Countdown to Broadway - Toronto 2013/2014

It was August 2012, following the successful Pilot Production at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre in 2011 Disney had been true to their word and had licensed Aladdin to both regional and international theatres.  The Tuacahn's production was half way through its record breaking 5 month run, The Muny's production had just finished the previous month (becoming the best selling show of the season) and European and Asian Premieres had been announced for later in the year.  Then, on Sunday 12th August, Alan Menken played to an intimate audience at a special D23 Destination D event.  At the close of the show, introducing Somebody's Got Your Back Alan says "you're going to be now among the very first to hear a song, a new song, from the Aladdin show that's coming to Broadway."

Thanks to Stitch Kingdom (and James who recorded it) you can hear the announcement, and Alan singing Somebody's Got Your Back and Proud of Your Boy, here;

It would be January 2013 before the official announcement came.  On January 7th  The New York Times ran a rumour that Mary Poppins, which had been running on Broadway since 2006, was to close in March to make way for Aladdin which would make its Broadway debut in Spring 2014 with the New Amsterdam being renovated between the two shows.  The very next day Disney confirmed that Mary Poppins would indeed close on 3rd March 2013 and on 22nd January it was officially confirmed, Aladdin was going to Broadway!  Following a preview run in Toronto at the Ed Mirvish Theatre from 1st November 2013 through 5th January 2014, Aladdin was to make its Broadway Premiere at the New Amsterdam Theatre in Spring 2014.

It was reported that this would be an entirely new production of Aladdin "featuring a new script, tunestack and a wholly original design scaled to the Broadway stage and an epic story" and that most of the original creative team from 5th Avenue's Pilot Production would be returning along with a few new additions;

Alan Menken (Composer)
Howard Ashman (Lyrics)
Tim Rice (Lyrics)
Chad Beguelin (Book and Lyrics)
Casey Nicholaw (Director and Choreographer)
Bob Crowley (Scenic Design)
Gregg Barnes (Costume Design)
Natasha Katz (Lighting Design)
Ken Travis (Sound Design)
Jim Steinmeyer (Illusion Design)
Josh Marquette (Hair Design)
Michael Kosarin (Music Supervisor/Music Director)
Danny Troob (Orchestrator)
Glen Kelly (Dance Arrangements)

At the same time the show's official website (then www.aladdinbroadway.com) went live, along with Facebook and Twitter accounts, debuting the show's new tagline Aladdin: Broadway's New Musical Fantasy, and the following week the casting calls went out for both principals and chorus singers and dancers.  Jafar's absence from the casting calls was our first hint that Jonathan Freeman would once again be bringing the character to life on stage, but the absence of Iago and Kassim was, at the time, a little more confusing.  Happily the roles would both go to original cast members Don Darryl Rivera and Brandon O'Neill, but that's getting a bit ahead of myself!

February saw the Mirvish Theatre launch their webpage for Aladdin: The New Musical Fantasy with the above poster and the banner used at the top of this post and, in an interview with Playbill, Alan Menken revealed that he and Chad Beguelin had written a new song for Jafar (which we now know to be Diamond in the Rough).

Priority tickets for the Toronto run of Aladdin finally went on sale at the end of May with general sales starting early the following month.  As well as general ticket sales, June also saw the release of the teaser trailer for the Toronto run;

In August another D23 event offered fans a small sneak preview of the show.  As part of the D23 Expo a special Broadway and Beyond concert was held to showcase the music of Disney Theatrical's shows both past and present, the night ended with a special look to the future as the cast performed the new song Somebody's Got Your Back from Aladdin.  Though the event was no cameras allowed footage did hit the net.  Out of respect for Disney I didn't post the video here but I did post this image from the footage, our first look at the new and improved Broadway logo for the show;

The Toronto production would continue to use the earlier logo and the tagline "The New Musical Fantasy" or, simply, "The New Musical" but from here on the Broadway production would be "The New Musical Comdey" or "Broadway's New Musical Comedy".

Before the month was over the Aladdin marquee was raised at the Ed Mirvish Theatre.

And on 29th August 2013 the official website received a makeover featuring the new logo and artwork as it was announced that Aladdin: The New Musical Comedy would begin its Broadway previews on 26th February 2014 with the official opening night expected to be 20th March 2014.

Casting rumours grew stronger in September as the show prepared to begin rehearsals.  Whilst there were plenty of rumours going round two really stood out and both ended up being true.  The first was that Adam Jacobs, who originated the role of Aladdin in Seattle, would be returning to the title role.  A press release for Scott Siegel's Broadway Ballyhoo! credited Adam as "the star in the title role of the new Disney musical Aladdin".  The second was that Andrew Keenan-Bolger, who originated the role of Omar in Seattle, would not be returning.  This was based on Andrew being confirmed as part of the cast of the Off Broadway play Family Fortunes which was to run at the same time as Aladdin's Toronto run.

The announcement we were all waiting for came on 16th September 2013 as the cast began rehearsals and Disney finally revealed who would be starring in Broadway's Aladdin;

Adam Jacobs as Aladdin
Courtney Reed as Princess Jasmine
James Monroe Iglehart as Genie
Jonathan Freeman as Jafar
Don Darryl Rivera as Iago
Brian Gonzales as Babkak
Jonathan Schwartz as Omar
Brandon O'Neill as Kassim
Clifton Davis as Sultan

Merwin Foard and Michael James Scott were announced as standbys for several principals and the ensemble was confirmed to include Tia Altinay, Mike Cannon, Andrew Cao, Lauryn Ciardullo, Joshua Dela Cruz, Yurel Echezarreta, Daisy Hobbs, Donald Jones Jr., Adam Kaokept, Nikki Long, Stanley Martin, Brandt Martinez , Michael Mindlin, Rhea Patterson, Bobby Pestka, Khori Petinaud, Ariel Reid, Jennifer Rais, Trent Saunders, Jaz Sealy, Dennis Stowe, Marisha Wallace and Bud Weber.

For me, the best part of the announcement was the return of so many of the original Seattle principal cast.  As the original cast I felt they deserved to have the chance to bring the show to Broadway and, having missed the original production of the show, I can't wait to finally see them in these roles on the Broadway stage.

Following a month of rehearsals in New York the cast and creative team packed their bags and jumped on the magic carpet to their new home in Toronto, the Ed Mirvish Theatre.  The move to Toronto marked the beginning of the publicity build up for the show as 680 News interviewed Adam Jacobs and Courtney Reed about the show and Mirvish Productions posted a special look behind the scenes;

As the World Premiere of this new, Broadway bound, production of Aladdin grew closer the press coverage increased.  The Toronto Star went behind the scenes, talking with Thomas Schumacher, Casey Nicholaw, Chad Beguelin and James Monroe Iglehart, The Canadian Press spoke with Alan Menken (though sadly the video seems to no longer be online) and both The Winnipeg Free News and CBC News interviewed Canadian native Jaz Sealey about his role in the show.

Then it was show time.  Friday 1st November 2013 saw the curtain rise for the first time on Aladdin.  The show opened to standing ovations and, whilst there were one or two minor technical issues, audience reactions were overwhelmingly positive (and those early technical problems were dealt with extremely quickly and haven't been an issue since).

In less than a week the new, revised, song list hit the net (which is actually a pretty long time given that it took less than a day for the Seattle list to come online) and featured some noticeable differences to the earlier productions of the show;

Act One
Arabian Nights
One Jump Ahead
Proud of Your Boy (with One Jump Ahead, Reprise used as a lead in)
Arabian Nights, Reprise 1
Call Me a Princess
Call Me a Princess, Reprise
Babkak, Omar, Aladdin, Kassim
A Million Miles Away
Diamond in the Rough
Friend Like Me
Arabian Nights, Reprise 2
Act 1 Finale (Friend Like Me, Reprise and Proud of Your Boy, Reprise 1)

Act Two
Prince Ali
Arabian Nights, Reprise 3
A Whole New World
High Adventure
Somebody's Got Your Back
Proud of Your Boy, Reprise 2
Prince Ali, Reprise
Genie's Exit (Somebody's Got Your Back, Reprise)
Finale Ultimo (Arabian Nights, Reprise 4 and A Whole New World, Reprise)

As the cast and creative team were entertaining audiences in Toronto and gearing up for their official opening night, Disney began to email those who had signed up to the show's official website a special priority code to allow them first access to tickets for Aladdin on Broadway.  Aladdin's Broadway debut was finally on sale!  It was a good week to be an Aladdin fan as that same week also saw the release of the first official production photos from Aladdin's Toronto run.

Adam Jacobs as Aladdin, Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann

Courtney Reed as Princess Jasmine with Brandt Martinez, Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann

James Monroe Iglehart as Genie, Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann

Adam Jacobs and Courtney Reed as Aladdin and Jasmine, Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann

And once again I'd like to say a big thank you to Disney Theatrical for providing me with high quality versions of the photos.

That week in November also showed the humanitarian side of one of the cast as, in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan, Don Darryl Rivera dedicated his performance of Iago to those affected by the tragedy and encouraged his friends and supporters to consider donating to UNICEF's efforts to help those affected.

On 21st November 2013 Aladdin: The New Musical Fantasy officially opened in Toronto.  Whilst audience responses were extremely positive, as with Seattle the critics were mixed in their opinions.  The Star gave the show 2 1/2 stars (presumably out of 5) praising James Monroe Iglehart's Genie and the show stopping Friend Like Me but criticising the show's book, saying it didn't make you care for the characters in the way you should.  The Globe and Mail agreed, giving the show 2 1/2 out of 4 stars, praising the set design and the magic carpet but saying the show lacked charm and heart.  The Toronto Sun's review had the same criticisms, saying that it was hard to emotionally invest in the characters, whilst the Huffington Post called James Monroe Iglehart "ten kinds of fabulous, each with its own theme song" but felt that Jasmine's character lacked depth and, like the other reviews, felt that rewriting was needed to make the show stronger.  The Vancouver Sun felt that the show might appeal more to children than to adults, but conceded that "it's hard to argue with simple, straightforward fun".  Broadway World's review was more positive, though it echoed the earlier concerns about the book not making you care enough for the characters it went on to say that "problems aside, there's still a lot of magic in Aladdin", praising the cast and calling the A Whole New World scene "a moment of theatrical magic combined with a stunningly beautiful song ... it served as a beautiful reminder of why people love Aladdin and why they will go to the theatre in droves to see it come to life before their very eyes."  The Post's review was similarly positive, praising James Monroe Iglehart's Genie and Don Darryl Rivera's Iago and calling Friend Like Me "almost worth the price of admission alone" but agreed with the Huffington Post that Courtney Reed's Jasmine was limited by the book and felt that this was a missed opportunity.  The National Post's review was positively glowing with praise, declaring "Forget the Lion, this Aladdin is King of the Stage" and calling it "the best ever stage version of a movie".  The reviewer praised almost every element of the show saying "what a joy to encounter a big, splashy, funny musical that works".

Following the official opening of the show The Star published a touching interview with Alan Menken, discussing his life and bringing Aladdin to stage, CHCH posted a video interview with the stars of the show, Canada's CTV News posted a video interview with James Monroe Iglehart (Jonathan Freeman's there too but this was definitely the JMI Show!) and Broadway Direct posted interviews with both Jonathan Freeman and Casey Nicholaw.  NY1 also posted a short article on the show's opening along with a video for Warner Cable customers and at the end of December Inlander interviewed Brandon O'Neill.

In the wake of the reviews the creative team went back to work.  In the past Disney have been criticised for not making anything more than superficial changes to their shows between the out of town previews and their Broadway debut, this certainly can't be said for Aladdin as the creative team have taken every opportunity to listen to feedback and improve the show.  The staging of A Whole New World was one of the most divisive issues with critics back in 2011, for this new production it was almost universally praised as one of the stand outs of the show.  Less than a month after the reviews Call Me a Princess and Call Me a Princess Reprise were cut and replaced with a new song called Beyond These Palace Walls to give Jasmine a more character driven song in the vein of Aladdin's Proud of Your Boy.  The changes didn't stop there as reports came out from people seeing the show that several changes, big and small, were being made in the final months of the Toronto run.  One thing seemed unanimous however, everyone who saw the show multiple times in Toronto agreed that the changes made the show stronger and Aladdin ended its Toronto run better for them.  And more changes are still to come as Director Casey Nicholaw confirmed in this interview with Broadway World last week.

As the cold Canadian winter closed in the cast got an early Christmas surprise - Scott Weinger, the original voice of Aladdin, came to see the show and meet the cast backstage.  And Disney had an early Christmas present for the fans as well, releasing a teaser trailer for Aladdin's upcoming Broadway run.

On 5th January 2014 Aladdin played its final show at the Ed Mirvish Theatre in Toronto and the final countdown to Broadway began as Disney raised the marquee at the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York.

Our final look at the Toronto run of Aladdin came earlier this month from Disney's official fan site, D23.  As part of an article about the show's impending Broadway debut D23 shared some previously unseen production images from Toronto, including our first look at Brian Gonzales, Jonathan Schwartz and Brandon O'Neill as Babkak, Omar and Kassim, Don Darryl Rivera as Iago and the one and only Jonathan Freeman as Jafar!  The website is members only but you can sign up for free, you don't need to be a silver or gold member to view the article.

Now, the countdown to Broadway is finally over.  It's been a long journey from those early workshops in 2010 to The 5th Avenue's Pilot Production in 2011 to where we are right now.  Tomorrow night the curtain at the New Amsterdam Theatre will rise, the orchestra will begin to play and the story of Aladdin will come to life on a Broadway stage.  Perhaps you would like to hear the tale?  It begins on a dark night...

Salaam Toronto!

Well this is it, this afternoon's matinee is Aladdin's final performance in snowy Toronto.  I just want to say a big congratulations to all the cast and crew and everyone involved with bringing this show to life on the Ed Mirvish's stage.  From everything I've read it's been an incredible run.  I hope you all enjoy this final show and a well earned break.  Next month Broadway is waiting for you!

Aladdin's Final Days in Toronto

Happy New Year!!

Well it's here, 2014.  This week Aladdin is playing it's final shows in Toronto.  If you still want to see the show before it hops on that magic carpet to the Great White Way then there are still a few seats left for both of Saturday's performances and Sunday's final matinee (tonight and tomorrow are both sold out).  Tickets are available from the Mirvish's website.

After wowing audiences for the past 2 months and bringing some of the heat of the Arabian desert to snowy Toronto (at least inside the theatre) it's almost time to say goodbye to Canada.  But unlike the last time most of this cast said goodbye to their characters this time it's only for a month, they know where they're going next and that's Broadway!

And that leads me nicely to this next piece of news.

Brandon O'Neill

Several members of Aladdin's cast will be making their Broadway debuts with this show, including Brandon O'Neill who plays Aladdin's friend, Kassim.  Just before Christmas Brandon spoke with Inlander about his musical background, his road to Broadway and the difference between the 5th Avenue's Pilot Production and the new Broadway bound production of Aladdin.  It's a very interesting read and well worth checking out.  Oh and twelve weeks of twelve hour days?  No one ever said being on stage was easy!!

 

Alan Menken was also interviewed recently, speaking with the Daily Tribune about the current trend of adapting movies into musicals.  It's not entirely Aladdin related but it's a very interesting read and I highly recommend giving it a look.

 

Coming back to Aladdin, as we end one year and start a new one it's often traditional to look back on what has been and look forward to what's to come.  Broadway World recently did just that with Aladdin topping their list of 2013's hottest news stories and coming second in their list of "14 Things We Can't Wait For".  Obviously they have good taste :o)

When Aladdin Met Aladdin

Last night the cast of Aladdin met a very special guest, the original voice of Aladdin, Scott Weinger!

Both Adam Jacobs and James Monroe Iglehart have posted pictures of themselves with Scott, with JMI calling it "Disney Nerd Heaven" in his tweet.

I can only imagine what an amazing experience this must have been for them!  I think it's safe to say that if it weren't for Scott's performance as Aladdin this blog wouldn't exist, he was my Disney hero as a kid.  Hopefully one day I'll be able to thank him for that and the incredible experiences that doing this has given me.

Last weekend also saw the release of the new Broadway teaser trailer for the show;

It's getting close now!!!

And finally, I've updated the last post but figured I'd put this here as well, Princess Jasmine's new song is titled Beyond These Palace Walls.  This comes directly from Brandon O'Neill's official fan page on Facebook where I also learnt that Rajah is in the show (in a manner of speaking)!  Kassim's sword is named after Jasmine's pet tiger from the film :)  His page is well worth a "like", the Lego Kassim mini figure is especially awesome!

Tickets for the final Toronto performances of Aladdin can be bought here (show runs through January 5th 2014) and Broadway tickets for next Spring can be bought here (previews begin 26th February), so why not give someone a magical Christmas present they'll never forgot!

A New Song for Jasmine and a D23 Fan Event for Broadway's Aladdin

Was my last post really only December 2nd?  It feels like so much longer and these last 10 days have seen some pretty big announcements for Aladdin.

Firstly the big news!  This week saw a pretty major change to the show with Ashman/Menken's Call Me a Princess (and presumably the Menken/Beguelin reprise as well) being cut and a new Menken/Beguelin song being added for Princess Jasmine.  I'm still trying to find out the title of this new song and I'll update this post as soon as I do.


Courtney Reed as Princess Jasmine and Brandt Martinez, Photo by Cylla  Von Tiedemann

 There's been no official word on the reason for this change but I'm guessing that this is being done (at least partially) in reaction to some of the criticisms of Jasmine's character in some of the reviews.  Honestly, Call Me a Princess isn't one of my favourite Ashman/Menken songs and back when they first announced that they'd be using some of the "lost" songs in the show I fully expected it not to make the cut due to how much the character changed between concept and screen.  That said, I absolutely loved how Chad Beguelin made the song work in the show and in that context it's a great little number that I really enjoyed so I'm sad to see it go.  You can see Courtney performing the song here when she was promoting Aladdin's Pilot Production back in 2011.

As for the new song, no idea!  I'm guessing it'll be something more along the lines of To Be Free from the Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular show at Disney's California Adventure, giving Jasmine her own "I want" song that better reflects her true character.

Staying in Toronto for a moment, here's a quick round up of a few more reviews;

Garebian on the Arts gives a largely positive review whilst the Toronto Sun, the Huffington Post and The Post offer more mixed reviews that still include plenty of positives.  And yes, everyone still loves JMI (the Huffington Post calls him "ten kinds of fabulous, each with its own theme song").  One of the best things Disney could do when this show hits Broadway, even before the official opening, is let James do more episodes of his JMI Show like he did in Seattle.  I know fans who thought the original cast were perfect based just on those interviews and 5th Avenue's Spotlight Night.  Let him do his thing and just wish as hard as you can that he stays with Aladdin as long as he did Memphis.

NY1 was also in Toronto for the show's opening and they've posted a short report here that includes some comments from cast and crew.  If you're a Time Warner Cable customer there's also a video you can watch (I'm assuming it's the same as the written report but I can't view it here in the UK).

And now, moving to Broadway, the 2nd big announcement of this week; D23's Member Night at Aladdin on Broadway!  D23 is offering Gold and Silver members "a welcome fit for Prince Ali Ababwa" on 14th March 2014 with premium orchestra seats to see the show followed by a private Q&A with the cast!  In addition to the standard premium seat benefits (non-alcoholic interval drink, souvenir lanyard, etc.) members will also receive an additional special gift for being D23 members.  So if you fancy seeing the show and getting the chance to meet and talk with the cast make sure you click on the above link for more details.  Tickets go on sale December 18th at 10am PT.

I'd also like to say a huge congratulations to Alan Menken who was this week awarded the York Theatre Company's Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre at the 22nd Oscar Hammerstein Award Gala.  The evening was hosted by Tony Nominee Norm Lewis (who played King Triton in The Little Mermaid) and one of the evening's performances saw him duetting with Sierra Boggess (The Little Mermaid's Ariel).

And finally, if you live in New York you probably know that Aladdin's publicity drive has now started.  The marquee at the New Amsterdam Theatre is up!!

Tickets for the remainder of Aladdin's Toronto run can be bought here and tickets for the Broadway run are now on sale at the show's official site.

Updated - Thanks to Brandon O'Neill's official Facebook page I can now confirm that Jasmine's new song is called Beyond These Palace Walls.

Two More Reviews and a LOT of News



Adam Jacobs as Aladdin, Photo by Cylla Von Tiedemann

Two more reviews surfaced yesterday, the first was a mixed to positive review by The Vancouver Sun ("Aladdin's Magic May Charm Kids, but Maybe Not Their Parents").  The review is well worth checking out as it also contains a short video from The Canadian Press featuring interviews with the cast.  Though the reviewer felt that the show may appeal more to kids than adults they also say "it's hard to argue with simple, straightforward fun" and that's exactly what this show is - a lot of fun!

The second review by The National Post's Robert Cushman has quite possibly my favourite title of any review; "Forget the Lion, this Aladdin is King of the Stage".  Like the Vancouver Sun review, this review also highlights how much fun the show is, stating "though it may not be as outlandishly imaginative as The Lion King, it has its own kind of inventiveness and is frankly more fun".  Continuing the comparison to The Lion King the Cushman goes on to state "and it has, obviously, a much better score. Alan Menken's music, and the lyrics of the late and much lamented Howard Ashman, have the kind of verve and wit that used to be taken for granted on Broadway and is now mostly a memory".  Cushman praises Chad Beguelin's book and "new lyrics worthy of the Ashman tradition", Adam Jacobs' engaging performance as Aladdin, Courtney Reed for giving Jasmine more dimension than she had in the film and calls James Monroe Iglehart's Genie a legend brought to life.  Honestly, with the exception of A Whole New World (the song not the staging) I don't think there's anything he didn't like!  He closes the review fittingly, saying "what a joy to encounter a big, splashy, funny musical that works".  A few more reviews like that would be nice!!

Ok, now for some news updates!  In the week leading up to opening night there was a lot of stuff I didn't get time to post so here's a quick round up!

Firstly a BIG congratulations to Don Darryl Rivera (Iago) and Brandon O'Neill (Kassim) who have both been nominated in the 2013 Broadway World Seattle Awards!  Don is up for Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Local) for his performance in Illyria and Brandon is up for Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Local) for his performance in The Pirates of Penzance.  Please click on the above link and show them your support!

Disney Legend Alan Menken did an interview with The Star's Richard Ouzounian discussing his life and bringing Aladdin to the stage ("Alan Menken Puts Howard Ashman's Vision into Aladdin The New Musical").  It's a very touching piece with Alan saying that even now Howard is still with him.  Talking about Aladdin he says "I see what's on the stage now, and I say, 'Yes, this is what Howard would have wanted all along.'"

CHCH have posted a short article and video containing interviews with Adam Jacobs, Courtney Reed, James Monroe Iglehart and Jonathan Freeman.

Canada's CTV News have posted a short video interview with James Monroe Iglehart about playing the Genie, Jonathan Freeman is there too but this is definitely the JMI Show ;)

But don't worry, if you want to hear from Jafar then Broadway Direct have posted an interview with Jonathan Freeman that you can read here.  They've also posted an interview with director and choreographer Casey Nicholaw here.

Both of the Broadway Direct articles contain special priority codes that will allow you access to the advanced ticket sale for Aladdin on Broadway, so if you haven't already signed up for the official site's updates and want a code this is the place to go!  Or if you're a D23 member you can go here.  I can't find the link (probably because I'm not a member) but apparently Disney Vacation Club members also have a code available to them.  All advanced tickets are discounted from their standard rate, so book now before general sales start 2nd December!

And speaking of tickets Broadway World is reporting that more tickets are due to be released for the final dates of Aladdin's pre-Broadway Toronto run.  Additional seats for shows December 17th through January 5th go on sale tomorrow morning at 9AM and can be bought here.

Disney on Broadway have posted a new video to their YouTube channel;

It's the same video that Mirvish posted a few weeks back, now featuring the Broadway title design and dates, but still great to watch.

Cleveland.com have included Aladdin in an article of new attractions in Toronto, saying that "the magic carpet scene ... is worth the price of the ticket all by itself".

And finally, now that the official photos have been released and the show is officially open Courtney Reed has posted the first SIP (Saturday Intermission Pic) of the show.  The photo, taken by Michael James Scott, shows her and Adam Jacobs along with their dolls :)

Critics Divided but Audiences Love Disney's Aladdin

Last night was the official opening of Aladdin's pre-Broadway run in Toronto, this morning the first reviews started to appear online and, like with the 5th Avenue's Pilot Production, they were rather mixed.

First came The Star's review, "Aladdin's Carpet Ride Lacking Some Magic" which gave the show 2 1/2 Stars (presumably out of 5).  The review praised James Monroe Iglehart's Genie and the show stopping Friend Like Me but criticises the book, saying it doesn't make you care about the fate of the characters.  This was quickly followed by The Globe and Mail's review, "There's a Carpet, but Not Much Magic in Aladdin", which gave the show 2 1/2 out of 4 Stars, praising the "unbelievable sights" of the set design and the magic carpet but says that the show lacks charm and heart.

James Monroe Iglehart as Genie, Photo by Cylla Von Tiedemann

This afternoon took a more positive turn.  Canada's UrbanMoms website posted their review calling the show "opulent and entertaining".

Broadway World's review, "Broadway Bound Aladdin Opens in Toronto", was again mixed, but unlike the earlier reviews it felt more positive.  Whilst it again criticised the book, echoing The Star's opinion that it doesn't make you care enough about the characters, it goes on to say that "Problems aside, there's still a lot of magic in Aladdin".  It says Adam Jacobs is "likeable and endearing" as Aladdin and that he and Courtney Reed "sound incredible" singing A Whole New World, before going on to praise James Monroe Iglehart's Genie (he seems to be the one thing all reviewers agree is magic!).  Not to be left out the villains are also highlighted, with Jonathan Freeman's Jafar likened to an old friend you didn't realise you'd missed and noting that Don Darryl Rivera's Iago "gets some of the biggest laughs of the night and shows off a good sense of comic timing that helps him land some of the show's better jokes".

So the reviews are mixed, just like they were in 2011.  And honestly, it doesn't matter.  Yes, it would be amazing if the title of this post could have been "Critics and Audiences Raving About Disney's Aladdin!", but at the end of the day it's not important.  Aladdin was never meant to come to Broadway.  It was meant to be a 3 week Pilot Production so the show could be licensed out.  The mixed critics reactions didn't change that.  It was the overwhelmingly positive audience response, first in Seattle and then regionally and internationally, that convinced Disney Theatrical that Aladdin has what it takes to be a hit on Broadway and that same audience support has continued in Toronto.  Here's a sample of what they're saying on Twitter and on the show's Facebook page;

Ajitha Cyriac - amazing show!! great production. beautiful ensemble!!!! powerful voices!!

@AprilKalloo - LOVED @aladdin! My cheeks hurt & my hands are stinging...I laughed so much and  clapped so hard! I'd see it ten more times!

Tina Clarkson - Amazing! Too funny, fabulous costumes and choreography and the Genie was the star of the show.

@TheChrisHowson - I saw #AladdinTO last night and it was phenomenal. I smell some Tony's in the near future! It is here until January 5th #MustSee @Mirvish

Amber Hershberger - Travelled from Ohio to see the show ... Absolutely, jaw droppingly, fantastic!!!

And speaking of audience support, there's currently another show playing in Toronto that also has a Broadway opening next Spring, the original production opened to reviews so bad that producer Cameron MacKintosh thought they might kill the show, yet over quarter of a century later Les Miserables is still going strong.  Now obviously Aladdin is a very different show to Les Mis and you can't really compare the two (I love them both for different reasons), but in one very important way they are the same - if it weren't for audience support, in spite of the reviews, they wouldn't be here.  Closer to home Beauty and the Beast is said to have opened to just one positive review and that ran for 13 magical years on Broadway.

It's also important to remember that this is part of the reason shows have out of town try outs, so they can see what works and what needs to be improved before opening on Broadway.  The Little Mermaid got a completely new ending during it's pre-Broadway Denver run.  If the creative think changes are necessary then they'll make them.  Look at A Whole New World, the staging of that song was one of the most divisive issues raised in the Seattle reviews, now it's almost universally praised as a highlight of the show (and there have been no reports of any technical issues since those very early previews so I think it's safe to say it's all smooth flying now).

I want to end with another quote from the Broadway World review;

"When the carpet first appears with Jacobs' Aladdin standing proudly atop it, there were audible gasps from the audience.  When our lovebirds soar across the night sky (accented by a stunning moon and twinkling stars) you felt like you were soaring with them.

I think the little boy beside me described it better than anyone when he gasped 'wow! There really IS a magic carpet'. It was a moment of theatrical magic combined with a stunningly beautiful song, and it served as a beautiful reminder of why people love Aladdin and why they will go to the theatre in droves to see it come to life before their very eyes."

Couldn't have put it better myself!

Aladdin is now open at the Ed Mirvish Theatre in Toronto where it will run until 5th January 2014.  Tickets are on sale here.  Broadway Previews begin February 26th, advance tickets are now on sale here.

Adam Jacobs and Courtney Reed as Aladdin and Jasmine, Photo by Cylla Von Tiedemann

Disney's Aladdin Officially Opens in Toronto!

Tonight is the night!  After 3 weeks of previews the Toronto run of Disney's Aladdin officially opens tonight!!

I just want to wish everyone at the Ed Mirvish Theatre the very best of luck, from the ushers to the stars on stage to the friends and family supporting them in the audience.  This is your night, enjoy it and make some magic!

First Photos of Toronto's Aladdin!

They're finally here!  Today Disney have released the first photos of their new, Broadway bound, production of Aladdin.  Currently previewing in Toronto Aladdin is taking audiences on a musical journey of magic, laughter and romance.  These first pictures offer those who can't make it to Toronto their first glimpse of our heroes, Adam Jacobs as Aladdin, Courtney Reed as Princess Jasmine and James Monroe Iglehart as Genie.

Proud of Your Boy - Adam Jacobs as Aladdin, Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann



Princesses Run Away - Courtney Reed as Princess Jasmine and Brandt Martinez, Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann

Never had a Friend Like Me - James Monroe Iglehart as Genie, Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann

Care to go for a ride? - Adam Jacobs and Courtney Reed as Aladdin and Princess Jasmine, Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann

Tickets for the pre-Broadway run of Aladdin are now on sale at www.mirvish.com/shows/aladdin

Edit - Just want to say a big thank you to Disney Theatrical for providing me with much higher quality versions of the photos.  Click to see them in BIG!

Today's the Day - A Whole New World in A Whole New Way

It's finally here!  Tonight is the World Premiere of Disney Theatrical's new, Broadway bound, production of Aladdin!!  There's nothing left to say now but good luck to everyone involved.  It's been a long journey from the early work shops and original Pilot Production and it's all been leading to this.  This is your moment, you've earned it, enjoy it.  Best wishes to you all.  Let's make some magic!

The Final Countdown - Aladdin Begins Toronto Previews this Friday!

This Friday the doors of the Ed Mirvish Theatre will open, the audience will enter, the lights will go down and the pre-Broadway run of Aladdin will begin.

Today is the show's sitzprobe day, after a month of rehearsals in New York and 2 weeks of Tech in Toronto, the cast will be singing with a full orchestra for the first time.  It's an exciting day for any show and I think James Monroe Iglehart summed it up best when he tweeted "Nothing like Menken Music with Orchestra!"
 

Toronto born Jaz Sealey will play Prince Abdullah and understudy Kassim


News keeps coming in from around the web as well.  On Friday the Toronto Star published an article that includes interviews with/comments from Thomas Schumacher, Casey Nicholaw, Chad Beguelin and James Monroe Iglehart, and also has some nice rehearsal pictures from New York (this piece was written before rehearsals moved to Toronto).  The Winnipeg Free News and CBC News have both released pieces focused on Jaz Sealey, the sole Canadian member of the ensemble who portrays Prince Abdullah (if you've ever heard the formerly deleted song "Call Me a Princess" you'll recognise the name) and understudies Kassim.  Both are great articles that give some insight into the audition process, the tone of the show and the creative process of building a show from the ground up.

The World Premiere of this new production of Aladdin: Broadway's New Musical Comedy will be this Friday night!  The official opening night is 21st November and the show will continue through January 5th 2014 before moving to Broadway where previews begin 26th February.  Tickets for the Toronto production can be bought here.  If you can make it to Toronto to see the show then I would urge you to do so.  Not only do you get to see the show before it hits Broadway, but you can also catch a glimpse of the creative process at work as tweaks and improvements are made throughout the shows run (The Little Mermaid had a new ending before the show left Denver).  Plus, it's a great show, the Tuacahn production was the most fun I've had at the theatre in years, true Disney magic at work.

Behind the Scenes Video - Bringing Aladdin to the Stage in Toronto

The news keeps coming today!  Mirvish Productions have just posted a behind the scenes sneak preview at Aladdin, including interviews with Composer Alan Menken, Writer/Lyricist Chad Beguelin, Director/Choreographer Casey Nicholaw and President & Producer of Disney Theatrical Thomas Schumacher.

Check it out here;

And here's the link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USig3ZxnkH4

Early days, but it looks great!

Aladdin Moves to Toronto - First Day of Tech and Win Tickets with Canadian Living!

After a month of rehearsals in New York, this week saw the cast and crew of Aladdin pack their bags and head off to Toronto and the Ed Mirvish Theatre for their final month of rehearsals ahead of November's opening night!  Today is the first day of Tech Rehearsal and from everything I've read online it's going great!  This is going to be an amazing show!

If you live in Canada then make sure you enter Canadian Living's Aladdin competion.  You could win a trip for 2 to see the show, including tickets, hotel and return airfare.  The competition is only open to Canadian residents (guess I'm not wishing hard enough for these competitions to be international!) and you can enter once a day until November 11th, so go ahead and make a wish, say a prayer and you could be seeing the show for free.

That's all for now, but with the show opening next month expect the news and updates to pick up the pace as we count down to opening night.

Full Cast Announced for Disney's Aladdin - 7 Seattle Principles Return!



Adam Jacobs and Courtney Reed as Aladdin and Jasmine in 2011's Pilot Production, Photo by Mark Kitaoka


Today was the first day of rehearsals for Aladdin: Broadway's New Musical Comedy and a few hours ago the full cast for the upcoming production was finally revealled.

I'm very happy to say that leading the cast are returning stars Adam Jacobs and Courtney Reed, who originated the roles of Aladdin and Jasmine in 5th Avenue's Pilot Production in 2011 and will reprise them in this new production.

Having brought down the house in Seattle, James Monroe Iglehart will once again be bringing Genie to life, the one and only Jonathan Freeman, who has played the villainous Vizier since 1992's animated classic, returns as Jafar, and Don Darryl Rivera will make his Broadway debut as Iago.

Keeping the tempo brisk and the harmonies tight, Brandon O'Neill (in his Broadway debut) and Brian Gonzales will return as Aladdin's friends, Kassim and Babkak respectively.

Completing the principal cast are new cast members Jonathan Schwartz, who rounds out Aladdin's trio of friends as Omar, and Clifton Davis as the Sultan.

Merwin Foard and Michael James Scott will standby for several principals.

The ensemble includes Tia Altinay, Mike Cannon, Andrew Cao, Lauryn Ciardullo, Joshua Dela Cruz, Yurel Echezarreta, Daisy Hobbs, Donald Jones Jr., Adam Kaokept, Nikki Long, Stanley Martin, Brandt Martinez , Michael Mindlin, Rhea Patterson, Bobby Pestka, Khori Petinaud, Ariel Reid, Jennifer Rais, Trent Saunders, Jaz Sealy, Dennis Stowe, Marisha Wallace and Bud Weber.

Aladdin: Broadway's New Musical Comedy features music by Disney Legend Alan Menken and lyrics by the late Disney Legend Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, with book and additional lyrics by Chad Beguelin.

Casey Nicholaw returns as director and choreographer.  Joining him are scenic designer Bob Crowley, lighting designer Natasha Katz, costume designer Gregg Barnes, sound designer Ken Travis, illusion designer Jim Steinmeyer and hair designer Josh Marquette.  Michael Kosarin heads the music team as music supervisor and director, working with Danny Troob as orchestrator and Glen Kelly as dance music arranger.

Broadway World have posted photos that show the cast and crew on their first day of rehearsals and quotes both Director/Choreographer Casey Nicholaw;

"We have an extraordinarily diverse and quite beautiful company of actors and dancers and singers who also happen to be blessed with vaudeville chops.  I think that will surprise people who expect they're just going to see the film onstage."

And Disney Theatrical President and Producer Thomas Schumacher;

"Partnering with Casey to gather this remarkable cast of Aladdin has been exhilarating.  The first day of rehearsal always represents the excitement of what's to come and I've rarely felt that more than with this group. I fell in love with some of them when we worked on the show in Seattle; others are just joining us, but collectively they are the perfect company to bring our new musical comedy to life."

I am honestly both surpised and overjoyed that Disney have managed to get so many of the original Seattle cast and crew back for this new production.  Congratulations to everyone involved, especially those making their Broadway debut with this production!

I hope that the first day of rehearsals went well.  I wish you all the best and can't wait to hear what people have to say when the show opens in Toronto.  I'll see you on Broadway!

Broadway Rumour Report #3 - Andrew Keenan-Bolger Not Returning as Omar

Andrew Keenan-Bolger as Omar (centre) with the Seattle Cast of Aladdin, Photo by Chris Bennion

Sadly this is less a rumour and more a logical deduction.  At the end of last week Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Omar in the Seattle Pilot Production of Aladdin, tweeted that he will be starring in his first play Off Broadway later this year, A.R. Gurney's Family Fortunes at The Flea Theatre.  This is of course fantastic news for Andrew but the dates of this production (12th November through 22nd December) make it clear that he will not be returning to Aladdin as he will be starring in Family Fortunes in New York whilst Aladdin is having its preview run in Toronto.

Andrew very graciously allowed me to interview him for this blog back in 2011 and I wish him all the best with this new production.  I hope that he's in something on Broadway next spring as I'd love to be able to show my support by seeing him on stage.

So with Adam Jacobs apparently confirmed that's 1 in and 1 out so far from the original Seattle cast.  Who will be taking Andrew's place?  Could it be Randy Aaron or Jason Graae from the Tuacahn or Muny productions or someone completely new?  We should hopefully know soon, with the show due to open in just over 2 months the official press release can't be far away!

Broadway Rumour Report #2 - Proud of Your Boy (Again!)




Adam Jacobs as Aladdin in the 2011 Pilot Production, Photo by Mark Kitaoka

  Adam Jacobs is Aladdin!  According to the press release for Scott Siegel's Broadway Ballyhoo! Adam will once again be donning the fez and vest to play the title character in Disney's Aladdin: Broadway's New Musical Comedy.

The press release for tonight's Ballyhoo contains the following line;

"including the star in the title role of the new Disney musical Aladdin, coming to Broadway in the Spring, Adam Jacobs (The Lion King, Les Miserables, etc.)"

So far I've resisted posting any casting rumours, but with this being from an official press release I decided to run with it.  Obviously nothing is official until Disney Theatrical make their announcement but until then this is the next best thing!

Congratulations Adam!  It's been a long road for this show from Seattle to Broadway and, if this is true, I'm overjoyed that you're coming back to play Aladdin again!  This news really has made my day!

Hopefully an official casting announcement by Disney will follow shortly.

Adam Jacobs as Aladdin in the 2011 Pilot Production, Photo by Mark Kitaoka

First Teaser Release for Aladdin: The New Musical Fantasy

This week Disney Theatrical and Mirvish Productions have released the first teaser trailer for Aladdin: The New Musical Fantasy.

Like the guy in the video says, "at last" Aladdin is on its way :o)

Must admit, I wasn't expecting to see anything like this so soon.  Hopefully this means that casting news isn't too far away!

Not much to report on the social media side of things.  The official @Aladdin has tweeted "I can show you the world..." and the official Facebook page followed suit with a new image;

And then another quote, "Arabian nights, like Arabian days..." and finally the link to advance ticket sales that I posted about last week.

In related news Courtney Reed, Seattle's original Princess Jasmine, last night took part in a a special evening celebrating the Life and Lyrics of Howard Ashman.  Courtney and fellow Broadway stars performed Howard's songs, including some of those from Aladdin, to benefit GMHC and other AIDS service organisations in the tri-state area.  The evening also saw Howard's sister, Sarah Ashman Gillespie, and partner, William Lauch awarded with the first annual Howard Ashman Award by GMHC.  The award is designed to "honor musicians and songwriters who have made significant contributions to world culture and have utilized their success to make a difference in the fight to end the epidemic."  I hope the event was a success and will continue to be in the years to come.

More Auditions, Preview Tickets, a New Poster and a New Song for Jafar?

Firstly, if you went to any of the Aladdin auditions over the last week then I hope they went well and that you had a good time.

It looks like Disney is casting a pretty wide net for this show as Playbill have added another four open chorus calls for Orlando (March 2nd/3rd), LA (Feb 26th/27th), Chicago (March 12th) and Toronto (March 16th).  If you're going - good luck!

Toronto's The Star has published an article entitled Aladdin, Once, Les Miserables highlight new Mirvish season.  According to the article this is the Mirvish's 50th year and they're celebrating by presenting their largest subscription program ever, including "the world premiere of the new Disney stage musical Aladdin".  The article goes on to state that "Aladdin will have its premiere tryout here at the Ed Mirvish Theatre, on its way to Broadway, as previously reported in The Star, with Tony Award winning director and choreographer Casey Nicholaw helming the proceedings."

This week also saw The Mirvish launching their own page for Aladdin complete with a new poster and banner for the show!

The poster's a little small (hopefully a larger version will turn up soon) but it's great to see new artwork turning up so soon!

The Mirvish's page includes the following description of the show;

"In an exotic, faraway land, one man’s life is about to change with the lucky rub of an ancient lamp—and you’re invited to join the magic carpet ride.

Welcome to ALADDIN, Disney’s new Broadway-bound musical, adapted from the hit film and featuring some of the best-loved music by Academy® and Tony Award®-winning composer Alan Menken and lyricists Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Chad Beguelin, with a book by Beguelin.

Brought to you by the producer of Toronto’s record-breaking hits The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast, ALADDIN will be directed and choreographed by Tony® -winner Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon) and will feature the award-winning and acclaimed design team of Bob Crowley (sets), Gregg Barnes (costumes) and Natasha Katz (lights), with illusions by Jim Steinmeyer.

With its timeless story, extravagant sets and costumes and a host of memorable characters and songs, ALADDIN will transport you to a place you only know in your dreams. Go ahead, make a wish. And discover a whole new world, in a whole new way… at ALADDIN."

Individual tickets aren't on sale yet (I'll update as soon as they are), but if you live in Toronto and love theatre then why not consider getting a season subscription for all 7 of the 2013/2014 season shows?  Information on the Mirvish's 2013/2014 subscription can be found here.

And finally, Playbill has published an interview with none other than Alan Menken himself at the Junior Theatre Festival.  The full interview can be found here and Mr. Menken talks about Newsies, the process of adapting his film work for the stage and, of course, bringing Aladdin to Broadway;

"At the same time Howard Ashman and I were writing "The Little Mermaid," we were writing "Aladdin." So we had a whole score that involved Aladdin's mom, and his sidekicks, Babkak, Omar and Kassim, and it had a lot of plot elements that we don't have in the movie. And the movie was great, but I said, "If we are going to do this theatrical adaptation, for me, the perk would be to try to bring in the songs that Howard and I wrote for the movie that never made it in.

So we have "Proud of Your Boy," a number that Aladdin was originally to sing in the movie to his mother directly, but now it's to his mother in heaven. There's a number "Babkak, Omar, Aladdin and Kassim," which is kind of the friends' Vaudeville number that they do in the streets of Agrabah. There's a song called "High Adventure," where they perform a rescue at the end of Act Two, which is so much fun. It's one of those numbers I was dying to see on stage. There's "Call Me Princess" for Princess Jasmine, which was a real early throw-away, but we were able to make use of that thanks to my new collaboration with Chad Beguelin (Elf, The Wedding Singer), who wrote the book.

He was brilliant in finding ways to adapt songs we had originally written into the new book, and we also wrote three new songs together with him as my lyricist. We wrote one new song for the Genie, one new song for Jafar and a new duet for Aladdin and Jasmine — and we still have all the original songs from Howard Ashman and Tim Rice from the film. So much creative energy has gone into this new Aladdin, I love it. We had a production in Seattle that was one of the highlights of my life and we've even improved it since then."

Now, I may be reading too much into this, but have we just had the first bit of information on a new song for this new production?  In the above quote Alan Menken mentions 3 songs written by himself and Chad Beguelin for the show; a song for Genie (Somebody's Got My Back), a duet for Aladdin and Jasmine (A Million Miles Away) and a song for Jafar (???).  Sure Jafar had a "new" song in the 2011/2012 productions, but Why Me is one of the unused Menken/Rice songs that was done for the movie, not a new song by Menken/Beguelin.  So is the Jafar song he mentions a new one for this production?  And if so, what does that mean for Why Me?  Is this going to be an addition or a replacement?  I guess we'll have to wait until November to find out!

And it's always great to hear Alan Menken call the 2011 Pilot Production of Aladdin one of the highlights of his life :)