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CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR DISNEY’S ALADDIN MAKING ITS LONG-AWAITED PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE ON THE KIMMEL CENTER CULTURAL CAMPUS JUNE 13 TO JULY 1
Local Philly Cast Members Include Jonathan Weir and Michelle West!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Philadelphia, PA, May 24, 2018) – Casting has been announced for the Philadelphia premiere of Disney’s Aladdin. The hit Broadway musical will begin performances at the Academy of Music on the Kimmel Center Cultural Campus starting Wednesday, June 13 through Sunday, July 1 for a three-week engagement.
The production features Clinton Greenspan (Aladdin), Michael James Scott (Genie), Isabelle McCalla (Jasmine), Jonathan Weir (Jafar), Jay Paranada (Iago), Jerald Vincent (Sultan), Zach Bencal (Babkak), Philippe Arroyo (Omar), Jed Feder (Kassim), Korie Lee Blossey (Standby Genie & Sultan), Timothy Carter (Standby Jafar & Sultan) and Ellis C. Dawson III (Standby Genie & Babkak).
“It’s always exciting for us when our Broadway productions feature cast members from the Philadelphia area,“ said Frances Egler, Director of Programming and Presentations for the Kimmel Center. ”It is a real tribute to the performing arts culture, institutions, and individual talent in our great city.”
Jonathan Weir, who plays the role of ‘Jafar’ in the production attended Temple University and has family living in Philadelphia. As a member of the ensemble, Michelle West was born in Philadelphia, grew up in Middletown, DE and graduated from Temple University.
Rounding out the cast are Mary Antonini, Michael Callahan, Gary Cooper, Cornelius Davis, Bobby Daye, Lissa deGuzman, Mathew deGuzman, Brian Dillon, Olivia Donalson, Michael Everett, Karlee Ferreira, Erik Hernandez, Adrienne Howard, Albert Jennings, Kenway Hon Wai K. Kua, Jason Scott MacDonald, Pierre Marais, Charles McCall, Angelina Mullins, Celina Nightengale, Charles South, Cassidy Stoner, Annie Wallace, Michelle West and Zach Williams.
Aladdin opened on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theatre to critical acclaim on March 20, 2014 and quickly established itself as one of the biggest new blockbusters in recent years, breaking 12 New Amsterdam Theatre house records and welcoming over seven million people worldwide. Its global footprint has expanded to include productions in Tokyo, Hamburg, London and Brisbane, in addition to the two U.S. productions.
About Aladdin
Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions, under the direction of Thomas Schumacher, 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, adapted from the Academy Award®-winning animated 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, 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.
DISNEY’S ALADDIN
Academy of Music
Wednesday, June 13, 2018 at 7:30 pm
Thursday, June 14, 2018 at 1:00 pm and 7:30 pm
Friday, June 15, 2018 at 8:00 pm - American Sign Language Interpretation and Audio Description Performance
Saturday, June 16, 2018 at 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm
Sunday, June 17, 2018 at 1:00 pm and 6:30 pm
Tuesday, June 19, 2018 at 7:30 pm
Wednesday, June 20, 2018 at 7:30 pm
Thursday, June 21, 2018 at 7:30 pm
Friday, June 22, 2018 at 8:00 pm
Saturday, June 23, 2018 at 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm
Sunday, June 24, 2018 at 1:00 pm and 6:30 pm
Tuesday, June 26, 2018 at 7:30 pm
Wednesday, June 27, 2018 at 7:30 pm
Thursday, June 28, 2018 at 7:30 pm
Friday, June 29, 2018 at 8:00 pm
Saturday, June 30, 2018 at 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm
Sunday, July 01, 2018 at 1:00 pm and 6:30 pm
Tickets
Tickets are on sale now and start at $20.00. Tickets can be purchased by calling (215) 893-1999, visiting kimmelcenter.org, or at the Kimmel Center Box Office. Group sales are available for groups of 10 or more and can be purchased by calling (215) 790-5883. VIP Ticket Packages, which include a prime seat location, a commemorative souvenir program, and an exclusive merchandise item, are also available for select performances. More information at kimmelcenter.org.
The Shubert Organization
For more than 100 years, The Shubert Organization has been in the forefront of the American theatre. Under the leadership of Philip J. Smith, Chairman, and Robert E. Wankel, President, the Shubert Organization owns and operates 17 Broadway theatres and six Off-Broadway venues, as well as the Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia. The company has produced and co-produced hundreds of plays and musicals, including the original Broadway production of CATS, Dreamgirls, Sunday in the Park with George, Amadeus, The Real Thing, The Grapes of Wrath, Equus, The Elephant Man, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, School of Rock The Musical, and The Humans. The Shubert Organization is proud of its ongoing refurbishment program for its theatres, seeking to preserve the historic character while modernizing them to accommodate the needs of today’s audiences.
Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
Located in the heart of Center City, Philadelphia, The Kimmel Center’s mission is to operate a world-class performing arts center that engages and serves a broad audience through diverse programming, arts education, and community outreach. The Kimmel Center campus is comprised of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts (Verizon Hall, Perelman Theater, SEI Innovation Studio, and the Merck Arts Education Center), the Academy of Music (owned by the Philadelphia Orchestra Association), and the Merriam Theater. The Kimmel Center is also home to eight Resident Companies: The Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Philadelphia, The Pennsylvania Ballet, The Philly Pops, PHILADANCO, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society and Curtis Institute of Music. TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is the season sponsor of the Kimmel Center’s 2017-2018 Season. American Airlines is the official airline of Broadway Philadelphia. For additional information, visit kimmelcenter.org.
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For A PDF version of this press release, click here.
For photography, please visit www.kcpress.smugmug.com
For more information, visit AladdinTheMusical.com/tour, Facebook.com/Aladdin and Twitter.com/Aladdin
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