Aladdin's Ainsley Melham on Being a Superstar for Kids, His Aussie Upbringing & More

Growing up in a small town in rural Australia, Ainsley Melham dreamed of Broadway, but never thought he would see his name in lights. After studying math and touring the world in the TV-famous band Hi-5, the performer is seeing his dreams come true as he makes his Broadway debut as the title role in Disney’s Aladdin. Melham took a break from flying on a magic carpet to talk to Broadway.com about coming to New York, making his "serendipitous" debut alongside partner Callum Francis (who recently finished a debut run in Kinky Boots) and being an international superstar.

A Quiet Village
Melham spent his childhood in Bathurst, Australia and is the first of his family to make the 10,000 mile journey to the United States, something he often imagined doing. “Growing up in Bathurst was a beautiful experience,” Ainsley says. “I always look back on that time fondly. [It’s a] quiet country town. Not coming from the States and viewing Broadway from afar, it always seemed like this unreachable, unattainable thing. I remember traveling down to the theater and the city and being swept up in this energy. That’s part of the reason why I pursued this career in theater.” While he attributes his success to the support of his family, Melham wasn’t surrounded by music and the arts. “I'm the only one in my family that is in this industry,” he says. “People in my family like to claim that they have the talent, but no. They're all shower singers.”

Step In Time
Although he may be the only one in the family who stands in the spotlight, Melham has spent more time on the stage than off. “I was always dancing from when I was very, very young,” he says. “My mom and dad put me into dance lessons when I was about three or four years old. That's where my first [love for performing] sparked. I was in drama class and music class, and it just grew from there.” Dancing was a gateway to the stage for Melham, and he can still clearly recall falling for musicals: “I remember getting the soundtrack to Mary Poppins when I was younger,” he says. “I used to take [the album] out and dance along to the tapping sound I could hear on the on the recording.”

Mini Superstardom
After focusing on both math and the arts in school (he says he would be a math teacher if he weren’t an actor), Melham got his first big acting gig by becoming part of the third generation of the uber-popular children’s musical group Hi-5. Known for its TV show, award-winning albums and sold-out concert tours, Hi-5 has been a staple in children’s entertainment since 1998. “We used to go overseas for eight months traveling throughout Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand," says Melham. "Then we would be filming a TV series in Singapore.” Being a member of such global group with a niche market allowed Melham to be both famous (if you're under 12) , and not so much: “It’s just its own little bubble of superstardom for children. It was so bizarre. Then you would come home and you would just sort of fall back into anonymity and be yourself, which was really cool.”

Prince Like Him
Aladdin is not Melham's first magic carpet ride. He led the original Australian cast of Aladdin alongside Broadway's Arielle Jacobs as Jasmine and Michael James Scott as the Genie. Now, the trio is back together again, but this time on the Great White Way. "Landing Aladdin in Australia was already just mind blowing," Melham says. "Reuniting with Michael James Scott and Ariel Jacobs is really a wonderful universe is looking over us event. I remember sitting in that room and hearing them at that first reading and just thinking, 'Wow, this is Aladdin. This is the show.'" Melham has been playing Prince Ali for three years, but it still gives him butterflies: "It's not heart surgery, but you're bringing joy to these people. You're reliving that nostalgia for them of their own childhood. And for me, that's just so cool. It's a happy place to be."

Cukoo for Kuzco
It's obvious that Melham is loving every moment in Agrabah, but he is already eyeing another kingdom. "If I can bring any other Disney musical to Broadway, it would be The Emperor's New Groove. I don't know how it would be done on stage, but I think that would be a fun part to play. I love that film, and I would like to see how they sprinkle that Disney magic over that."

Photos by Emilio Madrid-Kuser | Video directed and edited by Mark Hayes