On Sunday, May 19, 2024, a very special performance was streamed on the Disney on Broadway youtube channel. It showed a concert that was taped during the Disney on Broadway Concert Series, which occurs annually at EPCOT’s International Festival of the Arts in Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
This particular performance was a celebration of the 10th anniversary of Aladdin on Broadway! Aladdin on Broadway Concert Celebration – Live at EPCOT includes Aladdin’s current Genie Michael James Scott, Bradley Gibson (The Lion King, Hercules), Mandy Gonzalez (Aida) and Shoba Narayan (Aladdin). Together, they performed select songs from the production. They included Proud of Your Boy, A Whole New World, Friend Like Me, and more.
The concert is available for fans of Aladdin to watch and can be seen here:
Aladdin on Broadway
Aladdin, the Broadway musical, is based on the Disney animated film of the same name. It originally opened at Broadway’s New Amsterdam Theatre to critical acclaim on March 20, 2014. It quickly became a popular hit on Broadway and continues to do so to today. The current cast of Aladdin stars Michael Maliakel making his Broadway debut in the title role, Michael James Scott as Genie, Sonya Balsara as Jasmine and Dennis Stowe as Jafar. The show also features Milo Alosi, Zach Bencal and Brad Weinstock as Aladdin’s sidekicks Kassim, Babkak and Omar, JC Montgomery as Sultan and Don Darryl Rivera as Iago. Caleb Barnett, Jeremy Gaston and Wes Hart stand by for several principals.
Aladdin Around the Globe
Outside of Broadway, Aladdin has also continued to be popular around the globe. This is something that is quite rare for Broadway musical. In fact, there have been 11 productions that have spanned four continents. Each of these showcase the spectacle created by Nicholaw and his fantastic creative team. Together, they have won 24 career Tony Awards.
Stats on Aladdin
Through the ten years on Broadway, there have been many magical moments shared. This includes:
- Aladdin and Jasmine have flown over 115 miles on the magic carpet while singing the Oscar-winning A Whole New World
- The Genie has set off more than 131,000 pyrotechnics in the show stopping Friend Like Me
- In the Act Two opener Prince Ali, the cast and wardrobe team have made nearly a quarter million lightning-fast costume quick changes
- 850 pounds of custom-mixed glitter have been used to create the Genie’s signature sparkle
Production Team
Aladdin is produced by Disney Theatrical Group, under the direction of Andrew Flatt, Anne Quart and Thomas Schumacher. It features music by Tony Award and eight-time Oscar winner Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Newsies, Sister Act) along with lyrics by two-time Oscar winner Howard Ashman (Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid), three-time Tony Award and three-time Oscar winner Tim Rice (Evita, Aida) and six-time Tony Award nominee Chad Beguelin (The Wedding Singer), with a book by Beguelin. It is directed and choreographed by two-time Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon).
What do you think of this special performance from EPCOT for Aladdin on Broadway’s 10th anniversary? Have you seen the full show before? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
