But Freeman IS Jafar, and he looked great in the 5th Avenue stuff - I think it would be a missed opportunity to cast him! I also don't know why Freeman would want to do a try-out without having an opportunity to go to Broadway with the role...
I'm glad they are doing a pre-Broadway tryout to see what works and what does not. Disney Theatrical made a mistake by not having a tryout for 'Tarzan', which probably could not be helped no matter what. Thomas Shumacher and the creative team behind 'The Little Mermaid' made a mistake by not caring about what really needed to fixed.
While I love Aladdin and its songs, I feel that this is going to be even more un-PC than the animated movie. In a culture that is completely comfortable pissing on Arabic and Islamic culture, I think the possibilities of stereotyping are endless.
Here's an article where they talk to Thomas Shumacher. He felt it was the right time for 'Mary Poppins' to close and he can't keep it alive artificially.
Poppins seems to still make money outside of the typical slow periods on Broadway. It won't extend through the summer, but Poppins would make a solid amount of money if they opted to close it mid-August instead. They should at least extend it through spring break and have it close on April 5 instead.
A Chorus Line revival played its final Broadway performance on August 17, 2008. The tour played its final performance on August 21, 2011. A new non-equity tour started in October 2012 played its final performance on March 23, 2013. Another non-equity tour launched on January 20, 2018. The tour ended its US run in Kansas City and then toured throughout Japan August & September 2018.
Question: After they announce a closing date and cancel performances after a certain date, then extend - does every seat for those added performances go back on sale to the general public or do the people who haven't got refunded yet still have a ticket for those performances?
Also, the 7 shows were:
BEAUTY - Recouped LION KING - Recouped AIDA - Recouped TARZAN MARY POPPINS - Recouped MERMAID NEWSIES - Recouped
Adam Jacobs was pretty hunky in the 5th Avenue production. Actually, that entire cast was pretty hunky. (See Andrew Keenan Bolger's 4th of July video on youtube.)
Since Casey Nicholaw is staying on as director I would imagine that some of the 5th Avenue cast members might stay with the show as well, but maybe not.
Based on the casting notice on Playbill, the three sidekicks ARE remaining in this production. Also, Jafar is not listed as a role being cast, so maybe Jonathan Freeman has already been contacted?
Question: After they announce a closing date and cancel performances after a certain date, then extend - does every seat for those added performances go back on sale to the general public or do the people who haven't got refunded yet still have a ticket for those performances?