Picture this. You’re in an airport, waiting to board a flight to wherever. But the weather is pelting down seven shades of hell outside, and that plane ain’t going nowhere anytime soon. You could complain to the airline – some of the crankier, more entitled people already have – but it’s not something they can fix. They can’t control the weather. At least not yet.
So you’ve just gotta hunker down and wait things out. You’ve gotta find yourself something to amuse yourself with. Some people might go for a wander around the terminal. Some might find some food or a TV with sports on it. Some might read a book.
And then there’s some people who might gather up the rest of the Broadway cast that’s there with them, because there’s a rival musical in the same terminal and some real West Side Story meta-shit is about to go down.
And that’s exactly what happened in New York’s LaGuardia Airport during a six hour weather delay, when the Broadway casts of The Lion King and Aladdin found themselves facing off.
Rising to the challenge of an impromptu sing-off, The Lion King cast busted out the much performed The Circle of Life – well proven to sound absolutely ace when done a cappella.
Aladdin followed with a choice bit of freestyling because – as they point out – how the hell are you supposed to follow The Circle of Freaking Life? Before The Lion King dug into the well and brought out One by One (a cut from the companion album to the original film’s soundtrack) before Aladdin brought it home with Arabian Nights.
If the airlines didn’t shower them with all the free snacks they can handle, they’re kidding themselves. Because this is some dope ass crowd control.
And just for the record, that is indeed Tony Award-winning actor James Monroe Iglehart, who plays both the Genie in Aladdin, and Titus Andromedon‘s chief rival Coriolanus Burt in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, wearing a CM Punk t-shirt.
That right there is quite easily the most ridiculous convergence of my interests that I have ever, ever seen.
