He is, as Iago calls it in the classic Disney film, the “almighty evil one.”
“A vile traitor!” says the sultan.
And for a little while, as he himself proclaims, “the most powerful sorcerer” in the world!”
(MUAHAHAHA!)
Jonathan Freeman first voiced Disney villain Jafar in the animated film “Aladdin” in 1992, continued to mock in subsequent films, and then went on to initiate the role in the Broadway production, which began in 2014. He wielded his cobra staff in hundreds of performances since then, playing the part for nearly eight years.
That’s until Sunday night, with the show he decided would be his last.
Backstage, Freeman’s dressing room was largely vacated that evening. The walls were bare, the daybed was gone. As a token of appreciation were flowers, gifts of alcohol and a thank you from the ushers.
An insert in the Playbill warned members of the public that Freeman would take his “final bow” in “Aladdin.” The show said he is the only person in the Disney universe to have brought an animated character to life, on stage — a capstone of a career with credits in 11 Broadway shows.
After the performance ended, cast and crew members took a moment to pay tribute to Freeman during the curtain call.
“I just had to come tonight to acknowledge this wonderful man,” said the show’s director, Casey Nicholaw. “We’re really going to miss you here.”
Freeman, 71, replied, “Nobody wants to see a villain cry.” He added that “no one is doing this alone.”
Then Freeman formally gave his cobra staff — “by the power Mickey Mouse entrusted to me,” he said — to Dennis Stowe, the Jafar standby who will take on the role this week.
After a few short speeches backstage, where most of the crew members wore T-shirts with the silhouette of Jafar, and many hugs, Freeman sat down for an exit interview at the nearby Disney Theatrical offices.
These are edited excerpts from that conversation.
You’ve been a version of Jafar for 30 years. How do you feel about letting go of Jafar – and letting go of a part of yourself for a bit?
After it turned out that the show was going to be a success and Disney wanted multiple productions, it’s kind of like this little island of Jafar where I lived alone for a while, it just kept breaking down and shattering. And I was happy and excited, to be honest, just to know that I got to a certain place where it becomes a kind of template that can be reproduced by other people. So that’s nice – that’s nice to know it’s still going on.
Why leave now?
Well, actually, when we kicked off the 2020 season — our year really starts in February — I thought maybe it would be my last year doing it.
And then the pandemic happened, and then there was nothing. Nobody knew – would it be two months, six months? So I guess I was like, “Well, if they start over, I can’t go back and try to pick up the pieces,” because then I would just evaporate in the middle of this pandemic. It would just be too weird. And I didn’t want to leave just before the holidays, because that means the company has to rehearse. And so I thought to wait until after the first of the year and February is the end of the contract anyway. It just seemed like the right time to me.
What do you think you could bring Jafar to the stage that you might not be able to record for the film?
When we first started in Seattle [a pilot production of the show in the summer of 2011]there was only myself and another person in the room connected to the original project, that was [the composer] Alan Menken. So when we got the first read-through it was like a glass of cold water in my face as I heard new voices doing these characters that I’ve been hearing for so many years.
With new voices came new ideas, and people were physically different about it. So I had to figure out how I would fit in. And I had to recreate a bit.
How do you think your view of Jafar – and “Aladdin” – has evolved over the years?
As for Jafar, I honestly never saw him as anything other than a Disney villain. I never thought of him as being North African, Middle Eastern, Asian, South Asian. I never thought about any of those things. I always thought he was a bad guy. The makeup I put on was never meant to be a race. It was always villain makeup. It had to do with the arch of the eyebrow, it had to do with the grin.
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It’s not that no one has thought about it. I think everyone has thought about it, and everyone has thought about it carefully.
Let’s do a quick speed lap. How often and in what context are you asked to do the Jafar voice?
I am on this platform called Cameo. I get requests almost every week.
How much do you charge?
Very low, like $35 – or $50. I think, you know, if people want it, I’ll give it to them and the volume makes all the difference.
Can you confirm that Jafar is a Slytherin??
Oh, absolutely. No doubt.
Five words to describe Jafar?
Mercury; maliciously; jealous (not to be confused with jealous); vain; and self important.
You must have had a million interactions with kids, Disney fans, “Aladdin” fans. Do you have a favourite?
We walked out the stage door one night in Seattle, and I went down the stairs and I walked down the alley, and a young woman came up behind me and said, “Excuse me? Were you the gentleman who played Jafar tonight?” I said yes, and she said, “You sound just like the guy in the movie!” And I said, “Thank you so much. It’s a big compliment.”
What is the future for Jafar? Maybe I was reading something for Cirque du Soleil?
Cirque du Soleil has signed something for Jafar. I’m not even sure what it is.
I think it will be a fresh install. It has something to do with drawing. It’s not Vegas. It will be in a theme park. I mean, I won’t take it personally. It could even just be a lift from the movie or something.
What’s next for Jonathan?
I’m looking at a few projects. I would like to play a simple piece one more time. Jafar is very greedy. He takes a lot of time.
I rediscovered time during the pandemic. And what I found about rediscovering time was that it was really nice to have it.