"Aladdin" in Austin: playing genius is the wish of the actor come true – Entertainment – Austin 360

He could make a Broadway showstopper look like magic, but Korie Lee Blossey sweats for that. Shortly after taking the stage as a Genie in "Aladdin", he performed the number "Friend Like Me". It's work.

"You get out of the lamp. Non-stop until the end of the number," says Blossey. "And there is a good four-minute tap dance at the end. In case the cartwheel isn't enough, we're going to throw a tap."

The public will not need a lamp to speak of the 40-year-old actor in Austin this month. The touring production of "Aladdin" – a Broadway musical adaptation of the 1992 Disney animated hit on the titular pickpocket and a jovial djinn – takes place March 11-22 at the Bass Concert Hall. The Bay City, Michigan native has been playing full-time genius on the tour since September, after about three years as a replacement.

Spoiler: Blossey doesn't really have full blue paint to look like the beloved wisher, first voiced by Robin Williams and played last year by Will Smith tinted CGI in a live remake. The animated genius magically assumed new looks and new voices in no time; Williams made a career out of such chameleon spontaneity.

"ALADDIN" MOVIE REVIEW: A blue Will Smith draws some air from the lamp

Blossey knows what puffy pants he's filled with.

"No one can do Robin Williams," says Blossey. "But the director (of the scene), Casey Nicholaw, is a creative genius. He finds what makes the individual stand out – like," What can Korey do that nobody 39; other can not do? "These are the things we focus on in my Genius."

We spoke with Blossey on the phone before his Genie came to town. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

American-Statesman: Were you a fan of the original, animated "Aladdin" entering the show?

Korie Lee Blossey: Yes, when I was younger, it was one of my favorite movies. I watched it over and over again. And I've always said, "Man, I have to make a costume, like painting my body blue and becoming a genius." I have never gone this far. (Laughs)

I was Aladdin for Halloween a year, so I get the pulse. You said that no one was able to do Robin Williams. Is there a way that his portrayal of the Genie character influenced you?

To try to think of it while you are creating the Genie, you are going to try to start doing what it does, in my mind. To me, it's just this source of life, this source of energy. It was just about putting a smile on people's faces. And that's how I like to live my life.

The story of genius is so much about friendship, especially his friendship with Aladdin. He has a whole song about it, "Friend Like Me." Are there any friendships in your life that have helped the character's story resonate a little more with you?

Being on stage with the actor who plays Aladdin – his name Jonah (Hookano) – is an exceptional treat. And when I became Genie full time, he started out as Aladdin on the show, so we sort of started out together. Whenever I go out on this stage, I know it's there. So I think, "We can do this. Let's do it. Let's do it together." The friendship we have built on stage has turned into a great friendship off stage.

What is your favorite number to play as a Genie?

"Friend Like Me" – it's a doozy. These are the most difficult 18 minutes I have ever worked. But it is the biggest feeling of the public. You connect with the public, you connect with Aladdin. You connect with everyone who comes on stage in the number. We don't have enough time to think about what you are actually doing. And in the end, there is just this joy that says, "I just did that." And at the same time, you (sing the lyrics), "Can your friends do that?" And few people can do that number (18 minutes), so you can keep that pride like, "I just did that! No one can do that!"

»MORE ARTS: UT Austin stages the" shameless "love story of the creator of" Moonlight "

Tell me a bit about this choreography.

When I auditioned for (the Genie), I went home and said to myself, "Well, now I know why I'm not going to be the Genie, because I can't tap. " (Laughs.) I would just take the choreography home and film friends rehearsing it. Every night before I went to bed, I did "Friend Like Me" three times. And it's a lot of work! It’s good cardio.

Tell me about the costume. How does it move? Is it restrictive? It looks pretty opulent.

Oh, magic. I would say that every time you do theater, the guys wear normal clothes and costumes. Women have always had these big and beautiful dresses and fancy costumes. (These are) those fancy costumes and elaborate costumes that I could see everyone wearing. They move really well. They breathe surprisingly well. … everything looks a lot heavier than it really is.

The first time I put on the main Genie costume, I cried. It was such a great feeling. That feeling of pride, that feeling of accomplishment and the wonderful feeling of wearing these elegant and extreme Broadway costumes. And the fact that they weren't heavy and restrictive only helps. So you don't think, "Oh, how am I going to do this?" You say to yourself, "Oh, I could conquer the world with that."

I'm sure it was cool to see myself as this character.

Exactly – like, "Look, you've been this person. You've wanted him for so long, and look, it's you."

Speaking of hard work, what is your dream role? Or do you have one?

Well, now the dream role is to start focusing on another dream role because it was my dream role. From the moment I saw "Aladdin" at the Tony Awards, I thought to myself, "I have to do it. I have to play this role. I sort of, in a way or on the other, I have to do it. " And the first time I auditioned for this, I waited eight hours in a hearing room, and I was in the last group of 10 people seen at this audition. And I thought, "Well, I mean, I will keep doing this until they throw me. They will see me here at every audition." Getting the role actually is the biggest and most difficult thing I have ever done. Now that I know I can do it, I can do it all now. If I can do "Friend Like Me" eight times a week, there is no paper show that I could not do.

Korie, is there anything else we should know?

When you see the show at the end, you realize that you never needed a genius. No one needs a genius. No one needs a miracle. You just need to discover the real "you" deep in your heart. Once you find yourself, you can literally do whatever you want. You just have to work for it. There is no wish, there is no genius. There is no lottery that will get there. It must be found in you. In doing this role, I found it in me.