Wednesday 20 March 2024

Aladdin Celebrates 10 Magical Years on Broadway

 


You ain’t never seen an anniversary like this!! Today Disney’s Aladdin celebrates its 10th anniversary on Broadway!

Following an out of town try out in Toronto, Aladdin began Broadway previews on February 26, 2014 before officially opening on March 20 ten years ago tonight.


To celebrate this momentous occasion, Disney Theatrical are hosting a 10th Anniversary Special Performance next week. Original director/choreographer Casey Nicholaw has returned to add a number of Easter eggs throughout the show along with a special mid-show surprise during the showstopping “Friend Like Me”.

Tonight will be Aladdin’s 3,513th performance on Broadway, placing it in the Top 20 longest running shows in Broadway history! Disney Theatrical have also release some pretty impressive stats to mark this wondrous occasion. As of tonight:

  • Aladdin and Jasmine will have flown over 115 miles on the magic carpet whilst performing “A Whole New World”
  • Genie will have set off more than 131,000 pyrotechnics during “Friend Like Me”
  • The cast and wardrobe team will have made almost 250,000 rapid costume changes in “Prince Ali”
  • And 850 pounds of custom mixed glitter will have been used to create Genie’s signature sparkle

To celebrate this incredible milestone here is a look back at 10 of my favorite videos of the Broadway cast during the first 10 years of this amazing show. These aren’t in a ranked order, just some of the fun things and performances they have done on stage and off during the first decade of Aladdin.

Christmas at Walt Disney World


Beginning the list with the Disney Christmas Celebration as it feels like this was the start of the 10th anniversary celebrations. Broadway’s Michael James Scott (Genie), is joined by the US Tour’s Adi Roy (Aladdin) with ensemble members from both productions for this festive performance of “Friend Like Me” on Main Street USA at Disney World!

You don’t often see much of the Broadway productions in the parks, outside of EPCOT’s fantastic Festival of the Arts, so I absolutely love seeing the cast in full costume performing on Main Street.

And speaking of Festival of the Arts, here is the first bonus video on this list! Every year January EPCOT’s Festival of the Arts features the Broadway Concert series where stars of Disney Theatrical perform short concerts each night. And this year there was a special concert in celebration of Aladdin’s 10th anniversary which you can view below!


1st Anniversary Co-Star challenge


For the show’s first anniversary, Disney put together this fun co-star challenge to see just how well they knew each other after a year in Agrabah. I’d actually forgotten some of these answers!

Announcing Arielle


Ok, technically they were announcing Arielle for the Australian cast but she went on to play Jasmine on Broadway so I am totally counting this. Plus it was just such a fun and sweet reveal. I love that they did this.

On a personal note, I finally got to meet Arielle and see her perform at EPCOT’s Festival of the Arts last year and she is just amazing!

Making Magic at Madame Tussauds


Not gonna lie, this is probably one of my favourite promo videos from the early days of the show. Just so much fun!

From Agrabah to the White House


I’d actually forgotten about this one but it instantly made the list when I rediscovered it for this piece! The cast of Aladdin went to the White House to perform at the Kids’ State Dinner! How cool is that?!

And here’s your second bonus video – the full performance direct from the White House!


ESPN


I’ve always said that the cast of this show are some of the hardest working on Broadway. The sheer amount of energy this show must take is just off the charts. But thanks to this video you don’t need to take my word for that! In this fun collaboration science meets Genie magic as the ESPN Sports Science team put a bioharness on Major Attaway to track him throughout “Friend Like Me” and the results are impressive!

The Epic Sing Off


No one likes a delay at the airport, especially a 6 hour weather delay, but when it leads to a sing off this epic I wish I could have been there! Seeing JMI freestyle is always a delight and this sing off ending going viral, making the news and leading to our next bonus video! A rematch on Good Morning America!

Oh, and I may be bias but Aladdin totally won that airport sing off!


Old School Gaming


James is right, this game was solid! There is so much I love in this video, from Adam trying the old cheat code to Courtney calling the game Aladdin “Adam” and Don Darryl laughing when he killed himself (Iago) in the game. Just a great video and they did one with the London cast a few years later that was just as much fun.

I had the SNES version as a child so I only got to play this (nearly impossible) version of Aladdin a few times back in the nineties. With the re-release a few years back I was finally able to play it and, with judicious use of the new save and rewind features, complete it. My inner child felt very satisfied that day!

Aladdin 2.0 – Re-Opening on Broadway


After a year and a half shutdown, the re-opening of Broadway was such a long awaited day. I remember watching the return announcement trailer over and over with tears of joy in my eyes. With a mix of new and returning cast members, Aladdin finally returned on September 28, 2021. It’s hard to describe it now, it feels at once recent but also a lifetime ago, but the sheer joy of seeing live theatre again was immense. And you can see that happiness in this video. Broadway was back.

Which brings me to our final two bonus videos!

Ahead of Broadway’s full return, Disney hosted a charity Live at the New Am event where the current Genie and the award winning original shared a spontaneous moment!


And with Broadway back, Disney, for the first time ever, televised “A Whole New World” on Good Morning America followed by a performance of “Friend Like Me” that culminated with a live finale in Times Square!


5 Genies for 5 Years on Broadway


What better way to end this list than with Aladdin’s last milestone anniversary? To celebrate Aladdin’s 5th anniversary, Disney Theatrical brought together five Genies - Tony Award winning James Monroe Iglehart (Broadway’s original Genie), Michael James Scott (Genie on Broadway), Major Attaway (Genie on US Tour), Juwan Crawley and Deonte L. Warren (Broadway’s stand by Genies) - at the show’s curtain call to perform a fantastic medley culminating in a five Genie “Friend Like Me” finale.

Honestly, I’m not sure how they top this for the anniversary performance next week (surely not 10 Genies?!) but I’m excited to find out. And James, I’m gonna hold you to that tenth anniversary promise!


And that’s my top ten! Ok, I cheated and added a few bonus videos, but, unlike wishes, there’s no limit on how many videos I can have in a blog post and there’s too much magic to be limited to just ten!

There are so many honorable mentions I’d love to include but I’m going to limited myself to three (yeah, I really suck at this top 10 stuff).

First up is not a promotional video or performance, but the story of Mikayla Renfrow's personal "magic carpet" ride back to NYC to make sure the show could go on. It's a real life story that sounds like something that only happens in the movies so I just love this story!


There's already a few videos of various performances of "Friend Like Me" in the list so I'm not including the Tony Awards performance (though I probably should!) BUT I just have to include James Monroe Iglehart winning the Tony for his performance as Genie!


And my last honorable mention is a performance not by the cast of the Broadway production, but of a very special performance that took place at curtain call when Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle reunited to perform "A Whole New World".



As I wrap this up I’m reminded again of the words of Thomas Schumacher, who once said that the reason Aladdin exists today “is because nobody quit. Nobody quit on it, and it was the sheer will of an enormous number of committed people that made that show happen.” So to all the casts, crews, and creative teams involved with the show over the last decade, on Broadway and beyond, to everyone who never quit on it and made Aladdin the success it is today, I just want to say a heartfelt thank you so very much for everything. Here’s to the next decade of granting wishes.

And speaking of those who were there at the beginning, who never quit, who helped to shape the show and whose lives were changed by it, here is the video I create with some of the original cast members in celebration of the original Pilot Production’s 10th anniversary back in 2021, looking back on those early days and their time with the show:


Aladdin celebrates it’s 10th anniversary tonight and with a 10th Anniversary Special Performance next week.


Thank you for the magic.

Sunday 17 December 2023

Disney Theatrical Celebrates Disney 100 on the Royal Variety Show Tonight!


It's time to celebrate in truly magical style tonight as Disney Theatrical bring the magic of Disney's 100th anniversary to the Royal Variety Performance!


The fabulous new cast of Aladdin's UK and Ireland Tour join the West End casts of The Lion King and Frozen alongside the German cast of the brand new production of Hercules for this once in a century performance at London's Royal Albert Hall!! And that's not all as the performance also sees the return of Samantha Barks as Elsa, ahead of her West End return next year, and Aladdin's own Trevor Dion Nicholas in a duet with Grace Swaby-Moore!


This promises to be a truly magical performance so don't miss it!!


The Royal Variety Performance airs in the UK tonight at 8pm on ITV.


Tuesday 24 October 2023

Wishing a Magical Opening to Aladdin's First UK & Ireland Tour Tonight!

 

Cast of Aladdin UK & Ireland Tour


Tonight is the night! Four years after Aladdin closed in the West End, Disney's most magical musical is taking the flying carpet on tour and the first ever UK and Ireland tour opens previews in Edinburgh tonight!!

I am so happy to see this amazing show back in the UK and featuring an incredibly talented cast who I can't wait to see bringing this iconic tale to life on stage.

I just want to wish everyone involved, on stage and off, the very best of luck for tonight's first preview and for your entire run. You've all worked so hard for this moment, let that passion and energy shine on stage, but above all enjoy it. One of the things I love most about Aladdin is that you can feel that joy just radiating from the stage and it's infectious. So have fun, and make some magic!

I can't wait to see you all soon!

Monday 20 March 2023

Aladdin Celebrates 9 Years of Granting Broadway Wishes

 

Today is the 9th anniversary of Aladdin's official Broadway opening. After 9 incredible years of granting wishes the show has played over 3000 performances and is now one of the twenty longest running shows in Broadway history with no signs of slowing down.

It is, quite simply, a truly magical run. I am forever grateful to this amazing show and to the hundreds, if not thousands, of people who have helped bring Agrabah to life every night these last 9 years.

I have said it before, but the sheer joy that this show brings means so much to me and, I'm sure, countless others in New York and around the world. It's a much needed light in uncertain times. An escape to a land of magic and romance that I will always treasure no matter how many times I see it. And if you haven't been yet? Well, we can fix that!

Thanks for all the high adventures Aladdin, promise I'll be there for the 10th!










Friday 24 February 2023

The Magic is Back! Aladdin Announces UK and Ireland Tour!

 

"Let's make some magic!"

The magic is back!! Disney's Aladdin returns to the UK this year with the first ever UK and Ireland tour!

Announced this morning, the tour will premiere this October at the Edinburgh Playhouse where it will run from 24th October to 18th November. From there it will move to the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff (7th December 2023 to 14th January 2024), the Theatre Royal in Plymouth (17th January to 11th February 2024), the Sunderland Empire (15th February to 10th March 2024), and the Milton Keynes Theatre (24th April to 19th May 2024) with move venues to be announced.

Tickets go on sale Friday, 31st March, but you can sign up for priority access now via the official Disney Tickets website.

In a statement released this morning Thomas Schumacher, president and producer of Disney Theatrical Productions, said:

"As Aladdin approaches its second decade on stage, we are thrilled that the 11th production of the glorious Broadway show will soon be seen by audiences throughout the UK and Ireland.

Thanks to Casey Nicholaw's direction, Alan Menken's music and the peerless design team of Bob Crowley, Natasha Katz and Gregg Barnes this show is a powerful tonic, an irresistible lift for every audience who sees it.

The musical theatre performers in the UK and Ireland rival any on the planet and we look forward to presenting the best of them in this joyous new production."

I am so excited as the show has been absent from the UK since the West End production closed on 24th August 2019 (and we're still waiting on that live recording). And speaking of that live recording, check out this teaser that Aladdin's official UK social media accounts have been sharing:


Yes, that's London's Genie Trevor Dion Nicholas, only I've never heard him deliver that line like that in any previous promotional material so I'm guessing it comes from that long awaited live recording! So that's a cool promo for the tour and (hopefully) a little tease at the live recording as well!

One more cool teaser - this one promoting the first venues for the tour!


Aladdin will be taking audiences to a whole new world, one city at a time across the UK from October. See you there!

Sunday 8 January 2023

New Year Round Up - 3000 Shows, Shoba Narayan Leaving for New High Adventures, Sonya Balsara is Broadway's New Jasmine & EPCOT's Festival of the Arts Returns

 

The cast of Broadway's Aladdin, Photo from Disney


It's been a busy time in Agrabah! Shortly before the end of last year the show celebrated 3000 magical performances on Broadway!

To celebrate this milestone achievement the cast and at the New Amsterdam receive an incredible 3000 cake in the show's signature colours. It looks too good to eat but I bet it tasted amazing!

Shortly before this milestone, Aladdin joined The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast in the top 20 longest running shows on Broadway, overtaking Hello, Dolly!'s original run of 2844 shows!

Shoba Narayan as Princess Jasmine, Photo by Matthew Murphy

As this year comes to a start, Aladdin is bidding goodbye to its princess, Shoba Narayan.

Shoba, who has played Jasmine since the show re-opened in September 2021, will take her final bow next Sunday, January 15.

I was fortunate to see Shoba bringing Jasmine to life when we visited New York not long after the show re-opened and she was simply incredible. I wish we could have seen her more, but I am beyond grateful that we got to see her in the role twice. She is truly one of my favourite Jasmines and I am excited to see where she goes next.

Shoba was also the first South Asian Jasmine, and has been an incredible role model and force for change. Even as she leaves the show, she leaves behind the new Jasmine doll, which she helped to design to make more representative.

Shoba, I wish you all the very best for the future, thanks for all the high adventures!

Sonya Balsara as Princess Jasmine, Photo by Matthew Murphy

And please give a royal Agrabah welcome to Sonya Balsara, Broadway's new Princess Jasmine!

Sonya made her Broadway debut as Jasmine last year, whilst Shoba was starring in Come Fall in Love (which also starred Aladdin's Irvine Iqbal!), and will be returning to the role from Thursday, January 19.

Sonya, I wish you a long and magical run with the show!


Whilst we're talking Jasmine, I just want to take a moment to say a massive congratulations to the original - the one and only Courtney Reed on her engagement!! So, so happy for you and Nick. Jane and I wish you both all the very best. You truly deserve every happiness.



Last but by no means least - EPCOT's Festival of the Arts is back this month and with it the Disney on Broadway Concert Series!

This year's concerts run from January 13 through to February 20 and feature stars from all of Disney's Broadway shows, including Aladdin.

Kicking things off on the Agrabah front are Adam and Arielle Jacobs. Broadway's original Aladdin and Australia's original Jasmine will be performing on January 14, 17, 18, 21, and 22.

Then the legendary Michael James Scott will be leaving Broadway behind for sunny Florida as he joins Ashley Brown (Beauty and the Beast, Mary Poppins) for a series of performances on February 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 16, and 17, with an extra special finale performance on February 20 where they will be joined by Josh Strickland (Tarzan) and Kissy Simmons (The Lion King).

I am insanely excited for this as we will actually be there for Adam and Arielle's run! I haven't seen Adam live since we saw Aladdin on tour in LA back in 2018 and I have never seen Arielle live so this is going to be one of the highlights of our trip for me!

It's the start of another magical year in Agrabah! And Hercules is about to hit the stage as well! This year promises to be full of theatrical magic!

Friday 9 September 2022

Aladdin's Broadway Cast Join Their Lion King and Frozen Cousins to Open D23 Today!

 


The Disney D23 Expo is back! Today sees the return of the massive fan event to the Anaheim Convention Center just a few blocks away from Disneyland itself.

The expo opens, as always, with the Disney Legends Awards Ceremony. This year's ceremony will be hosted by Tamron Hall and give fans an early look at the upcoming Disney 100 Years of Wonder celebration. And that's not all!

This year the opening ceremony, which will be streamed live, will feature an extra special performance from the casts of Broadway's Aladdin, The Lion King, and the National Tour cast of Frozen!! Now that's how you open a show!

If you're lucky enough to be at D23 then the Disney Legends Awards Ceremony takes place in Hall D23 and (if you haven't got a reservation) you'll want to head straight to the standby line when the show opens.

For the rest of us, we can watch the opening festivities, along with select other panels over the weekend, at the official D23 website and on YouTube:


The Ceremony begins at 10:30am (PT). It's going to be a magical show!