Review: Senzel Ahmady Is Ready For Broadway in LIFE OF A DROPOUT PRINCESS at 54 Below

After two years touring North America on a magic carpet as Princess Jasmine in Disney’s Aladdin, Senzel Ahmady is back in New York City - and this time, she’s here to stay. She left her crown behind and made her solo debut with a bang on Monday night, November 11th, at 54 Below with “Life of a Dropout Princess.” With the help of some friends from Aladdin and NYU, Ahmady shared a well-crafted musical story of her journey from full-time student to traveling Disney princess.

In 2022, 19-year-old Ahmady was plucked from NYU Steinhardt only two years into her undergraduate studies to play her favorite princess on the national tour. And while it wasn’t an easy decision to leave school, she said, she just knew she had to take it. The evening at 54 Below showed audiences, though, that she gained a different kind of education on tour.

At the first glimpse of Ahmady standing at the bar in a spotlight, the crowd went wild. Then, with just one note, she began the show with “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” by Whitney Houston. Ahmady’s powerful vocals filled the room, navigating smoothly through the entire range the song requires. 

She then moved into the beginning of her story, reflecting on her dream of being a princess with a medley of the Disney classics such as “Part of Your World,” from The Little Mermaid, “For the First Time in Forever,” from Frozen, and “Once Upon a Dream,” from Sleeping Beauty. Admady has a magical quality in her voice that sits perfectly in the light princess-y tone while still commanding an entire room’s attention. She went from Disney to her college audition song – “No One Else” from The Great Comet – to her and her college roommates’ favorite song to dance to in their living room, “Liz” by Remi Wolfe. Ahmady moved effortlessly through all of those and more, telling each story with the same strong, compelling presence as the one before. 

Ahmady made it clear that she wouldn’t be the artist or person she is today without those closest to her. She belted out “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” with Marcus M. Martin (Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway and national tour) and she gave us a sweet moment in “A Whole New World” with Adi Roy (Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway and national tour). The friendship between the three of them shines on stage, and their perfect Broadway-style voices worked together beautifully. 

She also reminisced on her theater experiences at NYU, starting with a beautiful duet with Nicholas Salem from their starring roles in the musical Amélie at Tisch New Theatre. Ahmady welcomed Salem onstage, noting that he is the “Nino to her Amélie forever,” and they sang the beautiful duet “Stay” from Amélie. In another show-stopping duet, Lily Soto (Hamilton, current Angelica on tour) joined Ahmady for “When You Believe” from The Prince of Egypt. She shared that while it wasn’t at the same time, she and Soto started together at NYU and now were each playing their dream roles on touring stages all across the continent. Both Ahmady and Soto’s voices excelled in the Stephen Schwartz power ballad and worked together so beautifully the audience had tears in their eyes. 

In one of the final moments of the show, Ahmady welcomed composer Joey Contreras (In Pieces, Forget Me Not) to debut a song he wrote specifically for Ahmady and her show. It had the pop-y melody and quick, clever lyrics of a Contreras song to fit with a story inspired by Ahmady’s. The song was beautiful and showed off the range of her voice, something Contreras was able to do just for her. 

Senzel Ahmady is ready to keep going on in her story on Broadway, and she showed us exactly how she’s going to do it: with her stunning vocals, captivating stage presence, and her inner princess.

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All Photos: Andrew Patino

“Senzel Ahmady: Life of a Dropout Princess” premiered at 54 Below on November 11, 2024.

Director Zoë Elizabeth Lillis, Creative Consultant Brandon Burks (Gypsy, Disney’s Aladdin national tour), Music Directors Tyler Arle and Shane Turner, and Producer Zachary Hausman. 

Band: Matt Herman (Bass), Sam Novotny (Drums), Angelina Kim (Cello).
Featuring: Joey Contreras (In Pieces, Forget Me Not), Marcus M. Martin (Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway and national tour), Adi Roy (Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway and national tour), Nicholas Salem, Lily Soto (Hamilton, current Angelica on tour).

Find more upcoming shows at 54 Below on their website.

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