The sold out house at Disney's Aladdin on Broadway had a 4th wish granted when CBS 'Late Late Show' star James Corden made a surprise one-night-only appearance during the show-stopping number 'Friend Like Me' last Friday night September 9th.
Corden, who also stars on Britain's Sky 1 network reality show 'A League of Their Own,' filmed a segment for that show in which he and his three co-stars (Freddie Flintoff, Jack Whitehall and Jamie Redknapp) competed for the chance to appear in a performance of Aladdin at Broadway's New Amsterdam Theatre.
Stage veteran Corden won the most prominent role and appeared alongside fellow Tony-winner James Monroe Iglehart as game show hosts presenting Aladdin with prize suggestions. Among the intentionally groan-worthy puns, "Behind curtain number three: a brand new pyramid! Now you and KING TUT will finally have something in Tutankhamen."
Corden's entrance triggered a sustained ovation that forced the show to pause briefly. Check out a photo of the appearance below:
(l to r) James Monroe Iglehart, James Corden, Kathryn Terza
Aladdin is also playing at London's Prince Edward Theatre, Sydney Australia, Hamburg Germany, and Tokyo, and will open its North American tour in Chicago in 2017.
Disney's Aladdin, the Tony Award-winning hit musical based on the Academy Award®-winning animated film, is now in its third smash year on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theatre (214 West 42nd Street).
Aladdin opened to critical acclaim on March 20th, 2014 and quickly established itself as one of the biggest new blockbusters in recent years, breaking 11 New Amsterdam Theatre house records and welcoming over 2.5 million people worldwide.
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, Something Rotten!).
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 seven-time Tony-winning scenic designer Bob Crowley, six-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: Jenny Anderson
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