Don Darryl Rivera Is Still Flying High as Iago in Aladdin on Broadway

When you find a job you love, you don't let it go. Especially for Don Darryl Rivera, who originated the role of Iago in Aladdin on Broadway in 2014. "I love our show so much that I am gonna die there," he tells Broadway.com Managing Editor Beth Stevens. "I'm going down with the ship, you know what I mean?"

When Rivera first got the call about Aladdin, he was happily established in his career and living in Seattle. "I gave up a lot to be here in New York. I picked up my entire life and I moved here," he says. "Opening night was so exciting, and when we got that standing ovation for 'Friend Like Me' mid-show and it lasted two minutes, I was like, 'I think I'm going to be here for a second.'" 12 years later, he's done 4,200 performances on Broadway alone. "This is literally my dream job," he says. And it shows.

A self-identifying "big Disney nerd," Rivera has always loved the classic characters and stories. He recalls a photo of him at around four years old on Halloween. "I loved Disney so much that I said to my parents, 'I want to be Goofy and Mickey. So I'm wearing a Goofy snout with the teeth and Mickey ears. I couldn't just have one. I needed to have it all."

Playing the villain is an especially enticing way for Rivera to have it all on stage. "Villains have more fun. They eat the best food, they have the best costumes," he points out. "I really get to tap into something that I think everyone thinks about, say things that people want to say but they don't get to. You get to be a little naughty."

As an original cast member, Rivera admits it can be difficult saying goodbye to members of the company. "Disney was so good at putting the original cast together, all of us, the ensemble. And when people go, it's really sad. But when new people come in, it's really exciting. And as painful as it is to say goodbye, you know that they're so talented and it's time for the rest of the world to see them."

The long-running cast members keep the show feeling fresh by playing off the audience members. For Rivera, this includes dropping Easter eggs during certain performances. "There's one scene I call 'the laughing scene.' It's after 'Friend Like Me.' We're talking to the Sultan and Princess Jasmine and we've revealed that Aladdin is dead. Afterwards, we're kind of excited about it and we laugh. And depending on how the audience laughs or how they react, there are different reactions that happen on stage. That's all I'm going to say," he teases.

Rivera also reveals a secret about the inspiration behind his signature cackle in the show. Jonathan Freeman was the original Jafar on Broadway and is also the voice of Jafar in the movie. "My evil laugh is actually an imitation of his evil laugh from the movie," he says. "I'm doing my best Jonathan Freeman impression." Imitation is the highest form of flattery, and Rivera assures us that Freeman took it as such. "We've had many conversations about how much the movie meant to me and how awesome it was to work with him."

The movie is something that means a lot to generations of fans, many of whom come to see the musical. "I grew up with the movie as a kid and now I have my own kid," Rivera says. "We try to bring them the nostalgia, but we also reinvent because we're on Broadway and we're doing things live. I think it's the perfect balance of old and new. They're coming expecting the movie, but we really bring it to another level for them."

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