Aladdin Original Cast Member Don Darryl Rivera on Where to Look for Easter Eggs in the Disney Hit Musical

Don Darryl Rivera knows what it takes to be the perfect sidekick. For the past nine years, Rivera has been bringing Iago, Jafar's evil sidekick in Aladdin, to life on stage. Known as a talking parrot in the 1992 animated movie, Iago takes human form in the Disney musical, and Rivera has been playing the role since the show's world premiere at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle in 2011. Rivera checked in with Broadway.com's Paul Wontorek on a new episode of #LiveatFive: Home Edition to talk about the science behind the laughter, how audiences can hear extra jokes in the show, and what it's like working with Jonathan Freeman, who has played Jafar since voicing the character in 1992.

It's hard to imagine anyone other than Rivera taking on the role of Iago, but originally he wasn't even in the running for the role. "I initially did not want to go in for Aladdin," he said. "I had auditioned a bunch at the 5th Avenue, and I couldn't really get anything to stick. I got a call from the casting director calling me in for Babkak, who is Aladdin's friend who loves food. I actually did my entire two week callback process as Babkak. It was the last audition and everyone from Disney was there, [director/choreographer] Casey Nicholaw looked at me and said, 'Can you look at the Iago stuff?' I took 20 minutes to learn the sides, came back in and had a great time. Two weeks later, I found out I got the part."

Giving new life to a well-known character comes with a lot of responsibility, something that Rivera took extremely seriously. "They gave me a lot of license to play with the character and there was a lot of pressure," he said. "We were playing in Toronto and the show was technically frozen at that point but Casey Nicholaw and [book writer] Chad Beguelin came in with a new script for me. We took four hours in the lobby of the Ed Mirvish Theatre, and I turned brand new Iago that evening in front of a full paying audience. I had secret scripts on either side of the stage. That was nerve-racking, but it was very close to the version of Iago you see on stage now. It's been really cool to help form and create Iago."

As a sidekick, Rivera spends almost the entire show with Jonathan Freeman as Jafar. Freeman, who originally voiced Jafar in the animated film, has also been with the stage production since its world premiere. "Despite being one of the best villains in the entire Disney canon, he is a such a treat," Rivera said of Freeman. "I couldn't have asked for a better scene partner. He teaches me so much. I would be stupid not to listen to his stories and advice because he has been around Broadway for a very long time. Us both having done the show for so long means there's quite a science to it. Our work becomes the equation of the audience. The energy from the audience is really integral to someone who relies heavily on comedy. I usually know right at the top of the show when Iago is introduced what the show is going to be like based on the audience reaction. There are a few Easter eggs that Iago and Jafar have, too. Depending on how boisterous the audience is that night, you might see a little extra milky laughs doodles. I can't wait to get back on stage and make audiences laugh again."

Watch Rivera talk about wanting to "play every sidekick" and more in the full episode below!