Ainsley Melham, most recently seen as Dwayne opposite Tony nominee Jasmine Amy Rogers in BOOP! The Musical, will return to the Broadway production of Aladdin later this month.
The actor, who joined the Broadway company of Aladdin for several months in 2019, marking his Broadway debut, will again step into the title role for a limited engagement August 26-November 30. Melham will succeed Adi Roy, who will play his final performance August 24.
Melham, who is of Arab heritage, originated the role of Aladdin in the Australian production of the Disney hit in 2016. His other stage credits in Australia include the national tours of Wicked, Pippin, and Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella as well as productions of Kiss of the Spider Woman, Merrily We Roll Along, The Normal Heart, Xanadu, Watershed: The Death of Dr. Duncan, and Hi-5.
Earlier this month, Aladdin became the 14th longest-running show in Broadway history.
To date, Aladdin has welcomed more than 6.5 million guests to the New Amsterdam and appeared on the Top 10 list of highest-grossing Broadway shows nearly every week of its run. There have been 11 productions on four continents welcoming over 21 million guests.
The current Broadway cast is led by Roy in the title role, Michael James Scott as Genie (Scott is currently on a brief hiatus to star in the Muny's La Cage aux Folles), Sonya Balsara as Jasmine, and Dennis Stowe as Jafar. The show also features Jacob Ben-Shmuel, Colt Prattes, and Michael Schimmele as Aladdin’s sidekicks Omar, Kassim, and Babkak, respectively; JC Montgomery as Sultan; and Don Darryl Rivera as Iago. Caleb B. Barnett, Wes Hart, and Marcus M. Martin stand by for several principals.
The stage production, which expands the 90-minute film into a two-act
format, has music by Alan Menken, lyrics by the late Howard Ashman and
Tim Rice, and a book and additional lyrics by Chad Beguelin. Casey Nicholaw
directs and choreographs.
Aladdin opened at the New Amsterdam March 20, 2014, following previews that began February 26. The musical was nominated for five 2014 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. James Monroe Iglehart won the Tony for his performance as the Genie.
READ: All the Actors Who Have Played Aladdin, Jasmine, and the Genie in Aladdin on Broadway
Aladdin is designed by Tony-winning scenic designer Bob
Crowley, Tony-winning lighting designer Natasha Katz, 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. John MacInnis is the associate choreographer, Jason
Trubitt is the production supervisor, and Myriah Bash is the general
manager. Anne Quart serves as executive producer.
