Clay said, “This group of students is absolutely incredible! They have worked so hard over the past couple months, and I am so, so grateful to have been given the opportunity to work with them. Between the musical talent these students possess, our choreography created by Mrs. Murphy which includes tap, salsa and more and the acting abilities of our cast, you will be swept away to Agrabah.”

Adapted especially for young performers, this musical includes favorite Alan Menken songs such as “Friend Like Me,” “A Whole New World,” and “Prince Ali,” as well as new songs added for the Broadway production.

The cast will be hosting a “Meet the Characters” luncheon on Saturday before the 3 p.m. matinee. This luncheon can be purchased as an “add-on” to a reserved ticket for the show on Saturday afternoon. The luncheon will include a mediterranean style lunch with shish kebabs (beef, chicken, veggie, or hot dog), hummus and pita chips, greek salad, olive bar, fruit smoothies, fruit pizza, and water. There will also be crafts and other activities for children to enjoy.

The cast of Aladdin Jr. includes many experienced stage performers. Playing the leading role of Aladdin is sophomore Gavin Clay. Gavin is the son of Corey and Krista Clay. He has been performing on the WB stage since he was just 6 years old as a lost boy in Peter Pan. He has been seen in many other productions both at Carnation City Players in Alliance and on the West Branch stage. Most recently, he played the roles of Prince Hans in Frozen Jr. and Gomez in The Addams Family. He is a member of every musical ensemble offered at West Branch and is an honors student. Gavin also enjoys playing golf and throwing for the track team.

Alli Kanagy as the Genie and Christian Mikol as Jafar. (Submitted photo)

Playing the role of Aladdin’s newfound friend, the Genie, is sophomore Alli Kanagy. Alli is the daughter of Dr. David and Mikki Kanagy. Alli has been seen on the WB stage in many leading roles including, Annie in Annie, Les in Newsies, Matilda in Matilda the Musical, Princess Anna in Frozen Jr. and Wednesday in The Addams Family. Alli is also a 4.0 student and a stellar athlete playing volleyball, basketball and running hurdles in track.

The beautiful Princess Jasmine will be portrayed by Haley Close. Haley is a senior and is the daughter of Scott and Sarah Close. Haley is heavily involved in the WB choir and theater department. She has played many roles through the years at WB, but she may be best remembered for her role as Elsa in Frozen Jr.

The evil grand vizier, Jafar, will be played by senior Christian Mikol. Christian was last seen on stage in The Addams Family as Mal Beineke. Jafar’s sidekick, Iago, will be played by sophomore Mollie McDorman. Junior Peter Blanchard will be playing the Sultan, Jasmine’s father. Peter was last seen on stage as Fester in The Addams Family.

Aladdin’s closest friends who are thick as thieves, Kassim, Babkak and Omar, will be played by Jude Corallo, Mason Brown and Ashton Clay. Abigail Janosik, Morgan Kurtz and Charity Glista will portray the roles of Jasmine’s handmaidens and closest friends — Manal, Isir and Rajah. The head guard, Razoul, will be played by Gavin Szijj, and Dylan Huntsman and Gabe Higgins will be his Guard 1 and Guard 2. Logan Crutchley will be playing the role of Prince Abdullah — one of Jasmine’s many suitors, and his attendants are played by Wyatt Meisenheimer and Gabe Higgins. Rounding out the rest of the cast is Kate Slutz as head belly dancer/apple vendor and Alaina Schluneker as the fortune teller. Freshman Stella Zippay will be the show’s stage manager.

The Guard Chorus, Belly Dancer Chorus, Adult Chorus and Children’s Chorus will include 130 students in grades 2 through 12. Choreography designed by assistant musical director/choreographer Murphy will include belly dancing, salsa, baton twirling, tap and more. An interactive audience opportunity will be included as well.

Gavin Clay as Aladdin and Alli Kanagy as the Genie. (Submitted photo)

For information on purchasing tickets visit http://wbmusic.org or call 330-938-2183 ext. 37358 for reservations.

“Disney’s Aladdin Jr.” is presented through special arrangement with and all materials are provided by Music Theatre International.