1/13/2024 0 Comments Aladin on broadway image![]() You had filled in for a few performances last year as Jasmine. I am excited to figure out how to incorporate more hands-on work into my life to have an impact on young minds. It is a dream of mine to inspire young people beyond the stage through mentorship and volunteering. Each night when I grace the stage, I aim to embrace all that I am-my Parsi, Hindu, and European-American roots-as well as the artist I am always striving to be. I have always had a complicated relationship with my identity in this industry, never quite feeling like I belong anywhere. In order to be a role model for others, I am also learning to take ownership of who I am and my identity being mixed race. Beyond that, it is my dream that her story teaches all people that they can speak their truth: that you can feel overlooked and then choose to rewrite the story, that your voice can spearhead significant change toward a new world you dream about. It is a privilege to inspire young people, especially young girls who never saw themselves represented in other princesses or roles on Broadway. The magnitude of this opportunity and responsibility is not lost on me. She challenges the world to see her for all of who she is-independent, an equal to her male counterparts, and as a leader. I love her bravery, tenacity, and honesty. Growing up, I saw myself in Jasmine-I grew up pretending to be her and even played her in Aladdin Jr. What does it mean to you to make your Broadway debut in this role? If I can, I try to catch the sunset each day, even if it’s from the fire escape at the New Amsterdam. I hydrate all day long, do a vocal check-in, and practice yoga before heading to the theatre. ![]() In order to be fully present with my peers and an audience of 1,700 people each night, it’s very important that I tend to myself in this way each day. I am learning to allow myself to simply do nothing when I need to, or engage in a creative, yet mindful activity like painting or cooking. I am currently working on my relationship with rest and freeing my mind. ![]() Then I’ll meditate, do some mindful movement-usually weight training-freshen up, and eat. I then get into a cozy corner and devote an hour or so to writing while taking in the calm of the morning. I think it’s a really exciting time.I typically start my day with a glass of water and apple cider vinegar with turmeric while I brew up a strong, frothy cappuccino. This moment sort of feels bigger than me in some ways, and I don’t take that lightly. “The responsibility of my position right now feels really great. “Now, finally, to get to get paid to do it on the world’s largest stage - it’s not lost on me how crazy that is,” he says. Aladdin was “every little brown kid’s prince.” Now he is that prince. Maliakel recalls that he and his brothers wore out their VHS cassette version of “Aladdin.” He remembers having lunchboxes, pajamas and bed sheets with the film’s theme. “And the fact that I got to do it on Broadway in the full costume with the lights and the 32-piece orchestra beneath me - oh, my gosh, I really had to hold it together. “It is every brown girl’s dream to be singing that song on an actual flying carpet,” says Narayan. They both look back with heart-thumping appreciation at the early performances when they welcomed back theater-starved audiences, who gave the company 3-minute standing ovations just for singing “A Whole New World.” A week’s worth of lost performances, when we look back on things in a year or so, I think will just be a little blip on the radar.” “The other option is to just not do it at all. “This is how we keep theater going in the pandemic,” Maliakel says. The actors say the safety of the cast, crew and audience are paramount and closing was the smart move. The show - and its two new leads - had a few performances to celebrate Broadway’s return from the pandemic this fall before it was forced to close for several days when breakthrough COVID-19 cases were detected. The lyricists are the late Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Beguelin. Key Alan Menken songs from the film - including “Friend Like Me,” ″Prince Ali” and “A Whole New World” - are used. The musical’s story by Chad Beguelin hews close to the film: A street urchin finds a genie in a lamp and hopes to woo a princess while staying true to his values and away from palace intrigue. “I’m just kind of dipping my toes into the waters in one of the biggest male roles in the business right now, and it’s kind of surreal.”īroadway’s “Aladdin” is a musical adaptation of the 1992 movie starring Robin Williams. “I always dreamed that Broadway might happen someday,” he says, laughing. He played Porter and understudied Raoul in a national tour of “The Phantom of the Opera,” which ended its run in Toronto just before the pandemic hit.
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