Overview
- Disney Theatrical Group announced Tuesday that Emmy-winning comedian and actor Sherri Shepherd will portray the Genie at the New Amsterdam Theatre from Oct. 16, 2026 through Jan. 3, 2027.
- Shepherd will be the first woman cast as the Genie in any Disney-produced production of Aladdin, a role long performed by male actors on stage and screen.
- Caleb A. Barnett, who assumed the Broadway Genie earlier in 2026, will remain with the company as the Genie standby for Shepherd’s run.
- Shepherd said the part is a “dream come true” and reporters note she has begun voice and dance preparation after her syndicated talk show ended in 2026.
- Aladdin opened in 2014 and is one of Broadway’s longest-running Disney shows that routinely schedules limited high-profile engagements during the holiday season, following a lineage of notable Genies including James Monroe Iglehart and Michael James Scott.