Filipina Americans Arielle Jacobs and Lissa deGuzman are playing Princess Jasmine in Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway and in the North American touring production, respectively, reports INQUIRER.net.
“I feel that what we do is very important at this time,” said deGuzman. “To be able to tell this story, looking around at the diversity on stage, it’s empowering and of the utmost importance, bringing this story to every audience member of every color together with laughter and love.”
DeGuzman used to be the understudy for Jasmine and became the full-time Jasmine during the show’s run in Buffalo, according to Broadway World.
“It was a dream that I did not think would become a reality. So when it did, I was truly overwhelmed with incredulous excitement,” she said. “I grew up watching all the Disney movies. Aladdin was very much a part of my childhood.”
One of five kids, deGuzman said that on her annual family trip to Florida, they would put a bulky television on top of a pile of pillows and play Aladdin over and over.
“Princess Jasmine was such an inspiring princess to me. She had dreams and standards that I had never seen before,” she said. “She was so smart and could hold her own against her father and Jafar and was a perfect challenge for Aladdin. The way she carried herself and talked about life and love was always something that sparked my curiosity as a kid.”
Other Filipino American actors in the touring production include Jay Paranada (Iago) and ensemble actor Mathew deGuzman, Lissa’s older brother.
In 2017, the deGuzman siblings were cast in the show as swings, actors who serve as understudies for several different roles.
“Traveling and performing with my brother is the best part of being on tour,” said deGuzman. “Being nine years apart, Mathew and I got to bridge that gap by living together and learning this show together.”
Jacobs was Jasmine in 2016’s Australian production, and she joined Broadway’s Aladdin in 2018. Her brother Adam played Aladdin on Broadway in 2014 and just finished his run in the touring production.
Other Filipino American cast members in the Broadway production include Don Darryl Rivera (playing Iago) and ensemble actors Bobby Pestka, Angelo Soriano, and Joshua Dela Cruz (Aladdin understudy).
The Broadway production of Aladdin runs at New Amsterdam Theatre in New York.
The North American tour runs until September 9 in Pittsburgh and will open in Atlanta September 12. The show will also tour Charlotte, Columbus, Costa Mesa, Dallas, Des Moines, Detroit, Houston, Louisville, New Orleans, Omaha, Portland, Sacramento, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Jose, Tempe, and Washington, D.C., with additional cities to be announced.
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