I hate to type cast him but Patrick Page as Jafar seems more of a direction they'll go. Isn't Freeman in his 60's?
But Freeman IS Jafar, and he looked great in the 5th Avenue stuff - I think it would be a missed opportunity to cast him! I also don't know why Freeman would want to do a try-out without having an opportunity to go to Broadway with the role...
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/28/07
I'm glad they are doing a pre-Broadway tryout to see what works and what does not. Disney Theatrical made a mistake by not having a tryout for 'Tarzan', which probably could not be helped no matter what. Thomas Shumacher and the creative team behind 'The Little Mermaid' made a mistake by not caring about what really needed to fixed.
Monster, Meet Mermaid
Broadway Star Joined: 4/7/12
While I love Aladdin and its songs, I feel that this is going to be even more un-PC than the animated movie. In a culture that is completely comfortable pissing on Arabic and Islamic culture, I think the possibilities of stereotyping are endless.
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/28/07
Here's an article where they talk to Thomas Shumacher. He felt it was the right time for 'Mary Poppins' to close and he can't keep it alive artificially.
Disney's 'Aladdin' to sweep into Broadway
Poppins seems to still make money outside of the typical slow periods on Broadway. It won't extend through the summer, but Poppins would make a solid amount of money if they opted to close it mid-August instead. They should at least extend it through spring break and have it close on April 5 instead.
That article was an interesting read! But I'm curious, which were the 5 of the 7 Disney shows that recouped? And which were the 7 shows?
Newsies, Mary Poppins, Lion King, Little Mermaid, Aida, Tarzan ...
Broadway Star Joined: 3/25/12
Question: After they announce a closing date and cancel performances after a certain date, then extend - does every seat for those added performances go back on sale to the general public or do the people who haven't got refunded yet still have a ticket for those performances?
Also, the 7 shows were:
BEAUTY - Recouped
LION KING - Recouped
AIDA - Recouped
TARZAN
MARY POPPINS - Recouped
MERMAID
NEWSIES - Recouped
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/28/07
I'm guessing that kyle3fong2 has not seen nor heard of the musical adaptation of 'Beauty and the Beast'.
Chorus Member Joined: 5/31/10
Cannot wait for Aladdin! Have there been any other casting rumors?
I am hoping for a very hunky Aladdin...
GAH! Can't wait for this! : ) : )
Adam Jacobs was pretty hunky in the 5th Avenue production. Actually, that entire cast was pretty hunky. (See Andrew Keenan Bolger's 4th of July video on youtube.)
Since Casey Nicholaw is staying on as director I would imagine that some of the 5th Avenue cast members might stay with the show as well, but maybe not.
Totally on board with Adam Jacobs.
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/28/07
The official website is already up, but there's not much on there.
http://www.aladdinbroadway.com/
I hope that logo is just a placeholder.
Broadway Star Joined: 3/25/12
Based on the casting notice on Playbill, the three sidekicks ARE remaining in this production. Also, Jafar is not listed as a role being cast, so maybe Jonathan Freeman has already been contacted?
Broadway Star Joined: 3/25/12
Question: After they announce a closing date and cancel performances after a certain date, then extend - does every seat for those added performances go back on sale to the general public or do the people who haven't got refunded yet still have a ticket for those performances?
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