe Iglehart as Genie, Photo by Chris Bennion

Last January I did a post on my 3 wishes for the show (assuming Broadway was out of the question). I wished for an Seattle Cast Recording, an official Disney Theatrical produced tour and a DVD of the Seattle production. At least I acknowledged how crazy the last one was!! Of course none of these wishes have come true yet. I still hold on to the hope that Disney will release a Seattle Cast Album. I know they never did a studio recording but I’m 99.9% certain that the show was recorded for archival and reference purposes and with today’s technology I’m sure the sound quality would be good enough to release on CD, plus they had an amazing cast that included Jonathan Freeman as Jafar! Unless they’re planning to get the cast back together and take the show to Broadway in the next year or two there’s really no reason not to do a CD. The sales would certainly be there.

The official tour wish? Well give it time. Alan Menken, Chad Beguelin and Casey Nicholaw had 3 days of meetings regarding the show last November. This was almost certainly to discuss (and implement?) the next round of developments for the show before the regional productions later this year (and Europe in the not too distant future). Maybe I’m reading too much into this (and I’ll be the first to admit a lack of knowledge on how things work behind the scenes in the world of musical theatre) but I’m viewing Casey Nicholaw’s involvement as a very positive sign that Disney could (and I really want to emphasis the could here, this may be nothing more than me being overly optimistic) be looking at doing more with the show than simply licensing it out to various professional and amateur groups. If after the Seattle run Disney Theatrical feel that some tweaking is needed to perfect the show then I can completely understand Alan Menken and Chad Beguelin being brought back in as they are the writers and any script changes really needs their input. Though he was involved with the script of the original production, Casey’s involvement suggest, to me, that something more could be a possibility. The Seattle production was done as a pilot, a blueprint for lack of a better word, to show how the show should be done. Any future regional productions (including those coming this year) will be done by new directors. They will be based on the blueprint of the Seattle show, but it is also likely that they will make certain adjustments based on their own vision of the show, the venue, their budget etc. So to bring Casey Nicholaw back for this round of developments suggests that there is at leastsome hope of Disney Theatrical doing their own production of Aladdin: The New Stage Musical in the not too distant future. Whether this is a tour (the domain www.aladdinontour.com was registered by Disney back in 2010) or maybe even Broadway remains to be seen. Of course to keep this in perspective it could simply be that Disney and Casey wanted to alter the blueprint of the show before it went out to the regional directors.

Third wish? Never gonna happen, especially if Disney are even remotely considering the idea of an official tour or Broadway run. But fingers crossed for a special feature about the Seattle production on the 20^th Anniversary edition of the film rumoured to be coming out this year!

In all honesty, as nice as those wishes were, thanks to 5^th Avenue my Aladdin wishes were more than fulfilled last year, and thanks to an amazing woman saying "I do", all my personal dreams came true as well. Last year was an amazing year for me, I hope it was for all of you as well. Here’s hoping this year will be even better. Now I just need to work out what makes a good first anniversary present... I hear there’s a really nice spa resort in Utah that’s just round the corner from an outdoor amphitheatre...

Genie! My Second Wish!

Whilst I've been away the second venue staging a production of Aladdin: The New Stage Musical next year has been announced as The Muny in St. Louis.

"The Muny announces its line-up for the 94th season in Forest Park, the first for new Executive Producer Mike Isaacson. The summer 2012 season introduces 4½ musicals new to the Muny stage and includes several re-imagined classics.

The 2012 Season is:

The Muny production of Disney’s ALADDIN
CHICAGO
DREAMGIRLS
JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR® DREAMCOAT
THE KING AND I
PIRATES! (or, Gilbert & Sullivan Plunder’d)
THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE

"I'm excited by my first Muny season," commented Executive Producer Mike Isaacson. "Stylistically and musically there's something for everyone. Each of these shows is terrifically entertaining."
"I'm also thrilled to include 4½ Muny production premieres," he continued. "Disney's Aladdin, Chicago, Dreamgirls and Thoroughly Modern Millie have never been produced by The Muny. And Pirates! is a marvelous new spin on the Gilbert and Sullivan original, The Pirates of Penzance, which The Muny has produced twice before. I'm counting that as half a premiere."

"I am really looking forward to this season," commented President and CEO Denny Reagan. "I've been at The Muny for a long time, and never have I felt such a strong surge of new energy. We are committed to maintaining the wonderful Muny experience our audiences expect, and there are going to be some exciting changes this summer!"

New season tickets will be available beginning Saturday, March 3, 2012 at the Muny Box Office in Forest Park. Single tickets will go on sale Saturday, June 2, 2012."

The Muny's website also goes on to state;

The Muny premiere of Disney's

ALADDIN

July 5 - 13

Following upon the fantastic success of the Muny production of Disney's The Little Mermaid, The Muny presents its premiere of Disney's Aladdin. The Muny production will be only the third production of this new stage musical adapted from the beloved animated feature to be produced anywhere in the world. Disney's Aladdin features the favorite movie characters and all of the beloved songs from the film’s Oscar®-winning score, plus never-before heard Menken/Ashman songs restored from early drafts of the film. Variety hailed this new full-length stage version of Aladdin as "fresh, funny and very entertaining."

As with the Tuacahn production it's very unlikely that any of the original Seattle cast will be involved in this production, but stay tuned for more news on this exciting production as we head into next year.

And finally, sorry I've been away for so long!  As long time readers will know, I got married this summer but we delayed our honeymoon until the very end of September as we wanted to be in the Magic Kingdom for their 40th Anniversary celebrations on 1st October.  We had an amazing 3 week honeymoon in Walt Disney World, and on an Aladdin note it was fantastic to see all of the Aladdin characters out in the park for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party!  We also got an amazing Aladdin sketch from The Art of Disney in EPCOT.  But the most magical Aladdin moment was seeing Aladdin and Jasmine take a little girl on The Flying Carpets of Aladdin ride, I honestly thought that was something Disney only did for promotional videos so it was amazing to see it in real life.