From Ensemble Player to Leading Man, Aladdin Has Given Rodney Ingram Work and Family

Rodney Ingram, who was born in California and raised in Sayulita, Mexico, may be enjoying one of the longest magic carpet rides in history.

Ingram, who made his Broadway debut in the ensemble of Aladdin from 2015-2017, stepped into the title role of the Disney hit February 1 at the New Amsterdam Theatre. The actor, who played Aladdin briefly in 2020 before originating the role in Mexico City the following year, has also appeared on Broadway as Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera, while his regional credits include The Little Mermaid, Little Women, Children of Eden, and Master Class.

But it's Aladdin that has given Ingram not only work but a whole new world: He met his wife Sonia Monroy in the Mexico City production, and Monroy is also a swing in the long-running Broadway staging. The New York company also currently features Michael James Scott as Genie, Sonya Balsara as Jasmine, and Dennis Stowe as Jafar.

In the interview below for the Playbill series How Did I Get Here—spotlighting not only actors, but directors, designers, musicians, and others who work on and off the stage to create the magic that is live theatre—Ingram shares the many gifts Aladdin has brought to his life and why it's important to not base one's self-worth solely on career achievement.

Where did you train/study?
Rodney Ingram: I studied at CAP21 conservatory in New York City. I also did the Broadway Dance Center Training Program.

Was there a teacher who was particularly impactful/helpful? What made this instructor stand out?
At CAP21, my private voice teacher was Bill Daugherty. I credit him with teaching me how to find my voice. He had a critical ear and a helpful demeanor. His belief in me gave me the confidence to pursue this career.

It's a little more than 10 years since you made your Broadway debut understudying Aladdin. What does it mean to you to be returning to the production in the title role?
I’ve accumulated so many amazing and formative memories with this show. From standing in line waiting for rush tickets when it first opened, to nervously attending my first EPA, my first put-in rehearsal (where I crashed a pushcart into the side of a building and had to stop the show), the first time I went on as Aladdin and was standing alone onstage aware that I was living what I had prayed for while singing “Proud of Your Boy." And that was just in the first year!

This animated film came out the year I was born, and the Broadway show has been in my life for a third of it. Suffice it to say, I’m left with immense gratitude to the show that changed my life in so many ways. It’s a privilege to tell this beautiful story, and I never take it for granted.

Do you have a favorite moment in the show for Aladdin? What makes that part particularly special?
Absolutely. "One Jump Ahead" is my favorite number as Aladdin. He introduces himself to the audience by being a master at thievery, charm, street-smarts, all while dodging swords and jumping across carts and buildings with a big smile on his face. It’s so masterfully staged with everybody being an integral part of the magic, that when all the seemingly chaotic pieces come together and Aladdin stands proudly on center stage with his stolen loaf of bread, I can’t help but feel transported inside the animation!

You also met your wife in the Mexico City production of Aladdin. What are the challenges of managing the Broadway schedule with marriage, especially if you are both working?
It’s actually my favorite thing. Because we are on the same schedule, we allow ourselves the luxury of sleeping in (which we are both excellent at!), we run errands together, do life together. Ironically, the runtime of the show might be the part of our day that we see each other the least. But it’s the most rewarding and beautiful thing that after the curtain comes down, Sonia and I ride the subway home together excited about opening up our slow cooker to see what warm meal awaits us.

Can you share a favorite memory, either onstage or backstage, being part of the 30th anniversary cast of Broadway's Phantom?
This is cheating because it’s neither onstage nor backstage, but this has to be the legendary 30th anniversary party at The Rainbow Room. After the special anniversary performance, where the entire audience was in evening dress, we were whisked to the 65th floor of Rockefeller Center to watch the Empire State Building pay tribute to the longest-running Broadway show. The original cast was in attendance, as were lots of fancy people that my inner musical theatre nerd would love to name-drop. It was a magnificent party, and I’m so grateful to have been a small part of the history of that show.

Do you have any dream stage roles or actors you would like to share the stage with?
I’ve always deeply admired Brian d’Arcy James—a fantastic actor and singer who feels equally at home in a broad comedy to a heartbreaking vulnerable dramatic piece. To me, he embodies what is so great about this art form, and I would love to share the stage with him.

Tell me about a time you almost gave up but didn’t.
I auditioned for many undergrad musical theatre programs and didn’t get accepted into a single one. I was absolutely devastated because this was all I wanted to do. But I had zero formal training. For instance, I had never taken a dance class, and evidently “tombé, pas de bourrée, glissade, assemblé” was not French for “finger guns into the mirror.” I wish I was joking.

That fall, I started at Pace University studying academics. (At least I was in New York City, I thought.) And that’s when I simultaneously enrolled in the training program at Broadway Dance Center, taking 12 dance classes a week after college classes. The next year, I auditioned for CAP21 and got in! Now I can pas de bourrée with the best of them.

Is there a person or people you most respect in your field and why?
I was lucky enough to see a performance of Chicago, where Jaime Camil was Billy Flynn and Bianca Marroquín was Roxie. Two Mexican actors in leading roles in an iconic American Broadway musical. Now that was really special!

I later got to work briefly with Jaime in L.A. on the set of Jane the Virgin. Seeing this superstar interact with everybody on set, myself included, with such humility, grace, and generosity, inspires me to try to be that kind of person and actor.

What advice would you give your younger self or anyone starting out?
In a profession where it can be very hard to separate who we are from what we do, I have to remember that my value has nothing to do with the inevitable highs and lows of the career. I know from personal experience that if I start to derive my self-worth from my employment status, validation of others, or my perceived execution of that evening’s performance, my happiness becomes shallow, short-lived, and conditional.

I love being an actor. It’s been such an incredible gift. But I’ve learned that I have to anchor my life on something more stable than the career itself.