INTERVIEW: ‘Aladdin’ Tony winner (and future star of ‘Hamilton’) gets personal at NJPAC
James Monroe Iglehart is having a moment. In fact, the Tony-winning star of Broadway’s hit musical Aladdin is having several moments. OK, Iglehart is on a rollercoaster of moments, and there’s no stopping him.
Playing Genie in Aladdin at the New Amsterdam Theatre has brought Iglehart fame, accolades, awards and freedom to pursue many artistic endeavors. He leaves the role he originated Sunday, Feb. 19, but he’s not taking much of a break. Soon after he joins the company of a little show audience members may have heard of: Hamilton. He’ll play the dual roles of Thomas Jefferson and the Marquis de Lafayette. Rarely does an actor get to jump from one of the most successful shows on Broadway to one of the most successful shows in the history of Broadway.
Amidst these high-profile roles, Iglehart will also offer audiences an intimate performance at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, New Jersey, on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. His concerts in The Chase Room are called How the Heck Did I Get Here?, and they will offer an inside look at Iglehart’s career and love of music.
“They can expect just amazing, wonderful songs,” Iglehart said recently in a phone interview. “They can expect an amazing story and a lot of comedy about me as a child.”
The song list will include selections from many of the shows that Iglehart has brought to life on Broadway, including one song from Aladdin. Other additions include influential tunes from his childhood. No matter the song, the concert promises to be fun, spirited and personal.
“I love the big houses because I don’t mind being in big crowds, but I love the intimacy of a small theater because you can tell a better story,” he said. “You can bring people in a little bit easier, and it’s fun to kind of just have them focus in on just what you’re saying. And also I like making eye contact with people, and in a small theater, I can see everybody. So I have a set script, but I also play off it and improv. And in a smaller arena, I can do that a little bit easier and mess with people, and I literally mess with people. It’s kind of fun.”
By the end of How the Heck Did I Get Here?, NJPAC audiences should know a lot more about Iglehart and his passions and motivations. His goal for the evening is to have his fans understand where he’s coming from and how much appreciation he has for achieving his professional dreams. He called it both a blessing and a gift to have the opportunity to offer his music to a crowd.
The show premiered at 54 Below, the venerated cabaret venue in New York City. The audience at those sold-out concerts loved the intimate piece. “I was a little nervous of how they were going deal with it because, you know, it’s not just one style,” he said. “I go from everything from gospel to hip hop to musical theater to R&B, and they all dug it. They really got into it, and also, you know, I try to weave my story pretty well through the songs. But by the end, people were on their feet and having a good time, and I was so grateful for that.”
BITTERSWEET CAREER MOVES
In the back of Iglehart’s mind at this time in 2017 are some exciting opportunities (Hamilton) and bittersweet moments (saying goodbye to Aladdin). The New Amsterdam Theatre, where Aladdin has been running for a couple of years, has been Iglehart’s professional home, and he has grown close to the cast members.
“The fun part is Genie is my favorite character,” he said. “I have two favorite characters in the Walt Disney canon, and it’s Genie and Goofy. And to be able to play Genie, a character that I’ve loved since I was 17 years old when the movie came out in 1992, and being able to play it has been nothing but a gift. It’s going to be very bittersweet, and also the cast that I’ve been working with, we’ve become a family.”
Even at this stage in his career — after winning a Tony Award and quickly becoming an in-demand cabaret star — Iglehart still gets nervous, and he has a healthy dose of goosebumps for his upcoming turn in Hamilton. Who wouldn’t? The show is now certified legendary, playing the Richard Rodgers Theatre each night to a sold-out crowd of audience members who sometimes pay hundreds of dollars for the chance to take in the show. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical is a dynamic interpretation of Alexander Hamilton’s life and the influence of the Founding Fathers.
“I think the only thing I’m nervous about is the fact that everybody already knows the words, so I have to make sure that I’m saying all the right words,” Iglehart said. “It’s a little bit different with Aladdin because as Genie I can make up things or improv my way through stuff. With Hamilton, no. The words are there, and everybody already knows them. But I’m looking forward to it because my friends wrote the show, so it’s my other family. So to be able to go from one family to another family comfortably, that kind of stuff doesn’t really happen, so I’m glad it’s happening this way.”
The first time Iglehart heard the music of Hamilton was when he took part in the original concert of the show during its development stage. The next time he saw the fully mounted production was opening night on Broadway. “I was just blown away of where the piece had gone and how wonderful, how fleshed out it was,” he said. “And also the music is just banging. It is wonderful, but also the history of it. I knew a little bit about Alexander Hamilton just being around Lin, but just watching the story unfold and realizing what a real guy he was and what he’s done for our country, I was blown away by everything. Besides I love Alex Lacamoire. He’s a great arranger, a great music director, and Andy Blankenbuehler’s choreography is stupid. Never in a million years did I think I was going to be in it, but I really am glad I am.”
He added: “I mean, to be a part of Aladdin, to be a part of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, to be a part of Hamilton, to be a part of Tangled the animated series, which comes out on the Disney Channel, and then to be able to do my own concerts at the same time, yeah, this has been fabulous. And I do not take it for granted that this could all go away tomorrow, but I am enjoying my time right now. My wife and I we look at every day as a blessing and just go, you know what, live for today and have a great time because you never know what could happen tomorrow. But right now I’m having fun.”
On Sunday, Feb. 19, when Iglehart says goodbye to the role of Genie one last time — a role that won him the Tony Award and set him on this path to stardom — he has one goal in mind.
“It’s an emotional moment at the end of the show with me and Aladdin anyway, so I’m pretty sure I’m going to be losing it,” he said. “But I think my biggest thing is like please do not let me cry through ‘Friend Like Me’ because it’s supposed to be funny. You don’t want to send people like just walking away feeling like they just watched Terms of Endearment, or Beaches or something like that. You want them to still have a good time. It’s still supposed to be a comedy.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
James Monroe Iglehart, star of Aladdin and future star of Hamilton, will play two concerts at New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s Chase Room Saturday, Jan. 28 at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Click here for more information and tickets.
