ORLANDO, Fla. – Shining, shimmering, splendid: Aladdin, Jasmine and the Genie are returning to Central Florida, performing at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts for five days only.
The story follows Aladdin, a poor, street-smart, young man who meets Princess Jasmine, the beautiful daughter of the sultan of Agrabah. Wanting to impress her, he stumbles upon a magic lamp that releases a larger-than-life genie, ready to grant him three wishes. As he and the genie work to make his wishes come true, they must also help Princess Jasmine in her quest to stop the evil sorcerer, Jafar, from overthrowing her kingdom.
Marcus M. Martin plays the oh-so eccentric Genie and he’s making his national tour debut. He says he has wanted to play the Genie since he was 16 years old. He was inspired by the original actor who played the character on Broadway, James Monroe Iglehart.
“I was absolutely mind-blown, just to see someone that looked like me, the plus-sized African American baritone actor absolutely owning the stage in this way. It’s not something that you see every day,” Martin said. “I decided in that moment that I was going to play this role at some point, I didn’t know when, but I knew I was going to play this role at some point, so I made it my mission.”
He said he worked and prepared for the character while in college, before he finally got the audition for his dream role. He talked about what it takes to prepare for the show, where a lot of the work happens off stage.
“I always say when you’re a performer, your job is 10% performance, 90% maintenance, that is really your job when you’re an actor. Eight shows a week is no joke. Being able to do a great performance once is awesome, but being able to do it that great consistently over eight times a week, sometimes twice a day, sometimes we have five-show weekends, that is the key,” Martin said.
He said his typical pre-show routine includes only drinking room-temperature water, not eating a lot of dairy, eight to 10 hours of sleep, and stretching. It’s pretty easy for him to get into the character’s mindset.
“I like to exude joy. Life is so short, so I try to approach everything that I do with as much joy as possible and the Genie is the same way.”
Of course, his performance in Central Florida, known for the Disney theme parks, takes on a special meaning.
“It truly is Disney magic and if there’s any city that knows about Disney magic, it’s Orlando, of course. It’s such an honor to be a part of that Disney magic, even before I was in the show, just as a fan of the show, a fan of the craft, what we’re doing up there, what’s happening up there, it’s so magical. It’s an honor to be a part of it. Sometimes I still got to pinch myself,” Martin said.
The shows at Dr. Phillips Center will be more than performances, they will also make impressionable memories on young kids. On Saturday and Sunday, Dr. Phillips will be hosting its community giveback program, where 20 different organizations including schools, afterschool programs and local nonprofit groups will participate in the two-day event and get to see the show for free.
They will also get a pre-show brunch and an “Aladdin” swag bag.
“Arts education at a young age is so pivotal to our young people. Arts education made change in my life. You know, seeing the performing arts, seeing Broadway shows at a young age, that’s part of the reason why I am where I am today. It’s an honor to be a part of paying it forward and giving the next generation something to look forward to and maybe even a new dream, maybe they may be up there someday,” Martin said. “That’s what it’s all about, giving back is so important, and making the arts accessible and providing these young kids with the arts as an avenue and showing them that you can make a career out of this.”
In November, the Dr. Phillips Center held a similar event, where foster kids had the chance to see little orphan Annie sing about a hopeful tomorrow in “Annie The Musical.”
You can purchase tickets to see “Aladdin” here.
As for Martin, the national tour wraps up in May. He says after that, he will be getting ready for his next and most important role, husband. He’s getting married in September.
You can watch the full interview below:
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