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.
James Monroe Iglehart as Genie, Photo by Cylla Von Tiedemann
Welcome to the latest news round up for Broadway's Aladdin! Finally back on a weekly schedule (let's see how long it lasts this time!)
First off I just want to say a massive congratulations to last week's Tony Award winners, including Aladdin's Bob Crowley who won Best Scenic Design of a Musical, along with Benjamin Pearcy and Leo Warner, for An American in Paris, and Natasha Katz who won Best Lighting Design of a Musical for the same show. Casey Nicholaw's Something Rotten! may not have taken home Best Musical (check out their fantastic new poster below) but, like Aladdin, it did take home Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical so congratulations to Christian Borle!
Something Rotten's new poster, image from @RottenBroadway on Twitter
Last week Broadway's Aladdin featured on ABC's The Bachelorette. Now Wetpaint has some more photos from the episode, Business 2 Community has posted a short article on the episode and if you live in the US you can watch the whole episode right here on Hulu. Or if you just want the Aladdin section Good Morning America has posted a special behind the scenes look at that part of the episode and Broadway World has the video of the Aladdin part of the show featuring Adam Jacobs and Courtney Reed (both videos are sadly only viewable in the US). Finally, the Bachelorette herself has also posted a blog about her Broadway experience over at People!
Finally this week, James Monroe Iglehart discussed his recent 54 Below show with Playbill as he and other Broadway stars talk about how they put their cabaret shows together.
James Monroe Iglehart as Genie, Photo by Cylla Von Tiedemann
Has it really been a year?! On this day in 2014 James Monroe Iglehart took to the stage at the Radio City Music Hall to accept the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical for his portrayal of the Genie in Aladdin. His speech, like the man himself, was passionate and definitely memorable;
If you've ever seen James bring Genie to life then you know the award was well deserved. Winning the Tony may have been a dream come true for James but he continues to make peoples wishes come true every night at the New Amsterdam Theatre.
Congratulations again James, keep making that magic!
And in case you missed it (or just wanted to see it again) here's James, Adam Jacobs and the cast of Broadway's Aladdin performing "Friend Like Me" on the 2014 Tony Awards!
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!!
To start this week's news round up here's one final piece on the Tony Awards and this one is rather special as it's written by Aladdin's own Marisha Wallace - True Story: I'm a Black Girl from North Carolina & I Performed at the 2014 Tony Awards! Marisha is part of the ensemble and one of Jasmine's attendants, but if you're really lucky you may also get to see her playing the part of Babkak (I love this as it shows incredible gender equality by Disney for these supporting roles and it's also a nice call back to Howard Ashman's original treatment where there was a female member of Aladdin's gang).
The New York Times has published an article focusing on the work of Glen Kelly that's well worth a read. Glen Kelly provided the dance music arrangements for Aladdin and this article provides a fascinating insight into an area that I admittedly had no knowledge about.
We Blog the World has posted a short fan review of the show. They even used the photo manip of Genie holding aloft a Tony Award that I made which, I have to admit, is kinda cool!
Emerson College's Entertainment Monthly has also posted a positive review, calling James Monroe Iglehart's Genie "one key player that elevates it to Broadway stardom", Adam Jacobs "everything you want in the character of Aladdin" and Don Darryl Rivera "a standout ... his comedic moments have the entire audience laughing out loud".
Last week Merwin Foard took the stage as Sultan Hamed. Since I posted a photo of him as Jafar I figured I'd post this one as well (any excuse to post a photo!)
And finally another Vacation Alert! Adam Jacobs will be away from 7th-14th July, and a quick reminder that Courtney Reed will be away from tomorrow (1st July) until 6th July.
Ok, one last thing! On a more light hearted note JMI's Genie topped Broadway.com's weekend poll as the most wanted guest at a 4th July BBQ party!
Firstly, sorry there was no news round up last week, real life got in the way. That said, it's time to pick up where I left off last time... When was that again? Oh yeah, that was Tony Sunday when a certain Genie named James Monroe Iglehart won a TONY AWARD!!!!
James Monroe Iglehart as Genie, Photo by Cylla Von Tiedemann
I know I already did a big post on the Tonys but I just had to say it one more time!
Plus there's a lot of stuff I didn't post in my initial coverage of the awards, so here's a quick Tony Award news round up;
Just before the main event Broadway World posted rehearsal footage from Friend Like Me's Tony Award performance along with a brief interview with Chad Beguelin
Playbill posted a write up of the winners, noting "Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical was presented to an ecstatic James Monroe Iglehart for his hilarious performance as the Genie in Aladdin, and he made sure audiences would remember it by spicing it up with an effervescent "praise shout" in celebration."
The NY Times also posted a full write up of the show which included some wonderful comments from JMI; "The praise shout was not planned," he said. "If it's planned, it's not real. I had to give praise because my mama told me to keep God first and blessings would happen." He also added, "The Tonys is the most dignified awards show, and I wanted to undignify it a little." Speaking of not too dignified, Mr. Iglehart said he would not be having dinner at a fancy restaurant Sunday night. He and his wife were going to hit McDonald's because it keeps him humble, he said. Then "we go back to our house, and we kick it with our cats, and this lets us know that this is still real life." (and he posted the proof of his McDonald's on Twitter). LA Times also shared some comments from James following his win.
Courtney Reed featured on Vogue Italia as part of their Tony Awards coverage, looking gorgeous in a stunning blue dress. It's no wonder that she and James both made the New York Observer's Best Dressed List and Courtney made it onto The Gloss' list as well.
As for JMI? He's feeling a little crazy right now :o)
I'm not sure if I missed this or if it was awarded after I went to bed but watching the winners video above I just realised that Aladdin's Natasha Katz won Best Lighting Design of a Play for her work on The Glass Menagerieso congratulations Natasha! And congratulations to all the other winners as well.
And on a lighter note - following the Tony's Adam Jacobs gain a lot of new fans, so many that he took to Twitter to thank them for crashing his website! Saying "Thanks for crashing my website fans!! Bandwidth exceeded. We're back online now. #UltimateCompliment #TonyExposure adamjacobs.net"
Ok, moving on from the Tonys. I mentioned two weeks ago (wow time flies) that Merwin Foard was playing the role of Jafar as Jonathan Freeman was off that Sunday, well here's a great picture of him along with the fabulous Don Darryle Rivera as Iago that he posted on Twitter;
If you want to see Merwin as Jafar then be sure to check out the show on the 22nd or 24th June when he'll be playing the villainous Vizier again and on 26th June he'll be trading black robes for white and taking to the stage as the Sultan (you have to have a good memory to be a Stand By!) And if you've seen Merwin and wondered why his voice sounded familiar it's because he was the singing voice of Aladdin's father Cassim in Aladdin and the King of Thieves!
The Seattle Times has posted a fantastic piece on Don Darryl Rivera and Brandon O'Neill who were both part of Aladdin's Pilot Production in 2011 and made the leap from regional stage to the Great White Way with Aladdin earlier this year. The Seattle Times also published a 2nd piece looking at Seattle talent in all of the Tony nominated shows which also featured DDR and Brandon O'Neill.
On 16th June Courtney Reed and Michael James Scott (Stand By Genie and Babkak) both took part in Broadway World's concert series performance The Lord & The Master celebrating the works of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Stephen Sondheim. The event was live streamed so hopefully some videos of the event will soon be posted to the Joe's Pub YouTube channel.
Playbill reports that Andrew Keenan-Bolger (Omar from Aladdin's 5th Avenue Pilot Production) and Michael Midlin (a Swing/Dance Captain in the Broadway production) are amongst the Broadway performers supporting the Heart NYC Gallery's photo exhibit seeking to help place LGBT foster children in new adoptive homes. The event is part of National Pride Month and runs through 20th June.
Disney's official blog, Oh My Disney, teamed up with Pixar animator and singer Nick Pitera (who is best known for his YouTube musical tributes) to create a one-man tribute to Aladdin.
ABC News has posted a short video of James Monroe Iglehart meeting the kids of Disney Musicals in Schools and, hopefully, inspiring the next generation of Disney's Broadway stars.
What else happened this week? Oh yeah, this came out!!
Sure I've had the digital copy for weeks now but it's so good to finally have the physical CD in hand with a beautiful foreword by Alan Menken, a summary of the show by Chad Beguelin and, of course, all the lyrics! And to celebrate Disney Music released a very special video of Adam Jacobs and Alan Menken recording one of the album's bonus tracks;
Oh how I wish I could sing like that!
As I reported earlier this week, to promote the launch of the physical cast album the stars of the show took part in a special signing event at Barnes and Noble. Fortunately Broadway World and Playbill were on hand to take photos of the event!
And now for some upcoming events!! Adam Jacobs will be taking part in tomorrow night's The Broadway Musicals of 1990-2014, part of Town Hall's Broadway by the Year series. More information and ticket details can be found at Broadway World. And James Monroe Iglehart has joined the cast of Black Stars of the Great White Way along with Clifton Davis (Sultan), the concert takes place tomorrow night at Carnegie Hall and you can find more information and tickets here. All the best to Adam, James and Clifton for tomorrow night!!
Vacation Alert - Courtney Reed will be away from 1st July to 6th July, Jonathan Freeman is away 22nd and 24th June and Clifton Davis is away 26th June.
And finally, the next block of tickets for Aladdin is now on sale! Tickets can now be bought through to 4th January 2015 from www.aladdinthemusical.com! Speaking of tickets, D23 is hosting another Members Night at Aladdin for its Gold and Silver members on 27th September. Tickets for the event are $199.50 per person and include a VIP ticket (premium seating, a complimentary non-alcoholic beverage in a commemorative cup, souvenir lanyard with pin, exclusive gift), a D23 members gift and, best of all, a Q&A with the cast after the show! Tickets go on sale at 10am tomorrow.
James Monroe Iglehart as Genie, Photo by Cylla Von Tiedemann (now with added Tony)
He did it!! After a fantastic performance of Friend Like Me James Monroe Iglehart took to the stage a second time, this time a Tony Award Winner, to accept the award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical for his portrayal of Genie in Aladdin.
It was 2am here in the UK and I was sat up wide awake with a massive grin on my face. I'm so happy right now!! I'll update this post properly tomorrow with JMI's acceptance speech and (hopefully) the performance of Friend Like Me, I just wanted to post this now!
James - congratulations, I know this is a dream come true for you and I'm so happy for you. The award couldn't have gone to a nicer or more talented guy, you truly deserve this. Congratulations!!!
And here's the update I promised!
The night started on a carpet, since the Tony's didn't have a magic carpet a red one had to do;
The gorgeous Courtney Reed (along with Adam Jacobs and Chad Beguelin) joined JMI on the red carpet on The Tony Awards online second screen;
Then the one and only Hugh Jackman bounced his way through the opening number, greeting many of the nominated casts as he went (including cast members from Aladdin as the orchestra plays A Whole New World);
After the first interval came the performance I was waiting for as JMI and the cast of Aladdin danced like they were on the Tonys!
Then, finally, came the moment of truth;
Get him a doggy bag, he's takin' it home!!
James Monroe Iglehart took home the award and celebrated with a Praise Shout, the first I've ever seen and probably the first on the Tonys as well!
And at the end of the night James and the rest of the 2014 Tony Award winners joined Hugh Jackman on stage for one last celebration;
Adam Jacobs and Courtney Reed as Aladdin and Jasmine, Photo by Deen Van Meer
Just a quick post to say good luck to James Monroe Iglehart, Casey Nicholaw, Alan Menken, Chad Beguelin and the entire Aladdin family at the Tony Awards tonight.
This is the best show on Broadway, I've seen the energy and the passion you put into this each and every night, I know how much work went into this show to transform it from Seattle's Pilot Production to Broadway's Tony nominated mega-hit. You've all earned this moment, I hope you enjoy tonight and give the Tony's a show stopping performance that they'll never forget. Whatever happens "you'll always be a prince to me".
Adam Jacobs and Courtney Reed as Aladdin and Jasmine, Photo by Cylla Von Tiedemann
As the countdown to the Tony Awards reaches its climax it's been a busy week for the cast and crew of Aladdin as they rehearsed for their Tony Awards performance (believed to be the show stopping Friend Like Me) in addition to their regular 8 show week. And with Aladdin up for 5 awards, including the much coveted Best Musical award, there's been plenty of news to keep up with as well!
Adam Jacobs and Courtney Reed are taking part in Broadway.com's Ask a Star so if you have a question for Broadway's Aladdin and Jasmine then this is your chance! Click the link and ask away!
In the wake of last week's cast album debut, Broadway Direct have posted a short review of the album along with the albums of other new musicals from the 2013/2014 season.
Adam Jacobs was award the Fauxny Award for "Best Performance by Teeth in a Broadway Actor's Mouth" (I said in my review he had a winning smile!) and Aladdin also won "Best Magic Trick Stolen from Another Show that's been Open for the Last 25 Years" for the Magic Phantom Chair that's used in Friend Like Me and "Best Attempt at Making Totally Suspect Cultural References and Appropriation Like, Totally Not a Problem, Dude". As you can probably tell the awards just for a laugh and aren't supposed to be taken seriously!
James Monroe Iglehart talks with USA Today during an interval about the show and about Tony buzz!
Writer and Lyricist Chad Beguelin talks with Broadway.com about Aladdin's long road to Broadway and turning the show around from "cute" to Tony Award Nominee.
Entertainment Weekly reports that for the week ending 1st June Aladdin was the highest grossing of the new shows, "playing to full houses and nearly 88 percent of its potential gross in the cavernous 1,723-seat New Amsterdam Theatre" making it the only new show in the top 5 performers!
Broadway World Toronto looks at Toronto's connection to the 2014 Tony Awards, including Aladdin which played it's pre-Broadway run at Toronto's Ed Mirvish Theatre.
Deadline talks with Thomas Schumacher and Alan Menken about Aladdin, Tony Awards and Howard Ashman.
USA Today offers their opinion on who should win and who will win the at the Tony Awards, Aladdin is mentioned a lot in the "should win" category, but for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical they had this to say; "James Monroe Iglehart, Aladdin's exuberant, show-stopping Genie, is this year's safest bet." Also putting Aladdin in the "should win" category for Best Musical is NewsTelegram.com whilst the Daily Record gives JMI as their pick for the win as well as giving a nod to Casey Nicholaw for Choreography.
Jonathan Smith talks with City Pulse about being a substitute percussionist for Broadway's Aladdin.
Broadway World has reported that Aladdin's Marisha Wallace will be taking part in Broadway Sings for Pride later this month.
Simply Showbiz has posted an interview with Courtney Reed and Adam Jacobs (and it sounds like more interviews are coming up!)
And that's it for this week! Tonight all eyes will be on the Tony Awards, hosted by Hugh Jackman and featuring performances by the casts of all of this year's Best Musical and Best Musical Revival nominees and more. The show starts at 8pm ET on CBS with online coverage starting at 6pm ET with live footage from the Red Carpet arrivals on www.tonyawards.com. You can find more information about the Tony Second Screen (including the Red Carpet and Pressroom Cam) here. For international fans like me you can find broadcast information here or simply watch live on the Tony Awards website. I'll be watching live and hopefully I'll have some great news to post in the early hours of the morning (the Awards start at 1am here, it's gonna be a long night)!
Last week Broadway.com asked people for their nominations for their Audience Choice Awards, now the nomination votes have been counted and the final nominees have been announced and once again Aladdin is well represented with 7 nominations!
Favorite New Musical - Aladdin
Favorite Featured Actor in a Musical - Jonathan Freeman
Favorite Featured Actor in a Musical - James Monroe Iglehart
Favorite Diva Performance - James Monroe Iglehart
Favorite Funny Performance - James Monroe Iglehart
Favorite Breakthrough Performance (Female) - Courtney Reed
Favorite New Song - A Million Miles Away
You can cast your vote here! I just want to say a massive congratulations to Jonathan, James, Courtney, Alan Menken and Chad Beguelin and everyone in Aladdin for their nominations!
And whilst we're on the subject of Broadway.com, make sure you head on over to take part in their weekend poll to vote for Aladdin and Jasmine as Prom King and Queen of Broadway!
BroadwayWorld caught up with James Monroe Iglehart shortly after his Tony Award nomination was announced. You can see what he had to say here! The Broadway League also caught up with him to talk about his nomination;
And you can see JMI, along with other nominees in this short video from American Theatre Wing talking about "Why Theatre?"
And finally a few vacation alerts! Courtney Reed has posted on Twitter that she will be away from June 29th-July 6th and Brandon O'Neill has posted on his official Facebook page that he will be away from 23-29th June and 30-31st August.
It just keeps getting better! This morning The Tony Award nominations were announced and received a fantastic 5 nominations including a nomination for the much coveted Best Musical Award!
The full list of Aladdin's nominations includes;
Best Musical - Aladdin
Best Book of a Musical - Chad Beguelin
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre - Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Chad Beguelin
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical - James Monroe Iglehart
Best Choreography - Casey Nicholaw
Wow! What an incredible week it's been for this show! Eight Outer Circle Critics Nominations, two Drama League Awards Nominations, seven Drama Desk Nominations and now five Tony Award nominations! And in every one the show has been nominated for Best Musical and James Monroe Iglehart has been nominated for his performance as Genie! Whilst the Drama League doesn't have categories for choreography, book or score, the other three do and every time Casey Nicholaw, Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, Chad Beguelin and Tim Rice have been nominated. It's an incredible testament to the show and proof that the long journey and all the changes from Seattle to Broadway have paid off.
Alan Menken's tweet, dedicating the Tony nominations to Howard Ashman, brought a tear to my eye;
AIMenken - Howard Ashman - this Best Score (and Best Musical) Tony nom is for you. It's your ALADDIN that we have brought to life at the New Am.
Broadway's Aladdin is a love letter to Howard Ashman and a fitting tribute to both his Broadway and Disney legacy. And not just the show but the cast themselves, many of them grew up inspired by his work. Just look at JMI, seeing the Genie perform Friend Like Me in the movie was one of his inspirations for becoming a performer and now he's on stage, living his dream and bringing that character to life to great critical acclaim. It's all part of Howard's legacy.
I just want to say a massive congratulations to James, Alan Menken, Casey Nicholaw, Chad Beguelin, Tim Rice and everyone who brings Aladdin to life every night, those Best Musical nominations belong to you all and are so well deserved, I've never felt such energy and enthusiasm in a theatre. I wish you all the best. Keep bringing the magic to life!
If you live in the USA make sure you watch the Tony Awards on CBS tonight and, even more importantly, don't even think about going to get a drink during the commercials as The 5th Avenue Theatre reports that they will be premiering the teaser commercial for Aladdin: The New Stage Musical during the Tony Awards.
Best wishes go out to Casey Nicholaw, the director and choreographer of Aladdin: The New Stage Musical, who is nominated for Best Direction of a Musical (with Trey Parker) and Best Choreography for The Book of Mormon. The show itself is nominated for a total of 14 awards, including Best Musical.
And of course I've got my fingers crossed for Alan Menken and Glen Slater who are nominated for Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre for their work on Sister Act. The show is nominated for a total of 5 awards, including a Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical nomination for Patina Miller. I saw the show when it was in London and it really is a fantastic show with a genuine feel good factor, and Patina was incredible.
For those of us who don't live in the USA I'm hoping that The 5th Avenue Theatre will release the trailer online so that we can see it in the next day or so!
