Disney on Broadway Stars Reflect on Their Big Debuts and Dreams Come True

Now streaming on Disney+, Tim Federle's beloved novel "Better Nate Than Ever" comes to life as a musical comedy for the whole family.

In the movie, teenager Nate Foster has big Broadway dreams. There's only one problem - he can't even land a part in the school play. But when his parents leave town, Nate and his best friend Libby sneak off to the Big Apple for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to prove everyone wrong. A chance encounter with Nate's long-lost Aunt Heidi turns his journey upside-down, and together they must learn that life's greatest adventures are only as big as your dreams.

Many of Broadway's biggest stars had dreams of making their debuts, just like Nate. BroadwayWorld has checked in with cast members from Disney's The Lion King, Aladdin and Frozen to hear about making their debut and how they made their Broadway dreams come true!

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The Lion King was the first Broadway show I saw in Birmingham, AL at the BJCC. I was in a youth theatre troupe at the time and they gifted us tickets. I remember being in my seat, looking over the mezzanine, seeing a cast of black and brown people who look like me and thinking, "I want to do that. I HAVE to do that!" That moment was visual affirmation that I could do JUST that.

In my first performance and every performance that follows of The Lion King, I think of that potential kid in the audience looking onto the stage being inspired and saying, "I want to do that!" I want to be that light of hope and inspiration who lets them know they, too, CAN do this!

-Brandon A. McCall, 'Simba' in The Lion King on Broadway

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"Imagine having the dream of being a professional actor. But... instead of having that revelation as a child, I was struck with it very late my senior year of high school. My newly formed dream sent me sprinting to New York City and I never looked back. Even with a few Broadway shows under my belt, I'm still chasing that dream. Now, every night I take the stage as Olaf in Frozen, I know there might be a kid in the audience who looks up with that same fire in their eyes and thinks, "I wanna do what they do" and the chase will begin for them."

-F. Michael Haynie, 'Olaf' in Frozen North American Tour

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Being on Broadway has been my dream since as long as I can remember. From the very first Broadway show I saw, which happened to be a Disney on Broadway musical (Beauty and the Beast) where I saw a man of color in the ensemble on the stage and saw myself on that stage and had a glimpse that it was possible, to years later that theatre where I saw my first Broadway show being the theatre where I did my first Broadway show. To then years later me standing on a Broadway stage and the curtain coming down and there I was standing in a spotlight as the Genie in Aladdin on Broadway.

This experience was so special because in that moment I thought about that young boy who just wanted to be on Broadway and there I was living my dream. My family and teachers who had believed in me even when I didn't believe in myself, who simply said 'YES' to this little kid's dream of performing. I then immediately thought about the young artists of color and maybe LGBTQ youth who could look on the stage and see themselves in me and see an artist living their truth standing in a spotlight backed by an incredible company giant like Disney on Broadway in all his Broadway glory! IT IS POSSIBLE. Dream big and then dream bigger.

-Michael James Scott, 'Genie' in Aladdin on Broadway

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As a child I was not the typical theatre kid. I had aspirations of becoming the next Oprah Winfrey. It wasn't until I was in college that my whole trajectory changed. I joined the Dramatics Guild at Alabama State University, did my first musical and was bit by the bug. I dreamed incessantly about being on Broadway and how that would feel to reach the pinnacle of success in theatre.

The Lion King was one of the first Broadway shows that I ever experienced. After seeing the show my exact words were, 'I don't know what character I would play or what I would do in the show... but somehow I have to be a part of this show!' To be honest with you, after seeing the Broadway cast I did not think that I was good enough to share stage with them. Three years later I made my Broadway debut as Shenzi in The Lion King.

My debut is a moment that I will never forget. It was the most ethereal thing that I have ever experienced. The puppet, the music, looking out into the faces of the audience and receiving what they were experiencing, the curtain call will be a moment in time that I will cherish forever.

-Bonita Hamilton, 'Shenzi' in The Lion King on Broadway

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As young as I can remember, I have been obsessed with Broadway and dreamed of being up there on that stage ever since my first Broadway show, Beauty and the Beast. That 7 year-old kid watching Belle in that glittery, magical kick line would be out of her mind to know that she would grow up to star in a Disney musical! Not a day goes by, when I put on Elsa's iconic ice dress and tell her story, that I don't think about that starry-eyed little girl dreaming huge dreams and that those dreams have come true in greater ways then I ever imagined.

-Caroline Bowman, 'Elsa' in Frozen North American Tour

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You know, it's funny when I think of where I started and where I am today. I didn't grow up dreaming to be on Broadway, I didn't even really know what Broadway was. People who knew me as a kid would have described me as very shy. But I loved to sing, and I loved to create characters and act them out with my family. So it is a wonder how I came to play Nala, this strong, confident lioness, every night. I wouldn't change a thing. Theatre is magic - changing lives everywhere.

-Adrienne Walker 'Nala' in The Lion King on Broadway

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Although I started dancing at about 11 years old and started doing musicals in high school, my Broadway dreams didn't start happening until college, when I made the decision that performing was what I really wanted to pursue. From my first Broadway show in 2002 and nine Broadway shows over 20 years later, the privilege of working on Broadway has never been lost on me and still seems somewhat surreal.

One of my strongest and fondest memories was the first preview of Aladdin on Broadway when "Friend Like Me" got what seemed like a 10-15 minute standing ovation with people screaming and yelling and bursting with joy about what they just saw. It was one of those cherished and rare moments in your career where it's just "right," the stars are aligned and you feel like you are exactly where you are supposed to be. Working on Broadway is and continues to be a MAGICAL experience!

-Dennis Stowe, 'Jafar' in Aladdin on Broadway

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"Better Nate Than Ever" is now streaming on Disney+.

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