Aladdin Brought Rodney Ingram Back to Broadway—And to His Wife

Rodney Ingram doesn't need three wishes, because Aladdin already changed his life. This month, Ingram returned to the production where he made his Broadway debut in 2015 as a member of the ensemble—now in the title role. Having understudied original Broadway cast member Adam Jacobs, Ingram stepped in as the lead in 2020, but only performed for a month and a half before the pandemic shutdown. In November 2021, he opened the Mexico City production as Aladdin, performing entirely in Spanish in his home country. During that time, Ingram befriended Sonia Monroy, another cast member. Four-and-a half-years later, they were married—and they're now working together once again on Broadway.

Older, wiser and very much in love, Ingram spoke to Broadway.com about bringing a more mature approach to the character he first played 11 years ago. He also shared what it meant to be able to perform professionally in the city where he was born, the excitement of reuniting with original Aladdin cast members, and how he'd be first in line to audition for Coco on Broadway.

Can you take us through your journey with Aladdin?
Aladdin changed my life, and it continues to. I made my Broadway debut with Aladdin in 2015. That was a dream come true on so many levels, everything that I had wanted and prayed for as the Broadway nerd that I was and still am. I was there for two years and came back as an interim Aladdin in February of 2020. As we all know, about a month later the world completely shut down. In November of 2021, I was in Mexico playing Aladdin, this time in Spanish. The production lasted just shy of two years, and that was an amazing experience, to get to bring the show that I knew and loved and that changed my life to my home country. And it changed my life again, because I met my wife. She was in the cast, we became fast friends, and four-and-a-half years later we got married in Mexico. Aladdin brought us together. I proposed to her in what I disguised as a backstage tour of the New Amsterdam Theatre. Now she's a swing in the Broadway company, so I get to cross paths with her on the very stage where I proposed to her, which is pretty remarkable.

What was it like getting the call to return to Aladdin on Broadway 11 years after your debut?
It was a total surprise. I thought those days were over. Aladdin was a part that had changed my life, and I was so happy to have been given that gift for as long as I had been. It certainly was not on my bingo card. I got an email that said, "Hey, would you be interested in coming in?" After the shock had come down, I said, "Of course, absolutely. What a dream to be able to do it." I view this contract as a total gift, a total dessert, and I'm trying to enjoy it as much as possible.

How has your portrayal of Aladdin evolved since you first played the role?
Being a big fan of the original, I get to inhabit that role and honor what that meant and what that means to a lot of other people who are fans of the film. Aladdin teaches me every day that it's about being yourself. Sometimes as actors, and as people, we want to self-aggrandize or put on a mask to disguise ourselves. What I'm trying to do this time is be as much of myself as possible. I've grown up a whole decade and a bit since the first time I played it, and that certainly informs how I approach the character, how I approach people on stage and falling in love in the show. I get to honor the film and be as honest as I can.

Other than the show being fully in Spanish, were there differences between the Mexico City and Broadway productions?
The translation that we did in Mexico was excellent, because it wasn't just a Spanish translation, it was a Mexico translation. A lot of the jokes, the material, the vernacular was Mexican-spoken Spanish, which was very cool. And as sometimes happens with translations, the literal sense of the lyric isn't what happens in the show. Oftentimes, it's the sentiment or the scansion of the syllables. They may have to make some compromises, but in doing so they make another message or another beautiful take that's very parallel, if not identical to the English. It was fun to explore a different flavor to "A Whole New World," "Proud of Your Boy." The song in the beginning of Act One becomes, "I will deserve your admiration," speaking to his mom.

Did growing up in Mexico City make it easier to perform that version?
It was a challenge. That is the first time I worked professionally in Mexico, the first time I worked professionally in Spanish as an actor. There's a lot of regional accents in Mexico, and they wanted Aladdin to be a Mexico City kid. To have the dialect, as much as I could, of a local kid in Mexico City was very fun and different, but a challenge to take on.

What is the physical prep like for you returning to the role?
It's not only for the vanity, although that does cross my mind, but the agility that Aladdin has to jump on the buildings and dodge the swords, there's a back flip over a cart at the beginning as well. There's a lot of stamina that's required, because you're singing at full tilt while jumping. That's something I'm more cognizant of coming into it now a decade later, very protective of the knees and the things that I didn't have to think as much about. Probably the rudest part of this whole thing was that I had a costume fitting before our wedding, and then I had a costume fitting after our honeymoon. It wasn't ideal, shall we say. [Laughs]

Do you have a favorite song or moment in the show?
On any given day it could be a whole bunch of things, but I consistently come back to "One Jump Ahead," because it reminds me so much of the animated film that I grew up watching. I get to inhabit that character that I loved, and I knew how fun it was to watch when I was a kid. So it's equally as fun, if not more so, to be able to do this highly-choreographed routine with the swords, buildings, guards, carts and miscellaneous chaos that happens in the number. To pull it off, at the end you're standing center stage with your loaf of bread that you managed to run around the stage with. That's a gratifying feeling where everything comes together. Because it happens to be at the top of the show, I love that it's an introduction to the character. And for me, I just get to play.

Are you working with anyone who you worked with the first time around?
In the current cast, there's a number of people that have been there since my time and a couple of them that have been there since the beginning. Something that was impressed upon me is that all of us are so grateful to be a part of a long-running show. Whether you've been there since the beginning or you come in and out like myself, what a blessing and what a gift it is to be able to do that. When we get to share the stage and lock eyes with these people that we've seen—I have memories of Jaz Sealey playing Prince Abdullah in 2015, and I still see him as Prince Abdullah now. It's kind of a surreal thing, but it also feels very right.

When you first started out, was there anyone in particular who helped show you the ropes?
Because it was my Broadway debut, I feel like I learned so much. I loved my conservatory, but the training that you get doing a Broadway show, especially of this scale, I don't think that you can replicate that in a classroom. I remember being equally intimidated and inspired by Dennis Stowe, who's been there since the beginning. And Don Darryl Rivera as Iago, he's a comedic genius. I'm very cognizant that this is a show and these are characters they've added layer after layer of depth to. So I just get to react to them and go along for the ride. This is their show. Even though I've been in the show now for many years off and on in different iterations, I'm still learning things all the time. In a show like this, as soon as it begins I feel like the motor just keeps running. But within that trajectory, there is a lot of liberty to be yourself, to perhaps laugh at yourself, laugh at the funny thing that happened, laugh about all the chaos. There's a multitude of things that could go wrong that the audience may not be privy to, but that adds life to it too.

What does it mean to you to be part of such an iconic musical?
It's hard to encapsulate any single moment. We're lucky enough to see people, families come for their first Broadway experience. Not a show goes by that somebody doesn't say, "This was my first Broadway show." And because I certainly remember my first Broadway show, that's so exciting and impressed upon me that this could stay with them for a long time. And what better first Broadway show than Aladdin? It's giving all the glitz and glamour, the jazz hands, a big, tough number. For me personally, this is a really special chapter that I'm living through. Because it was a surprise. It's a gift, and I should say multiplied by 100 at least, that I get to do the show with my wife. We get to go to work together, eat lunch between shows and come back home together. The rarity is not lost on me, how special this whole thing has been. I'm just trying to cherish this moment, be present, have fun and treat this like the gift that it is. That's how I'm trying to approach this new iteration of Aladdin for me.

Can you share any memories from your time as Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera 30th anniversary Broadway production?
I felt like the fanciest kid in town for the one week that I was learning The Phantom of the Opera material during the day and performing my ensemble track in Aladdin at night. My Broadway dreams were just like, this is surreal and amazing. I will always remember that experience. Going into Phantom was my first time playing a principal role full time. It was a great opportunity to learn what that's like and what those responsibilities are. And it gave me a lot more love, admiration and respect for the understudies. I know from personal experience being an understudy to one track and doing the ensemble track at night, how at any given time you need to keep all those lines, actions and choreography fresh. And that's just one track.

Do you have other dream Broadway roles?
I would love to originate something. I've gotten the opportunity to be in workshops of Latin musicals, Mexican-inspired musicals, and I think that's always very fun, interesting and creative in a new way. Watching the Super Bowl halftime show and seeing Latin culture celebrated in that way was an inspirational thing that my wife and I both cried at unexpectedly, because what a beautiful tribute. That very essence of having a Latin story come to the Broadway stage in that way is something that is particularly exciting and something I'm passionate about. If Disney is listening, Coco the musical is top of that list!

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