Jonathan Freeman To Depart ALADDIN on January 23

After playing Jafar in the 1992 animated film Aladdin - and reprising his role for eight years on Broadway, original cast member Jonathan Freeman will leave the Disney smash hit on January 23. Starting on the 25th, Dennis Stowe will be playing Jafar full-time.

Congratulations on a spectacular Broadway run!

Updated On: 1/13/22 at 11:00 AM

willep said: "Holy crap. In my brain Aladdin has been on Broadway for four years tops."

Same. I had to look it up on Wikipedia - and going by that history, Freeman has played Jafar in the stage adaptation for over a decade (with the out-of-towns and all). Wild. 

Did Freeman have some sort of sweetheart scheduling deal with Disney? Because I've seen the show four times between previews/just after opening, and fall of last year, and I've always gotten his understudy. So to me Dennis Stowe has been playing Jafar for years! 

Either way congrats to both the outgoing and incoming Jafars!

Congrats on a long and successful run!

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Ziegfeld?

(I am suggesting every older character actor who leaves a show for that part until we get a real announcement)"

Oh he'd be great!

Wow had no clue he was the original too! good for him

A lovely farewell curtain call with a bonus appearance from Casey N.

In these pieces from Playbill and the NYT, he says he had originally planned to end his run in ALADDIN at the end of 2020, and then Covid happened and he wanted to come back when Broadway returned. He hopes to do "a simple play" next that's less involving than Jafar.

Updated On: 1/24/22 at 12:25 PM