Sonya Balsara will step into the role of Jasmine in the Broadway production of Disney's Aladdin beginning January 19 at the New Amsterdam Theatre.
Aladdin marks Balsara’s Broadway debut. She did, however, play the role on Broadway for several weeks last fall while Shoba Narayan, who will play her final performance as Jasmine January 15, was working on a new project.
Balsara's theatre credits include The Karate Kid (pre-Broadway lab), Sense and Sensibility (Theatreworks), and West Side Story (international). Her screen credits include FBI and Mozart in the Jungle.
The Broadway company of Aladdin is also currently headed by Michael Maliakel in the title role, Michael James Scott as the Genie, and Dennis Stowe as Jafar.
Aladdin celebrated its 3,000th performance at the New Amsterdam at the December 28 matinee. The musical also recently joined the Top 20 longest-running Broadway productions when it surpassed the original run of the Tony-winning Jerry Herman musical Hello, Dolly! Aladdin joined two other Disney hits, The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast, both on that list as well.
Disney's Aladdin, based on the 1992 animated film of the same name, celebrated its eighth anniversary on Broadway March 20. The musical opened at the New Amsterdam March 20, 2014.
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, also represented on Broadway with Some Like It Hot and The Book of Mormon, directs and choreographs.
Aladdin began previews at the New Amsterdam February 26, 2014. The musical was nominated for five 2014 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. James Monroe Iglehart won the Tony for his performance as the Genie. The musical reopened September 28, 2021, following the pandemic-related Broadway shutdown.
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.
The musical is produced by Disney Theatrical Productions, under the direction of Thomas Schumacher. Anne Quart serves as co-producer.
Michael Maliakel in Aladdin
Company of Aladdin
Shoba Narayan in Aladdin
Company of Aladdin
Michael James Scott in Aladdin
Michael Maliakel and Shoba Narayan in Aladdin
Michael James Scott and Michael Maliakel in Aladdin
