Original Stars of Disney's ALADDIN Will Remain on Broadway Into 2016

Disney's Aladdin, the Tony Award-winning new musical comedy based on the Academy Award-winning animated film, is pleased to announce that original stars Adam Jacobs (Aladdin), Tony Award nominee Jonathan Freeman (Jafar), Tony Award winner James Monroe Iglehart (Genie) and Courtney Reed (Jasmine) have extended their contracts with the production through February 21, 2016. The four actors have led the "sublime" (NY1) Aladdin company since its pilot production at Seattle's Fifth Avenue Theatre in the summer of 2011 and garnered critical acclaim when the Broadway production opened on March 20, 2014.

Also continuing in their principal roles are original cast members Brian Gonzales and Jonathan Schwartz as Aladdin's sidekicks Babkak and Omar, Clifton Davis as Sultan, Don Darryl Rivera as Iago, Merwin Foard as the standby for Jafar/Sultan and Steel Burkhardt, who recently joined the production as Kassim.

The production will also welcome new principal cast member Trevor Dion Nicholas (standby for Genie/Babkak) to the company beginning March 2015.

Trevor Dion Nicholas (Standby Genie/Babkak) is making his joyous Broadway debut! Regional/tour: Big River (Jim), Super Fly: The Musical (Fat Freddy), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Mitch Mahoney), Ragtime (Coalhouse) The Wiz (Lion). TV: "The Americans." Primary songwriter and vocalist for the alt/indie R&B band Neighborhood Goliath.

Aladdin opened to critical acclaim on March 20th, 2014 at Broadway's New Amsterdam Theatre and went on to receive 24 major theatrical award nominations. Despite beginning performances eight weeks into the year, Aladdin was the third highest-attended Broadway show of 2014; only the juggernauts Wicked and The Lion King entertained more people. Entertainment Weekly has deemed Aladdin "Broadway's biggest new hit!" New York Magazine calls it "Musical comedy wish-fulfillment!" while The New York Times hails the show as "Fabulous... Extravagant! It defies expectations," and the Daily News declares, "Seriously, it's amazing!"

Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions, the show features music by Tony Award and eight-time Oscar winner Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Newsies, Sister Act), 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 four-time Tony Award nominee Chad Beguelin (The Wedding Singer), with a book by Beguelin, and is directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon).

Aladdin stars Adam Jacobs (Les Miserables, The Lion King) in the title role, Courtney Reed (In the Heights, Mamma Mia) as Jasmine, James Monroe Iglehart (Memphis, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) in his Tony Award-winning role as Genie, and, as Jafar, Tony Award nominee Jonathan Freeman (Mary Poppins, The Producers, She Loves Me) brings to the stage the role he indelibly created in the animated film. The show also stars Steel Burkhardt, Brian Gonzales and Jonathan Schwartz as Aladdin's sidekicks Babkak, Kassim and Omar, Clifton Davis as Sultan and Don Darryl Rivera as Iago. Merwin Foard and Michael James Scott stand by for several principals.

In a cast of 34, Aladdin also features 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, Amber Owens, Bobby Pestka, Khori Michelle Petinaud, Ariel Reid, Jennifer Rias, Trent Saunders, Jaz Sealey, Dennis Stowe, Marisha Wallace and Bud Weber.

Aladdin, adapted from the Disney film and centuries-old folktales including "One Thousand and One Nights," is brought to fresh theatrical life in this bold new musical. Aladdin's journey sweeps audiences into an exotic world of daring adventure, classic comedy and timeless romance. This new production features a full score, including the five cherished songs from the Academy Award-winning soundtrack and more written especially for the stage.

The animated film Aladdin was released by Disney in 1992 and was a critical and box office smash, grossing over $500 million worldwide (not adjusted for inflation) and becoming the highest-grossing film of the year.

The film won the Oscar for Best Original Score and introduced the hit song "A Whole New World," which won the second of the film's two Academy Awards as Best Original Song. The Peabo Bryson/Regina Belle recording of the tune soared to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Aladdin is designed by six-time Tony-winning scenic designer Bob Crowley, three-time Tony-winning lighting designer Natasha Katz, two-time Tony-winning costume designer Gregg Barnes and sound designer Ken Travis.

The production team also includes illusion designer Jim Steinmeyer, hair designer Josh Marquette and makeup designer Milagros Medina-Cerdeira. The music team is headed by music supervisor and music director Michael Kosarin, who also created the vocal and incidental music arrangements, joined by orchestrator Danny Troob and dance music arranger Glen Kelly.

Photo Credit: Deen Van Meer