Sherri Shepherd Debuts as the Genie in Broadway's Aladdin Tonight, the First Woman in the Role, in a Limited Run Through January 3
Emmy-winning talk show host, comedian and actor Sherri Shepherd begins performances as the Genie in Disney's Aladdin on Broadway on Friday, Oct. 16, at the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York, becoming the first woman to play the role in the production's Broadway history. Her limited engagement runs through Jan. 3, 2027. She performs the Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening shows this weekend, and from Tuesday, Oct. 20, she is scheduled to play eight performances a week.
Shepherd succeeds Caleb A. Barnett, who remains with the company as the Genie standby during her run. The role was created on Broadway by James Monroe Iglehart, who won the Tony Award for the performance. Aladdin, based on the Oscar-winning animated film, opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre on March 20, 2014. The current company includes Rodney Ingram as Aladdin, Sonya Balsara as Jasmine and Dennis Stowe as Jafar. The musical features music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Chad Beguelin, a book by Beguelin, and direction and choreography by Casey Nicholaw.
Shepherd said joining Aladdin on Broadway is a dream come true and an honor, adding that she hopes audiences see themselves in her Genie and leave the theatre feeling joy. She won the Daytime Emmy Award as a co-host of The View and most recently hosted her syndicated talk show Sherri for four seasons. On Broadway, she previously made history as the first African American actress to play the Evil Stepmother in Cinderella. Disney Theatrical Group Managing Director Andrew Flatt and Executive Producer Anne Quart said Shepherd's humor and warmth make her well suited to the role, calling the Genie the life force of the show.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：谢丽·谢泼德2025年4月在纽约出席百老汇活动时留影。图片来源：PhilipRomanoPhoto／Wikimedia Commons，CC BY 4.0。Photo: Sherri Shepherd at a Broadway event in New York, April 2025. Credit: PhilipRomanoPhoto via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
