The cast of Broadway’s Aladdin dedicated its Tuesday night performance to late comedian and actor Gilbert Gottfried who died yesterday after a lengthy illness. Gottfried was the original voice of the scarlet macaw Iago in Disney’s 1992 animated feature film, Aladdin, and would go on to play the character in further animated productions.
After the Aladdin curtain call on Tuesday, Don Darryl Rivera who plays Iago in the Disney Theatrical Productions musical, addressed the crowd saying, “Tonight, we’d like to take a moment to celebrate the life of a comedy legend. A funny man with an indelible voice. The man who breathed life into Iago for the animated film, Mr Gilbert Gottfried.”
Continued Rivera, “I along with five other actors worldwide have the distinct privilege to bring Iago to life on stage and I think one of the main reasons this character is who he is, is because of what Gilbert brought to the animated film: his comedy and that voice.” (Scroll down for the full video)
Gottfried reprised his Iago role in the 1994 direct-to-video sequel Aladdin 2: The Return of Jafar, the 1994-95 animated Aladdin series and the early-2000s toon series House of Mouse.
Rivera also shared a personal experience with Gottfried, “The first time I ever met Gilbert was on this very stage. The curtain had just come down, and up comes Gilbert from the wings and he put his arm around me and we snapped a few photos. But then, I pulled out this, the Aladdin VHS, and his eyes lit up like it was the magic lantern itself. He signed it for me and it’s still one of my most treasured possessions.”
Rivera concluded, “Gilbert was really kind, and sweet, and surprisingly soft-spoken. I know that he will be deeply missed by his friends and his fans. The Gottfried family posted on social media, ‘although today is a very sad day for all of us, please keep laughing as loud as possible to honor Gilbert.’ So on behalf of the entire company here at Aladdin, Mr Gilbert Gottfried: Thank you for the laughs.”