Helmed by San Diego creators, ‘Aladdin’ musical in town through Sunday

Disney Theatrical Productions presents the Broadway musical "Aladdin."

March 29, 2024 6 AM PT

In 1979, San Diego Junior Theatre alumni Casey Nicholaw and Gregg Barnes met for the first time in rehearsals for The Old Globe’s “The Robber Bridegroom” musical. Nicholaw played a teen character named “Goat.” Barnes played a wood plank and a frog.

Nicholaw’s acting career would eventually sputter out and Barnes jokes that he only acted so he had an excuse to wear mascara. Fortunately for the lifelong friends, their considerable other talents have made them the toast of Broadway.

Over the past nearly 46 years, the buddies have amassed a collective five Tony Awards and 23 nominations — Nicholaw for directing and choreography, Barnes for costume design. They’ve also worked together on 12 musicals, including the Broadway productions of “The Drowsy Chaperone,” “Elf,” “Something Rotten!,” “Tuck Everlasting,” “Mean Girls,” “The Prom” and last year’s “Some Like It Hot.”

But the Broadway collaboration that has brought them the most success and some of their greatest satisfaction is “Aladdin,” which celebrated its 10th anniversary on Broadway March 20 and returns to their hometown next week in a national tour at the San Diego Civic Theatre. “Aladdin” now ranks among the top 10 highest-grossing Broadway shows of all time and it’s the 15th longest-running show in Broadway history, according to BroadwayWorld.

Casey Nicholaw holds his 2023 Tony Award for choreographing "Some Like It Hot."

“Aladdin” is based on Disney’s 1992 animated film, which was inspired by the 18th-century “Arabian Nights” folktales about a young man who discovers a genie in a magic lamp that grants Aladdin wishes to help him win the heart of a sultan’s daughter. The 2014 Broadway musical features several additional songs, as well as four new human characters who replace the animated parrot Iago and monkey Abu from the film. Nicholaw directed and choreographed the musical and Barnes designed the costumes.

The two men talked about their long friendship and about “Aladdin” last week in a joint Zoom call. Nicholaw was in Hamburg, Germany, where Disney’s “Hercules” musical (he’s directing, Barnes designed costumes) is now in previews. Barnes was in London, where he’s designing costumes for an upcoming musical adaptation of “The Devil Wears Prada.”

Nicholaw got choked up at one point talking about how much he treasures his friendship with Barnes. “It’s the best feeling in the world to know that you’ve known someone that long.”

Twenty-four years after they met in “The Robber Bridegroom,” Nicholaw and Barnes were hired by director Des McAnuff for a 2003 Frank Sinatra-themed show at Radio City Music Hall (Nicholaw choreographed the piece and Barnes designed costumes).

They enjoyed that collaboration in “Sinatra” so much that they teamed up again for the Old Globe’s 2004 production of “Lucky Duck.” Two years later, Nicholaw made his Broadway directing debut in “The Drowsy Chaperone,” and Barnes’ costumes for the show won him the first of his three Tony awards. (Nicholaw has two Tonys, for co-directing “The Book of Mormon” and choreographing “Some Like It Hot.”)

After “Drowsy,” the pals found every opportunity to work together. Nicholaw said that because he and Barnes grew up in San Diego with similar interests and share the same Southern California pop culture memories — particularly a deep passion for Disneyland — they have developed their own verbal shorthand for developing ideas.

“When we were working on designs for ‘Aladdin,’ Casey would say, ‘you know the last lap of It’s a Small World?” Barnes said, referring to the classic Disneyland ride. From just those 10 words, Barnes said he instantly knew the costume color palette Nicholaw wanted for the musical’s final scene.

A scene from the North American tour of "Aladdin."

Nicholaw and Barnes were working on the 2010 musical “Elf” in a New York rehearsal studio when they stumbled upon an early workshop for “Aladdin” taking place in the same building.

“We walked into the hallway and we could hear this energy coming from the room,” Barnes recalled. “We weren’t part of it yet but I remember thinking whoever gets to work on this, it’s going to be a very big event, never thinking it would be me.”

“Aladdin” had its first tryout in Seattle in 2011, then underwent major rewrites before it tried out again in Toronto. But Nicholaw said the show still wasn’t working after Toronto, so about a third of the script was scrapped, scenes were moved around and songs were rewritten. By the time it finally arrived on Broadway it was in solid shape.

Barnes said the lush and imaginative costumes he designed for “Aladdin,” drew on inspiration from the Orientalist paintings of Victorian England, Hollywood kitsch and the animated Disney film. He also got helpful direction from Nicholaw, who looked through Barnes’ folders of research materials early in the process.

“His eye is so acute. He could look at it and say ‘there’s something here’ or ‘this really intrigues me’ and he gives me so many of the keys to it that are already in his head that I just try to pay attention,” Barnes said.

Ten years in, “Aladdin” is still selling at 95 percent capacity in Manhattan’s 1,700-seat New Amsterdam Theatre. There are also ongoing tours in North America and the U.K., and long-running productions at theaters in Japan and Spain.

Nicholaw credits the success of “Aladdin” to its multigenerational appeal. Much of the audience is adults, who first saw “Aladdin” when they were children and they’re now attending the show as either a date night or to introduce the story to their children or grandchildren. As testament to the show’s appeal to grown-ups, “Aladdin” has the highest alcoholic beverage sales of all Disney Broadway shows.

Nicholaw praised Thomas Schumacher and Anne Quart of Disney Theatrical Group for making the “Aladdin” company, both onstage and backstage, a harmonious and happy ensemble over the years. “They have really treated people well ... it’s such a great experience.”

Asked to describe why the show has outlasted more than a hundred other Broadway shows that have opened (and closed) in the past 10 years, Nicholaw said: “It’s a really good time, a good story, a great score and it’s sort of an aged-up version of the movie.”

Barnes’ thoughts? “It has everything — heart, spectacle and humor, and it appeals to all of our past with our families. Certainly it’s not just for kids.”