Theatre has been captivating people around the world for decades. However, there’s always much more to a production than the eye initially sees. Get to know your favorite Broadway musicals and plays with these fun and interesting things you never knew about 5 popular Broadway shows! 

Things You Never Knew About 5 Popular Broadway Shows

The Lion King

• Every prototype mask used on stage was hand sculpted and painted by Julie Taymor and Michael Curry. It took them 1,700 hours collectively to achieve the finesse of these masks.
  
• The show employs over 1,700 people worldwide.
• Unlike the movie, Rafiki the baboon is female in the musical.
• The trick mouse is the tiniest creature in the show, measuring just five inches. The largest is an elephant- 13’ long, 11’3” high and 9 feet wide at the ears.

Aladdin

• The Genie in Aladdin, played by James Monroe Iglehart, has to shower twice after each show in order to remove all the glitter.
• How the magic carpet actually flies on stage remains a mystery. It was created by scenic artist Bob Crowley using technology never before seen on Broadway. …And he’s adamant about keeping his art a secret.
• Inspired by the Middle East, all the costumes worn by Jasmine and her attendants are hand-beaded and hand-painted.
• The ballad “Proud of Your Boy”, was initially made for the movie but scrapped last minute. Instead, it found its way to the stage via Broadway production.

Wicked

• Actress Idina Menzel snagged the role as Elphaba after she made a mistake during her second audition. Her voice cracked and she uttered a curse word, which ultimately impressed Stephen Schwartz and Joe Mantello, landing her the part.
• The power used to light up Emerald City is equal to that of twelve households.
• This musical broke Box Office records in every city during its national tour. It even has a popular Japanese production in Tokyo.

Hamilton

• Though Lin-Manuel Miranda spent two years composing his first two songs, he finished ten others in just six months.
• This was the first Off-Broadway show to win the Drama Desk’s Outstanding Musical Award.
• Daveed Diggs, who starred as Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson, is actually a prominent rapper who canceled his summer tours for the musical.
• In May 2009, Miranda was invited to perform in front of President Barack and Michelle Obama at the White House Poetry Jam, where he debuted the song that would eventually become the Hamilton opening number.

The Book of Mormon

• Trey Parker, one of the brilliant creators of The Book of Mormon, didn’t even watch his first Broadway show until age 23. He did, however, star as Danny Zuko in his High School’s production of Grease.
• For original ideas, Matt Stone, Trey Parker and Robert Lopez all made a field trip to Salt Lake City. To write the show, they directly interviewed Mormon missionaries.

Want to see these interesting facts play out on stage? Get discounted Broadway tickets to all your favorite shows here!

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