Driving You Mad, Driving You Crazy

19 Dec 2017

David & Sue talk to Gareth Jacobs and Ainsley Melham from Disney’s “Aladdin”

Arts, Dance, Interview, Music, Musicals, Theatre

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David & Sue talk to Gareth Jacobs and Ainsley Melham from Disney’s “Aladdin”

David & Sue talk to Gareth Jacobs who has taken over the role as “The Genie” and Ainsley Melham who plays “Aladdin” in the musical of the same name. Disney’s Aladdin is currently playing in Melbourne until 28 Jan 2018 at Her Majesty’s Theatre – Tickets at aladdinthemusical.com.au

Broadway veteran Michael James Scott has been playing the Genie in Australia’s Disney’s Aladdin and is now stepping down and moving back to LA – Understudy Melbourne boy and theatre graduate from Ballarat, Gareth Jacobs, is taking over from Dec 19. This is Gareth’s first big show.

Frankston-born Gareth Jacobs trained in musical theatre at the University of Ballarat in country Victoria and honed his skills on the high seas as lead vocalist and vocal captain for Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises. He was a Top 24 contestant on The X Factor and played the role of Jimmy Early in StageArt’s Dreamgirls. He has been understudying Genie, Sultan and Babkak in Disney’s Aladdin since the Australian premiere in August 2016.

Ainsley Melham is a Bathurst boy who trained at WAAPA, did at stint with Hi-5 and has been playing the lead role of Aladdin to great acclaim since the show’s Australian premiere in Aug 2016.

The dazzling new production of “Aladdin” from the producers of The Lion King and Mary Poppins is now playing at Melbourne’s Her Majesty’s Theatre where it will remain until 28 January 2018 before the magic carpet takes flight on 25 February 2018 in Brisbane, and 19 July 2018 in Perth. The Australian production boasts a cast of 34 and a staggering 337 glittering costumes, featuring 1,225 different fabrics, 712 different styles of beads and more than 500,000 Swarovski crystals.