Memphis man creating ‘Aladdin’ magic for Disney
‘Disney’s Aladdin’ runs through March 8 at the Orpheum in Downtown Memphis
Born and bred in Memphis, Scott Taylor did not use a flying carpet to make the journey from Parkway Village to the Disney empire.
His tools included talent and determination — and a work ethic honed on the sweltering summer stages of the old Libertyland amusement park.
As a result, Taylor is now creating “Aladdin” magic worldwide in the position of associate/resident director for all productions of the Disney stage adaptation of the classic Arabian Nights tale, from Japan to London to — starting this week — the Orpheum theater in Memphis.
Inspired by the multigenerational embrace of the 1992 animated feature that showcased a star vocal turn from Robin Williams as a shape-shifting blue genie, Disney transformed “Aladdin” into a stage musical that debuted on Broadway in 2014. Since then, the show has been reproduced in touring productions across the globe, like such other Disney cartoons-turned-stage spectacles as “The Little Mermaid” and “The Lion King.”
As associate director of what he calls “‘Aladdin’ worldwide,” Taylor is responsible for ensuring that each of these shows “is being maintained to Disney’s standards,” he said.
Currently, that means overseeing and approving eight international productions, in Japan, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, Mexico and the U.S.
Said Taylor: “I’m responsible for assisting in the casting, for ‘tech’-ing the show for each theater, for opening the show, for maintaining the show ...”
With its logistical demands and frequent air travel, the job sounds intimidating, especially for those of us who find it daunting to schedule a haircut and a dental appointment in the same week.
For Taylor, however, the work is exhilarating in its challenges, and validating in its affirmation of his faith in musical theater — a faith that has provided him with not just an avocation but a career.
“You have to love what you’re doing to be in show business, or else why would you do it?” Taylor asked. At the same time, the Disney job has provided him with “something a lot of people in this business don’t have, job stability.” He’s worked for Disney for seven years, and “I’m at a stage in my life where I appreciate the longevity.”
“Disney’s Aladdin” — as the show is officially titled — opened Feb. 26 and runs through March 8 at the Orpheum, with shows daily except Monday. Part of the palatial Downtown theater’s “Broadway” season of touring shows, the production includes 38 cast members along with the spectacular costumes, sets and special effects one would expect from a big-budget Disney production.
“There’s a flying carpet, I cannot tell you how it works,” Taylor said. “It’s Disney magic.”
Arguably more important than the spectacle are the songs. The show gives audiences an opportunity to hear live performances of the famous compositions from the Oscar-winning score by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, including “A Whole New World,” which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. The “incredibly beautiful music” (in Taylor’s words) is undoubtedly one reason “Aladdin” became the highest-grossing film in the world in 1992.
The son of educators — his late father was longtime Memphis city schools principal and basketball coach Paul Taylor, while his mother, Elaine Burden, who now lives in Union City, was a teacher — Taylor is a 1980 graduate of Wooddale High School who grew up in the Parkway Village neighborhood.
Taylor played the lead role of “Curly” in a Wooddale production of “Oklahoma!,” but he can trace his professional career to summers working as a teen singer and dancer at Libertyland. He also appeared in shows at Theatre Memphis, and in student revues at the then newly restored Orpheum.
Opening on the bicentennial day of July 4, 1976, and modeled in part on Nashville’s Opryland USA, Libertyland contained outdoor stages for familyfriendly musical revues alongside its roller coaster and merry-go-rounds. The performers were typically young people. Taylor appeared in a patriotic “American Spirit” show, and a “Memphis Blues” show that mixed Elvis songs with R&B chestnuts.
“I loved it very much,” Taylor said. “You performed three or four shows a day with six to eight people in the hot Memphis humidity. It taught me stamina, it taught me a work ethic. I learned how to work with a live band. I learned my musical theater chops working at Libertyland and then Opryland.”
Plus, Memphis had its own influence, with or without Libertyland. “If you are a musician or a singer or a dancer, you can’t help but be influenced by Memphis music. But if you grew up here, it guides you, it really does.”
After a year at Ole Miss, Taylor went to Nashville and spent two years performing at Opryland. He left Nashville for New York, and through the years worked as a singer and dancer in the choruses of 14 Broadway productions — “A Little Night Music,” “Cats” and “Monty Python’s Spamalot” among them — before he landed a job with Disney.
Taylor — who still returns to Memphis for occasional visits — said “Aladdin” has not lost its magic for him, even though he’s now spent years with the same songs and script. “Every time I see it, I’m working with a different company or different performers, so I’m always seeing something new.”
Plus, he said, the state-of-the-art production values and top-level performers keep the material evergreen.
“With Disney, you get what you’re hoping for. Disney knows how to deliver musicals, and they outdo themselves with this one. For couples, it’s a love story about Aladdin and Jasmine. For kids, there’s the genie, who appears out of the Cave of Wonders. The beautiful Orpheum theater is iconic, so it’s the perfect setting for this show.”