I'm very happy for Shoba Narayan and Michael Maliakel, now starring in ''Aladdin'' on Broadway. In fact, I first saw Michael 5 years ago in Mira Nair's ''Monsoon Wedding'' at Berkeley Rep. I profiled him for BroadwayWorld.com and suspected his terrific pipes and good looks would lead him to NYC.
(''Company'' also features actors of Indian descent: Manu Narayan and Anisha Nagarajan, who both starred in 2004's ''Bombay Dreams.'')
For the record, Drama Desk nominee Adam Jacobs, whose mom is Filipino, originated the role of Aladdin on Broadway in 2014.
And I believe there's still room for another breakthrough: seeing two actors of Arab descent play Aladdin and Jasmine on Broadway.
