Aladdin will begin previews at the Prince Edward Theatre on May 27, 2016 and open on June 9. So, far no other cast members have been announced.

Nicholas began his career in high school and while attending West Virginia University. He’s appeared in several regional musical theatre productions, including The Wizard of Oz, Ragtime, and Rent. He’s also no stranger to Disney-produced theatre, having performed at Walt Disney World in Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo: The Musical. Nationally, Nicholas performed in Big River as “Jim.”

In addition to his stage career, Nicholas is also a singer, musician and songwriter who’s appeared with the bands Fake Eddie, The Ascension, and Modern Mutiny, who are currently awaiting the release of their debut album.

Aladdin opened on Broadway in March 2014 and more than one million people have seen the Disney show so far. The musical, based on the 1992 animated film, received five Tony nominations in its opening year. James Monroe Iglehart won the Tony award for best performance by an actor in a featured role in a musical, for his performance as “Genie.”

Currently, there’s a Japanese version of the musical running in Tokyo and the European premiere is set for December in Hamburg. After the London opening, the production is set to open in August at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney, Australia.

Aladdin is directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw and composed by Alan Menken. It features lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, with book and additional lyrics by Chad Beguelin.

The post Trevor Dion Nicholas to Star in West End’s Aladdin appeared first on Broadway Black.

Inglehart – who has been granting wishes since March 2014 when Aladdin opened at New Amsterdam Theatre – shared the stage with Ashley Brown (Mary Poppins: The Broadway Musical) and Josh Strickland (Tarzan: The Broadway Musical), as they performed musical selections and shared backstory from several Disney theatrical productions.Inglehart and Brown offered up duets of “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” (The Lion King), “It’s A Jolly Holiday” (Mary Poppins) and “God Help The Outcasts” (Hunchback of Notre Dame). As a trio, they performed selections from AIDA, “Son of Man (Tarzan) and “Friend Like Me” (Aladdin). Other shows highlighted were: Beauty and the Beast, Newsies, Frozen and The Little Mermaid.

For Inglehart’s solo song, he gave a buoyant rendition of the catchy tune “Under The Sea” from the Hans Christian Anderson-inspired story.

If you are on a Caribbean cruise ship, the Alan Menken-composed/Howard Ashman-penned song for the 1989 The Little Mermaid film – which won an Academy Award for “Best Original Song” and a Grammy for “Best Song Written for Visual Media” – the voyage wouldn’t be complete without the Calypso beat. Or, if it’s the Delta Air Lines’ U.S. Open OPEN Mic event, you just might hear it sung by top-ranked American professional tennis player Serena Williams. On Aug. 26, at the U.S. Open pre-event in New York City, Williams – the first Black female athlete to appear solo on the cover of Vogue – took to the stage for some karaoke. Accent, dance moves, and all.

https://youtu.be/GYKEHc0GpqE

Having provided guest voice work on a 2005 episode of Playhouse Disney’s (now Disney Junior) animated kids show”Higglytown Heroes,” perhaps Broadway is in her future. I would be in the house on opening night. But, I digress…

When The Little Mermaid opened on Broadway in 2007 Tituss Burgess, with his particularly high tenor voice, originated the role of “Sebastian the Crab.” Burgess, a main cast member of the Netflix original series “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” was nominated this year for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

Inglehart – a native of Hayward, California – originated the role of Bobby in Memphis in October 2009, and he also played Mitch Mahoney in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee as a replacement starting in April 2007.

The post Who Sings It Best: Tituss Burguess, James Monroe Iglehart, or Serena Williams appeared first on Broadway Black.