Disney’s Aladdin Broadway Musical Cancels Performance After COVID-19 Cases

Disney’s “Aladdin” Broadway Musical has had to cancel one of its performances, due to a COVID-19 outbreak. Apparently, members of the company tested positive for COVID-19 during the routine protocols that have been put in place. As such, those protocols forced Disney to cancel the “Aladdin” performance scheduled for Wednesday, September 29th at the New Amsterdam Theatre in the NYC Theater District. Full refunds are being given to those who bought tickets for that particular night of “Aladdin”; as of writing this, there are no updates about whether or not any additional performance of “Aladdin” is going to be canceled, as well. 

The full statement from “Aladdin the Musical” reads as such: 

Through our rigorous testing protocols, breakthrough COVID-19 cases have been detected within the company of Aladdin at The New Amsterdam Theatre. Because the wellness and safety of our guests, cast, and crew are our top priority, tonight’s performance, Wednesday, September 29th, is canceled.

All tickets for this performance will be refunded at the original point of purchase. We will communicate the status of future performance tomorrow. 

We will continue to provide support to the affected Aladdin company members as they recover — Disney’s Aladdin

“Aladdin The Musical” has been in operation since 2014, making it one of the more enduring shows on Broadway right now. That said, the show is shutting down just one night after it held a grand re-opening performance event, falling Broadway’s shutdown during the pandemic. “Aladdin” had not held a performance for eighteen months before re-opening this week, and this shutdown is likely going to be an ill omen for performance companies and studios that were hoping business could get back to usual in time for NYC’s busy Holiday tourist season.

NYC is currently averaging about 1,400 new COVID-19 cases a day, with the city being the first to require proof of vaccination for leisurely indoor activities like dining, entertainment, and gym workouts. So far, the testing protocols seem to be keeping the city stabilized and away from the precipice of another major outbreak, like in the early days of the pandemic. 

“Aladdin” has cast a new Aladdin and Jasmine, in newcomer Michael Maliakel and Shoba Narayan. Aladdin stars Michael Maliakel making his Broadway debut in the title role, Shoba Narayan as Jasmine, Michael James Scott returns as Genie and Tony Award nominee Jonathan Freeman plays Jafar, reprising his role from the animated film. The show also features Milo Alosi, Zach Bencal and Brad Weinstock as Aladdin’s sidekicks Kassim, Babkak and Omar, JC Montgomery as Sultan and Don Darryl Rivera as Iago. Juwan Crawley, Dennis Stowe and Frank Viveros stand by for several principals.