Jade Ewen and Dean John-Wilson will lead the cast of Aladdin, playing at the Prince Edward Theatre from 27 May 2016. Picture: Helen Maybanks
Dean John-Wilson will play the role of Aladdin alongside Jade Ewen as Jasmine in the West End premiere of the new musical based on the classic Academy Award-winning animated film. Aladdin will now open at the Prince Edward Theatre on Wednesday 15 June 2016, with previews from Friday 27 May. Tickets are on general sale for performances up to and including 1 October 2016.
John-Wilson and Ewen will be joined by Don Gallagher as Jafar, Peter Howe as Iago, Irvine Iqbal as the Sultan, Nathan Amzi as Babkak, Stephen Rahman-Hughes as Kassim and Rachid Sabitri as Omar. As previously announced, Broadway cast member Trevor Dion Nicholas will make his London stage debut as Genie.
“As we cast this exceptional company, I was impressed again – as I have been many times in the last two decades – by the vast, deep pool of musical theatre talent in London and throughout Britain,” said Thomas Schumacher, president and producer, Disney Theatrical Productions. “And how gratifying that talent is a microcosm of the country in all its diversity and distinction. I’m so proud this beautiful cast reflects that.”
Dean John-Wilson (Aladdin) has previously appeared in Fatboy Slim and David Byrne’s critically acclaimed musical Here Lies Love (National Theatre), Songs For a New World (St James Theatre), Tim Rice’s original musical From Here to Eternity (Shaftesbury Theatre), Bare (Union Theatre) and the UK tour of Sister Act. He first became known to television audiences for appearing in the semi-finals of the 2008 series of Britain’s Got Talent (ITV).
Trevor Dion Nicholas (Genie) joins the UK cast of Aladdin from the Broadway production and will be making his West End debut. Nicholas has previously appeared on stage in Big River (North American tour) and The Wiz (Maltz Jupiter Theatre) and on screen in The Americans.
Jade Ewen (Jasmine) made her professional stage debut in Disney’s The Lion King as Young Nala at the Lyeum Theatre in London and has since gone on to star in In the Heights (King’s Cross Theatre), Porgy and Bess (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Whistle Down the Wind (Aldywch Theatre) and Tonight’s the Night (UK tour). In addition to Ewen’s work on stage, she was a member of the Sugababes from 2009 with seven albums reaching the UK’s Top Ten Album Chart. She also represented the UK in the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest, performing Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘It’s My Time’, achieving fifth place and making her the UK’s most successful act in the last 12 years.
Don Gallagher (Jafar) has stage credits including Priscilla Queen of the Desert (Palace Theatre), The Producers (Theatre Royal Drury Lane), Sweeney Todd (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Henry IV Parts 1 & 2, Painter of Dishonour, Richard III, The Winter’s Tale (all Royal Shakespeare Company) and Les Misérables (Queen’s Theatre). Gallagher has previously appeared on screen in the film adapation of Rufus Norris’ London Road.
Peter Howe (Iago) has previously originated the roles of Michael Wormwood in the Olivier Award-winning Matilda the Musical (Cambridge Theatre) and Sam Gamgee in the world premiere of The Lord of the Rings (Princess of Wales Theatre, Toronto and Theatre Royal Drury Lane). His further theatre credits include The Captain of Kopenick (National Theatre), Holes (New Wimbledon Theatre) and Hansel and Gretel (Theatre Royal Stratford East).
Irvine Iqbal (Sultan) has most recently appeared in the West End in Bend It Like Beckham (Phoenix Theatre). Other stage roles have included Bombay Dreams (Apollo Victoria Theatre), Wuthering Heights (Lyric Hammersmith), The Mahabharata (The Old Vic) and The Far Pavilions (Shaftesbury Theatre).
Nathan Amzi’s (Babkak) previous musical theatre credits include In the Heights (Kings Cross Theatre and Southwark Playhouse), Urinetown (Apollo Theatre), Rock of Ages (Shaftesbury Theatre and Garrick Theatre), The Rocky Horror Show (Playhouse Theatre, Comedy Theatre and UK tour) and Miss Saigon (UK tour). He has also appeared in Dinner With Saddam (Menier Chocolate Factory), The Merry Wives of Windsor (Shakespeare’s Globe, Broadstage Los Angeles and Pace New York) and Alan Ayckbourn’s A Small Family Business (Palace Theatre).
Stephen Rahman-Hughes (Kassim) is best known to television audiences for playing DCI Vikesh Dasari in ITV’s Emmerdale. On stage, he has starred in Rock of Ages (UK tour), Bombay Dreams (Apollo Victoria Theatre) and Puteri Gunung Ledang (Istana Budaya, Malaysia and Esplanade Theatres on the Bay, Singapore).
Rachid Sabitri’s (Omar) previous theatre credits include I Call My Brothers (Arcola Theatre), Romeo and Juliet (Piccadilly Theatre), Rafta Rafta (National Theatre tour) Twelfth Night (Northampton Royal and Derngate), Beyond Midnight (Edinburgh Festival), Beautiful Thing and Bloodtide (York Theatre Royal) and Tangier Tattoo (Glyndebourne Opera House).
The full cast includes: Arran Anzani-Jones, Miles Barrow, Albey Brookes, Lauren Chia, Bianca Cordice, Leon Craig, Daniel de Bourg, Seng Henk Goh, Melanie Elizabeth, Kade Ferraiolo, Michelle Chantelle Hopewell, Fred Johanson, Mitch Leow, Oliver Lidert, Thierry Picaut, Alex Pinder, Briony Scarlett, Kyle Seeley, Sadie-Jean Shirley, Ricardo Spriggs, Katie Singh, Dawnita Smith, Marsha Songcome, Kayleigh Thadani and Jermaine Woods.
Aladdin features the much-loved songs from the 1992 animated film as well as new music written by Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Newsies, Little Shop Of Horrors). With lyrics from Howard Ashman (Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid), Tim Rice (Evita, Aida) and Chad Beguelin (The Wedding Singer), and a book by Beguelin, Aladdin is directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon).
Now in its second record-breaking year on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theatre, where it has been seen by more than one million people, Aladdin opened at Tokyo’s Dentsu Shiki Theatre Umi in May 2015, will have its European premiere in December 2015 at the Stage Theatre Neue Flora, Hamburg, and opens in Sydney, Australia in 2016.
Aladdin is designed by scenic designer Bob Crowley, lighting designer Natasha Katz, costume designer Gregg Barnes and sound designer Ken Travis. Casting is by Jill Green CDG.
The production team also includes illusion designer Jim Steinmeyer, hair designer Josh Marquette and make-up 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.
Buy tickets via Musical Theatre Review’s Box Office: www.musicaltheatrereview.entstix.com/tickets/aladdin-the-musical
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