(upbeat music)
- We are always excited to bring you
another amazing episode of The Broadway Show.
I'm Tamsen Fadal.
This one's sure to rub you the right way.
He's Broadway's Genie in a Bottle in Disney's Aladdin.
Michael James Scott plays the Genie,
and Paul Wontorek took a walk with him through Broadway
and his stellar career on stage.
- That's right, Tamsen.
Before Michael James Scott was getting standing Os
as the genie in Aladdin,
he's been getting applause up and down these blocks,
am I right?
- Obviously!
Yes, yes oh my gosh.
- [Paul] How are you?
- I'm good, I'm so happy to see you.
- [Paul] Look, here we are.
Look at all this branding.
- Oh, a nice subtle, you know.
- [Paul] Genie's back.
- I'm back.
It's so good to be here.
Broadway is back.
We are open, we are welcoming audiences.
People are there, people are so excited.
People are, I mean,
it's just the energy is incredible.
And you can feel it up and down Times Square,
up and down these streets,
and inside the theater.
And I'm just so blessed to be able to say
I'm back on Broadway.
- So we're gonna go for a little walk,
we're gonna see some of the highlights.
We're gonna relive your past.
- I'm a little overwhelmed by that.
I've never done that.
So I'm like, oh my gosh.
Like we're gonna do that?
- [Paul] We're doing it.
You actually performed across the street,
that theater has changed names.
- [Michael] Yes.
- [Paul] It used to be the Hilton Theater.
- [Michael] The Hilton Theater.
- You were in a huge smash called The Pirate Queen.
The Pirate Queen.
- Oh my god.
What you call me?
- [Paul] I saw that.
No, Stephanie J. Block.
I call Stephanie J. Block that
because she was the Pirate Queen.
- [Michael] She was everything as the pirate queen.
- [Paul] She was everything.
- [Michael] My favorite thing about that show is
we lived for Stephanie's song that she sang,
"I Am Woman" like every night.
- "I Am Woman" I forgot it was called that.
- Yes! It was like, woman.
And we watched her sing the song everyday
and like, we would always like,
blown away.
It's Stephanie, I mean like, it was just amazing.
- This is the St. James Theater.
You were in "Something Rotten!" exclamation point.
- Exclamation point, yes!
- I loved that show so much.
You were so fantastic in it.
You helped create a brand new musical.
- Yes.
- Who did you play in that?
- So I was the Minstrel.
♪ Welcome to the renaissance ♪
was my song, I opened the show.
- [Paul] You did.
- Which was just crazy.
I mean got to create an opening number of a Broadway show.
I was also a part of that show with like
comedic geniuses.
I mean from Brian d'Arcy James,
to Brooks Ashmanskas and Brad Oscar.
I mean, the list goes on.
- I also love this theater
because when I look back to your career is that,
it gotten to this point of being the Genie,
- Yes.
- And that was one of those big moments
where it was like oh look,
there he is opening a show.
- People were very, they've said that
and they were like it was so amazing
to see you step up, and step out
because we watched you in lots of shows
and I felt that.
I felt that from the so many people.
- So Al Hirschfeld Theater,
this is the home of "Moulin Rouge".
But you did two shows here.
- I did two shows here.
- [Paul] First you did
- I did "Hair."
I did "Hair" first.
♪ Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair ♪
It was the summer of love,
it's also the summer I started dating my husband,
which is also a very like,
I remember the show a lot
It was a beautiful production, amazing people,
we were touching the audience.
- I know, can you do that anymore?
- Did we touch you?
- You can't do that, well you can't do that anymore.
- You can't do it.
I know it's kind of crazy
cause that was really a part of the show.
- [Paul] And you were also in "Elf."
- [Michael] When I was in "Elf the Musical,"
- [Paul] Who'd you play in "Elf"?
- [Michael] Oh my gosh, I was Cledus, honey
We ice skated on a Broadway stage.
It snowed on the stage.
- [Paul] Here we are, the Richard Rodgers Theater.
- [Michael] Yes.
- Where obviously "Hamilton" is playing.
But we love one name "Tarzan" also played here beforehand
it was Tarzan.
- [Michael] Beforehand Hamilton was "Tarzan."
- You were kind of in it, not for long.
- I was in it.
I actually don't even remember how long,
it was so crazy how short it was.
I would do all of the craziness of the like,
flying and everything.
And I was actually was in the show.
Went into the show, and then we got our closing notice
literally my like third ,
I think it was a month in.
- [Paul] Okay, the Eugene O' Neill Theater.
- [Michael] Yes.
- You did not perform Eugene O' Neill here
- No.
- Very much the opposite
You were actually in "The Book of Mormon"
which is still here,
and you were the original cast.
- I was in the original cast of "The Book of Mormon".
- And you got to watch that entire process of like
watching a show that went on to become like
a legendary musical,
win Best Musical.
And you got to sort of,
when you're one of those cast,
the whole cast start to become part of the triumph.
- Yes absolutely,
I mean I was there from the first secret reading.
I had no idea what I said yes to,
I loved it so much the material is just beyond brilliant,
I played Dr Gotswana,
so I sing about having maggots in my,
that's me, that's me.
I was bouncing that on the stage.
It means a lot also because this musical,
the material was very unapologetic,
and I was so proud to be part of something
that was unapologetic, but also making people think.
And being a big Broadway musical.
♪ Mamma Mia! ♪
♪ Here we go again ♪
- You did that show.
- I did that show.
- That was right here at the Winter Garden.
- Oh my gosh.
- Mamma Mia.
- [Michael] I did "Mamma Mia."
- [Paul] It was a hit.
- [Michael] It was a hit.
It was really fun.
- [Paul] My favorite part is the megamix at the end
Amazing right?
- [Michael] First of all,
I mean if you get through to the show,
there's another show that happens.
The third act.
My very first night of that show
I was in an orange linen suit and I came down.
And in the mega mix are the bows right?
And I was doing my thing and you have like an improv,
so I was like I'm about to let everyone have it.
Well I tripped and fell,
and there I was center stage and literally crawled.
Right behind me all you saw people like this.
Like laughing so hard.
- So here we are literally in the middle of Times Square.
That behind us believe it or not,
is a beautiful Broadway theater called The Palace,
as in Judy played the Palace,
Judy Garland.
And you also made your Broadway debut at the Palace.
And this theater is coming back by the way.
- My Broadway debut,
I made it in the show called "All Shook Up,"
with like all Elvis music.
Amazing Broadway veterans in that show,
it's almost 20 years ago.
What was a kid like?
Oh my gosh, he was please,
he was a sponge, wanted to soak up Broadway
and the dreams of being on Broadway.
I saw my very first Broadway show,
where I did my first.
What?
- That's crazy.
That's a Genie.
James Monroe Iglehart has passed by.
Oh, I'm so mad at you.
(upbeat music)