Theater News

Casting for Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway Announced

Jonathan Freeman will re-create his iconic role as Jafar.

New York City

September 16, 2013

Courtney Reed and Adam Jacobs as Jasmine and Aladdin in <i>Aladdin</i> — Courtney Reed and Adam Jacobs as Jasmine and Aladdin in *Aladdin*
(© Chris Bennion)

Adam Jacobs (The Lion King), James Monroe Iglehart (Memphis), Courtney Reed (In the Heights), and Jonathan Freeman (The Little Mermaid) will lead the cast of Disney’s upcoming Toronto and Broadway productions of Aladdin. The musical will launch at Toronto’s Ed Mirvish Theatre November 1-January 5 before moving to the New Amsterdam Theatre in Manhattan beginning February 26, 2014.

Jacobs will take on the title role, with Iglehart as Genie, Reed as Jasmine, and Freeman as Jafar, the role he played in the hit 1992 animated film on which the new musical is based. The principal company will also include Brian Gonzales, Brandon O’Neill, and Jonathan Schwartz as Aladdin’s pals Babak, Kassim, and Omar; Clifton Davis (Two Gentlemen of Verona) as Sultan; Don Darryl Rivera as Iago; and Merwin Foard (Annie) and Michael James Scott (The Book of Mormon) as standbys for several principal roles.

The full company, totaling 34, will feature an ensemble made up of 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 Rias, Trent Saunders, Jaz Sealey, Dennis Stowe, Marisha Wallace, and Bud Weber.

Featuring a score by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, and Tim Rice with songs such as “Friend Like Me” and the Academy Award-winning “A Whole New World,” Aladdin will use a new book and additional lyrics by Chad Beguelin (The Wedding Singer). The creative team also includes Bob Crowley (scenic design), Gregg Barnes (costume design), Natasha Katz (lighting design), Ken Travis (sound design), Jim Steinmeyer (illusions), Josh Marquette (hair design), Michael Kosarin (music supervisor/vocal and incidental arrangements), Danny Troob (orchestrator), and Glen Kelly (dance music arranger).

Aladdin premiered at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre in 2011 and played a summer 2012 run at the Muny in St. Louis. Several actors in the Broadway company, including Jacobs, Iglehart, Reed, and Freeman, appeared in the Seattle production.

Click here for more information and to purchase tickets to Aladdin on Broadway.

Click here to purchase tickets to the Toronto production.