Casting Calls Go Out for Broadway's Aladdin

Oh boy does it feel good to be writing that!

Late last week Playbill posted the official Equity listings for Aladdin, including Principal Auditions, Chorus Call for Dancers and Chorus Call for Singers for auditions early next month.  Full listings can be found by following the links.

The listings describe the show as;

"Based on the much loved animated film, Aladdin: The New Stage Musical tells the story of a street-smart commoner whose whole life changes with one rub of a magic lamp. This new Aladdin incorporates 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 score. It marks a return to the authors' original vision: a loving homage to the Hope-Crosby road pictures with a score invoking the jazz sound of stars like Cab Calloway and Fats Waller."

For those who are successful at the auditions (and those of us who want to know when we can expect to hear the first real hints about the new production) the show dates given are;

Rehearsals begin in NYC: Fall 2013.
Playing in Toronto: Early Winter 2013/2014
Rehearsals in NYC: Winter 2014.
Begin performances in NYC: Spring 2014

The principal roles on offer are;

Aladdin
20s, any ethnicity. Clever, resourceful street urchin with a heart of gold; best friends with Babkak, Omar and Kassim; seeks a life beyond the confines of poverty. Soaring bari-tenor voice.

Jasmine
20s, any ethnicity. Intelligent young princess with insight beyond her years and station; seeks a life beyond the confines of privilege. Fantastic belter that can mix through the break to soprano.

Babkak
20s, any ethnicity. Chubby, romantic desert dweller, part of Aladdin’s band; the “Crosby” of this Arabian “Road” picture, although perhaps with a bit more flair. Power tenor.

Omar
20s, any ethnicity. Nervous, thin, reedy desert dweller, part of Aladdin’s band; the “Lamour.” Bari-tenor.

Genie
30s-40s, any ethnicity. Quick-witted, fast-talking, ancient genie who knows all time and place; an old-school song-and-dance man.

Sultan
50s, any ethnicity. Kind-hearted, widowed ruler of Agrabah; gets so caught up in following the law and tradition that he overlooks his daughter Jasmine’s desires and gets swindled by his own vizier.

For those of you who can remember these listings are almost identical to those released for 5th Avenue's Pilot Production back in January 2011.  The only additions are "any ethnicity" and the vocal descriptions.

More interesting is who's missing.  Namely Jafar, Iago and Kassim.

Back when 5th Avenue's Casting Calls were released only Jafar was missing and the role was famously filled by Jonathan Freeman, making him the first actor from one of Disney's animated classics to bring his own character to life on stage.  Obviously nothing has been confirmed (or even rumoured) but my best guess is that Jonathan Freeman will once again be bringing Jafar to life when Aladdin hits Broadway.  Now that really would be a wish come true!

Could Jonathan Freeman be bringing Jafar to life on stage once more?
Jonathan Freeman and Don Darryl Rivera as Jafar and Iago in 5th Avenue's Pilot Production

But what about Iago and Kassim?  Does this mean that they've already been cast too?  In the 5th Avenue's Pilot Production the parts were played by Don Darryl Rivera and Brandon O'Neill and, whilst I'd love to believe that they've both already been confirmed for the roles (they did originate them after all), it seems strange that Disney Theatrical would make the rest of the original cast re-audition if this was the case.  Either way, Disney Theatrical clearly has people already in mind for these roles.  I can't find any rumours on who they might have approached to play the parts (so I'm going to continue championing the original cast), but if they are recasting then only one name comes to mind - Gilbert Gottfried!

For all the lastest news on the show, including casting, make sure you like the show on Facebook, follow @AladdinBroadway on Twitter and sign up for email updates from the show's official website www.aladdinbroadway.com!

And finally two quick updates from around the web.  Firstly The New York Times confirms that Proud of Your Boy WILL be in the show (didn't really doubt it but with the re-writes it's great to have that confirmed) and says that the expected budget for the new production is between $12 and $15 million dollars, which is significantly more than budget of the Pilot Production in 2011.  And secondly, Yahoo News' Mark Kennedy has posted an interview with Disney Theatrical's Thomas Schumacher where he says that he wants the show to have a lot of humour and a lot of heart.  If it's anything like the production I saw at the Tuacahn last year, it will certainly have both.

A Whole New World in A Whole New Way - Aladdin Comes to Broadway!

It's official!!  Disney Theatrical last night confirmed that Aladdin will open on Broadway in 2014 at the New Amsterdam Theatre!!  The show's new tagline is Broadway's New Musical Fantasy.

First things first, make sure you head over to the show's official website, www.aladdinbroadway.com, and sign up for their email updates.

Now for those who've waited long enough and don't want to wait until next spring, good news!  Both Playbill and Broadway World are reporting that Aladdin will have have it's pre-Broadway preview run at Toronto's Mirvish Theatre this November!  The show will premiere in Toronto November 13th and run through to January 12th 2014.  No dates have been announced for Aladdin's Broadway premiere other than "Spring 2014".
Both Playbill and Broadway World are reporting that, according to Disney, this version of Aladdin will be an entirely new production "featuring a new script, tunestack and a wholly original design scaled to the Broadway stage and an epic story."

Disney have confirmed that most of the creative team from Seattle's 2011 Pilot Production will be returning, along with some new additions;

Alan Menken (Composer)
Howard Ashman (Lyrics)
Tim Rice (Lyrics)
Chad Beguelin (Book and Lyrics)
Casey Nicholaw (Director/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)

Casting and ticketing information has not yet been announced (like I said at the start, make sure you sign up for Disney Theatrical's email alerts!).

I'm so excited right now!  Guess I'd better start saving for next year's holiday!  To paraphrase Joey, "Broadway baby!!" (I've been watching way too much Friends recently).  It's going to be a whole new world, hope I see you there!

Broadway Rumour Report #1

Why do I get the feeling I'm going to be doing a lot of these over the next few months? :o)

Hot on the heels of Monday's initial rumour, that Mary Poppins was to close in March to make way for Aladdin, and yesterday's confirmation that Mary Poppins would indeed end its impressive 6 year run on March 3rd, comes another rumour regarding Aladdin!

The New York Post's Michael Riedel is reporting that Aladdin is to receive an extensive re-working with the book being rewritten, Alan Menken working on new songs and six time Tony Award winning set designer Bob Crowley (Mary Poppins, Aida, Once, The Coast of Utopia, Carousel, The History Boys) being brought on board to design the new production which is said to be much more elaborate than 2011's Pilot Production in Seattle.

The report does not mention if Tony Award winning director/choreographer Casey Nicholaw and book writer/lyricist Chad Begulin are involved with the new production, but considering that they both worked on revising the production between its 5th Avenue premiere and last year's regional productions I don't see any reason to assume that they aren't involved with the upcoming Broadway production.

In another exciting development Riedel is reporting that Disney is also rewriting another of their Alan Menken musicals - the long in development The Hunchback of Notre Dame.  Peter Parnell is said to be writing a new book (James Lapine wrote the original book for the Berlin production) and Alan Menken is reported to be working with Stephen Schwartz on new songs for the production.  I'll admit I'm a little sad to see the original book being replaced, I never saw the show but the cast album sounded  gorgeous and what I did see on YouTube looked incredible and very emotionally powerful.  I know the general belief is Disney felt it was too dark for a family show, but it was just so moving even on a small YouTube video that the idea of changing it does worry me a little.  I'd urge anyone reading to have a look at some of the subtitled videos on YouTube if they've still available.  Done well, I honestly think that The Hunchback of Notre Dame has the potential to be Disney's greatest show (even if my favourite will always be Aladdin) and I appreciate that they are taking the time to get it right rather than rush it to Broadway.

Broadway Beckons..?

Adam Jacobs as Aladdin in 5th Avenue's Pilot Production, Photo by Mark Kitaoka

Yesterday afternoon there was a very exciting (but equally sad) rumour reported by The New York Times.  According to "two Broadway theatre executives" Disney Theatrical's long running Mary Poppins is set to close on March 3rd to make way for the Broadway debut of Aladdin!  However, don't go booking that plane ticket just yet as it's reported that the New Amsterdam Theatre is to receive extensive renovations, which could take several months, prior to Al and his pals making their premiere in spring 2014.

Whilst it's just a rumour, this story has now been carried by pretty much all of the major Broadway news sites, such as Playbill, Broadway.com, Broadway World and others, including The Wrap which reports that "the Broadway production will involve a major new key player on the creative team" (though other articles have stated that it remains unclear whether or not there will be any additions to the creative team).

Most of the articles also claim that the show will be significantly overhauled from the 5th Avenue Pilot Production in Seattle in 2011 (though others have said that this also remains uncertain).  The Tuacahn, Muny and international productions last year were all based on a revised and expanded version of the original book, and each had unique staging and creative choices, so it's not unreasonable to think that further revisions will have been made based on audiences reactions to those productions (the Tuacahn had a survey on their website from Disney asking for feedback on the show).

Obviously nothing is official until Disney confirms it, but with the rumoured closing date of Mary Poppins less than 2 months away I'd expect to hear at least a denial or confirmation of that in the not too distant future. Mary Poppins is currently booking through to August but sadly that means very little (I had 20th July tickets booked for Tarzan when the show was pulled with literally 2 weeks notice) so I'd expect Disney to clear that up to give ticket buyers peace of mind - The Little Mermaid's closure was announced 2 months in advance (and that too was booking past it's closing date at the time).  We're already past the 2 month point for Mary Poppins, so if the rumour is true expect to hear something sooner rather than later.

Sad times for Mary Poppins (I remember seeing it back when it was running in London and had a great time), but fantastic news for Aladdin.  Hopefully Disney can get as much of the original Seattle cast back together as possible, they deserve first shot at this and I'd love them to be on the CD!


And finally, a quick apology (again!) for the lack of updates.  The holidays just crept up on me this year and the updates I meant to do just kept getting pushed back.  I'm hoping that this weekend I can get caught up with all the news from the international productions that I missed (I hear both were fantastic - congratulations to all involved - and that the show was so popular it's going back to Denmark this year!).  Happy New Year everyone, I hope you all had a truly magical holiday season.

UPDATE - Well that was a lot faster than I expected!  Mary Poppins' official site has confirmed that the show will play its final Broadway performance on March 3rd.  All I can say is that my heart goes out to the cast and crew of this great show and I wish them all the very best for the remainder of their run and for the future.

Asian Premiere of Disney's Aladdin: The New Stage Musical

Tom Rodriguez and K-La Rivera as Aladdin and Jasmine

Tonight sees the Asian Premiere of Aladdin: The New Stage Musical.  I've not been able to find out much about this run of the show so far, so I'll be doing a little digging over the weekend to try and bring you some more information on it.  The Asian Premiere production is being done by Atlantis Productions at the Meralco Theatre and will run from tonight through to 9th December.

I hope to have some more details to post early next week (as well as an update on the European Premiere run in Denmark), but for now I just want to wish the cast and crew at the Meralco Theatre the very best of luck for tonight's premiere.  Make some magic everyone!

For ticket information on the show, please see Atlantis' website.

Reflections - Goodbye to Tuacahn's Aladdin

Tonight will see the final performance of Aladdin: The New Stage Musical at the Tuacahn Amphitheatre in Utah.  Since June this fantastic cast and crew have been performing the longest running production of Aladdin to date, and to celebrate the end of their record breaking run I wanted to do something a little more special.

With the kind support of Tuacahn, I'm proud to present a short series of reflections by some of the cast on their time in Aladdin.  I also want to say a big thank you to Heidi Anderson, who made this possible.  Thanks Heidi!

Dan Domenech as Aladdin, Photo by Tuacahn

"The past 6 months have been a time to remember.   Aladdin is my favorite Disney story and I've been very lucky to be able to play him on such a grand stage and sing Alan Menken's music in yet another musical!  The production value of Tuacahn was incredible.  I was in a 3D movie, flew a carpet over 2000 people, rode camels and got backed up by a cavalry of horsemen (and women) for "Prince Ali"!  Disney has really created something special with this show and I'm excited for more audiences to see it as it moves forward.  The look on the kids faces when we meet them after the show is priceless.  That's the power of Disney baby!"

Dan Domenech (Aladdin)

Edward Juvier as Genie, Photo by Tuacahn

"What a thrill it has been to perform an incredible show in this natural setting! There are so many unforgettable moments from this experience. Working with camels and peacocks. Seeing the Tiger God for the first time. Filming and putting together the 3D sequences. Sitting in the sitzprobe and hearing our incredible orchestra bring that Disney magic to life. Singing "Somebody's Got Your Back" with four incredible guys night after night. Watching our amazing crew change sets from Agrabah to Baltimore every other day. Meeting all the kids after the show dressed up as Jasmine and Aladdin. But one of my favorite parts is seeing how much all kinds of people are drawn to this show and the story of Aladdin. They love it and feel part-ownership over the story. And Aladdin delivers. It's such a wonderful theatrical experience and the audiences here in Utah have been so amazing! Tuacahn has put on one heck of a show out here in the middle of the desert. It has been an honor to share the stage with such a giving company. To say this is a dream come true would be an understatement. The worst part is that it'll all be over in 7 performances. The best part is that I've found friendships and memories that will last a lifetime."

Edward Juvier (Genie)

Randy Aaron as Omar, Photo by Tuacahn

"I can honestly say I have had the time of my life working on this piece. I am all for theatre that allows for a family to come and experience it together.  Aladdin creates a tale that both adults and children can invest in successfully. There is also nothing more heart warming than hearing the laughter of children and knowing they are truly enjoying themselves. They are the future of theatre! Now on a personal note I have never laughed more myself onstage after working with Todd DuBail and Paul Vogt.  You don't know funny until working with these guys.  They are also some of the most giving actors I have ever had the pleasure of sharing a stage with. Love you guys!"

Randy Aaron (Omar)

Jeff Asch as Iago with Michael G. Hawkins as Jafar, Photo by Tuacahn

"This was a truly remarkable journey. The past 6 months in Agrabah were like nothing else. This was such an unbelievably talented cast from the smallest chorus part through the title character, making this trip even more electrifying. Playing the role of Iago was going to be a challenge from the beginning due to the fact we elected to make him human rather than a bird. The myriad of people who have seen the film version of this were all set to see someone flapping his wings on stage. Clipping those wings was fun. Being part of a stage show with 3D effects, a water scrim Tiger GOD, mind blowing pyrotechnics, that's in the middle of the desert, sold out crowd almost every night, and a cast, crew, band, and wonderful people in general made this fantastic and something I'll never forget. The best part of this whole voyage, however, was seeing how much the kids enjoyed this show. Their faces literally lit up like the fireworks after the show. I remember being young and how it felt to see theater... I can't imagine, though, what it must be like to see something of this magnitude as a kid, or an adult for that matter. 6 months of the same show can get old very fast, but I can honestly say this "high adventure" never got stale....lots and lots of love to all...."

Jeff Asch (Iago)


I just want to take this opportunity to say once again a massive thank you to everyone at the Tuacahn for all the support they've given me and this blog, and for putting on such an amazing show and making my childhood dreams come true.  I wish you all the best for tonight's final performance and for the future, whatever it may bring.  If you're lucky enough to be in the audience tonight, enjoy!  Tuacahn has been making magic with this show all summer and it all ends tonight.

Dan Domenech as Aladdin, Photo by Tuacahn

Back Stage at Fredericia's Aladdin

Last week Denmark's Fredericia Teater played host to the European Premiere of Disney's Aladdin: The New Stage Musical.

According to regular reader Steffen the Danish newspapers have been giving the show fantastic reviews and calling the show magical.

The Fredericia has posted a video review of the show on their YouTube channel (judging by the logo I'm guessing this is from a local TV network called DK4) that features a look at some moments from the show, including their staging of A Whole New World.

I'd also like to say a big thank you to David and Steffen (again) for pointing me in the direction of Disney Channel SE's special YouTube series Behind the Magic Carpet.  Here's the first two parts in this four part series.

Part One

Part Two

I hope you both enjoy the show as much as I did!  I can't wait to hear all about it!!