Amituckeredout

We're going to Broadway!Today, I am talking with the two South Asian leads in a very beloved Broadway show: Michael Maliakel and Sonya Balsara, who play Aladdin and Jasmine in Disney's Aladdin on Broadway.Michael made his Broadway debut with Aladdin in September 2021.  He has had theater experience, including being part of the national tour of the Phantom of the Opera. Sonya also made her Broadway debut as Jasmine in Aladdin and has recently worked on the pre-Broadway lab of The Karate Kid, Sense and Sensibility, and West Side Story in Tokyo, Japan.In this episode, we talk about South Asian representation, what working on Broadway has really meant to them, and they also share some super fun behind-the-scenes stories. What we talked about:Broadway Journey: Michael describes auditioning during COVID with a flying carpet on Zoom + how the Aladdin cast is more ethnically diverse post-George Floyd  + Sonya relates her excitement on getting her first break on Broadway. (01:49)History of Aladdin on Broadway:  How th