Disney’s Aladdin casts Desmonda Cathabel (ITV’s Mamma Mia: I Have a Dream) in hit musical’s UK and Ireland tour

BASED ON THE HIT 1992 ANIMATED FILM WITH NEW SONGS BY TONY®, OLIVIER®, GRAMMY®, EMMY® AND EIGHT-TIME ACADEMY AWARD® WINNER ALAN MENKEN

Fresh from appearing in ITV’s talent search Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream, contestant Desmonda Cathabel (whose other credits include Miss Saigon, From Here to Eternity) is confirmed to play the iconic role of Princess Jasmine in the first ever UK and Ireland tour of Disney’s Aladdin.

Presented by Disney Theatrical Productions, under the direction of Thomas Schumacher, the critically acclaimed Broadway and West End musical which launched in Edinburgh last month, will open at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff with performances from Thursday 7 December before dates in Plymouth, Sunderland, Dublin, Milton Keynes, Manchester, Bristol, Bradford, Southampton, Birmingham, Glasgow, and Liverpool.

Alongside Desmonda Cathabel as Jasmine, the UK and Ireland tour of Disney’s Aladdin stars Yeukayi Ushe (Disney’s The Lion King, A Strange Loop, Kinky Boots and Motown The Musical) as Genie and introduce Gavin Adams as Aladdin.

They are joined by Adam Strong (Rock of Ages, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) as Jafar, Jo Servi (Dreamgirls, The Color Purple) as Sultan, Angelo Paragoso (The Reporter, Miss Saigon) as Iago, Nay-Nay (Once On This Island) as Kassim, Adam Taylor (Cabaret, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie) as Omar, and Nelson Bettencourt (Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Les Misérables) as Babkak.

The full cast also includes Hannah Amin, Dammi Aregbeshola, Rico Bakker, Daisy Barnett, Sarah Benbelaid, Erin Gisele Chapman, Tau-En Chien, Zac Frieze, Jared Irving, Juan Jackson, James Lim, Harriet Millier, Luchia Moss, Aaron Elijah Patel, Abbie Platts, Joseph Poulton, Chris Ribz, Olivier Scheers, Katie Singh, Kerry Spark, Ricardo Spriggs, Damien Winchester, Niko Wirachman.

Experience the timeless story of Disney’s Aladdin, a thrilling production filled with unforgettable magic, comedy and breathtaking spectacle! Don’t miss this extraordinary theatrical event already seen by over 14 million people worldwide, where one lamp and three wishes make the possibilities infinite.

Adapted from Disney’s 1992 animated film and centuries-old folktales including “One Thousand and One Nights”, this smash-hit musical is brought to theatrical life in a unique and dazzling way. The show continues its record-breaking run on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theatre, and since opening there in March 2014, nine subsequent productions have launched around the world, including over 1200 performances at the Prince Edward Theatre in London’s West End.

Aladdin features the timeless songs from the animated film, as well as new music by Tony®, Olivier®, Grammy® and eight-time Acadamy Award® winner Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Newsies, Sister Act), lyrics by two-time Academy Award® winner Howard Ashman (Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid), three-time Tony® and three-time Academy Award® winner Tim Rice (The Lion King, Evita, Aida) and six-time Tony® nominee Chad Beguelin (The Prom, The Wedding Singer), with a book by Beguelin, and is directed and choreographed by Tony® and Olivier® Award winner Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon).   

Aladdin is designed by seven-time Tony®-winning scenic designer Bob Crowley, seven-time Tony®-winning lighting designer Natasha Katz, two-time Tony®-winning costume designer Gregg Barnes and sound designer Ken Travis.

The production team also includes illusion designers Jim Steinmeyer and Rob Lake, 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. Ben Clare is the associate director, Kyle Seeley is the dance supervisor, Jason Trubitt is the production supervisor and Myriah Bash is the US general manager. Casting is by Jill Green CDG.