Photo:Mikayla RenfrowTalk about a magic carpet ride!On Monday, Mikayla Renfrow, an understudy for Jasmine inAladdinon Broadway, posteda TikTokdetailing her down-to-the-wire return to the Great White Way after receiving a last-minute call to play theDisneyprincess onstage.The video starts off with Renfrow explaining that she was on a Delta flight home from Europe when the stage manager of the show sent her an urgent text.“Mikayla… please send an updated eta when you can. I may need you for Jasmine tonight,” the message read.In the TikTok, Renfrow explained, “I had 4 more hours to go, and would be landing around 5pm – which gave me no time for me to make the show for half hour call.”Renfrow tells PEOPLE that she was originally set to land in the city early Tuesday morning to take on her ensemble role that evening. However, her flight was delayed, pushing her comeback performance to Wednesday. The text Renfrow received after the current Jasmine, Sonya Balsara, fell ill meant the actress would have to return to the New Amsterdam Theater at 6:30 p.m. that night — so she sprung into action.Mikayla RenfrowShe tells PEOPLE that “panic” ran through her head at that moment. “I think my brain just immediately started going through every option that I knew was possible at that point,” she said.Renfrow writes in her TikTok that she asked her flight attendant if she’d be able to be the first one off the plane to make it to the theater on time. Then, the actress wrote in her TikTok, “That’s when it got crazy.”She explained to PEOPLE, “Never in a million years did I think what they had in store was what the plan was going to be.”The pilot met with the performer and told her the only way she’d be able to make it to the theater from John F. Kennedy International Airport in time was to take a helicopter, reducing the up-to-two-hour-long drive to minutes. She writes in the video that the pilot said “he would do everything in his power to get me there on time,” including requesting a gate closer to customs.Mikayla RenfrowNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.As Renfrow waited for the plane to land, the actress was moved to a seat in the front of first class, so she could get a nice meal and some sleep before landing. She was also given “a giant water bottle to make sure I stay hydrated.”In her seat, Renfrow tells PEOPLE “my first instinct was to just put my earphones on and listen to the music, so that I could run through the mental story that I needed as an actor.”In her TikTok, she writes that she had gate issues upon landing and almost missed her helicopter. A Delta agent expedited her through customs, leaving her only two minutes to get from the terminal to the chopper.“I ended up being 1 minute late, but Blade waited for me knowing this was my last try at making it for the show. They saved me!!!” Renfrow writes, explaining to PEOPLE that she was “constantly in contact with somebody at the company,” to keep them aware of her ETA.Mikayla RenfrowThe actress takes in the New York City skyline during her seven-minute helicopter ride, telling PEOPLE she thought, “How on earth am I going to be Jasmine in an hour?”Myriah Bash, general manager ofAladdinon Broadway, tells PEOPLE the untraditional transit to Manhattan “is the modern day magic carpet,” saying the helicopter “seemed like the best guarantee.”“I did not want to keep 1,700 people waiting,” Bash adds, telling PEOPLE the adage “the show must go on” remained true while searching for the right solution to get Renfrow to the stage.She landed in Hudson Yards and looked for a cab. However, unable to find one, the actress ran from 12th Avenue to 7th Avenue, making it to a train that got her to the theater in time.Mikayla RenfrowRenfrow writes, “I made it … thanks to Delta & Blade championing me through.” In the video the actress quickly transforms into the princess before taking the stage.At the end of her TikTok, Renfrow reveals that her flight attendant was even able to make it out to the show and see her perform as Jasmine.“Hearing her cheer me on from the moment I stepped out just carried me through the whole thing,” she tells PEOPLE, “So that show was for her. She helped me through that whole journey, even to the theater at the end of the night.”
Photo:Mikayla Renfrow
Mikayla Renfrow
Talk about a magic carpet ride!On Monday, Mikayla Renfrow, an understudy for Jasmine inAladdinon Broadway, posteda TikTokdetailing her down-to-the-wire return to the Great White Way after receiving a last-minute call to play theDisneyprincess onstage.The video starts off with Renfrow explaining that she was on a Delta flight home from Europe when the stage manager of the show sent her an urgent text.“Mikayla… please send an updated eta when you can. I may need you for Jasmine tonight,” the message read.In the TikTok, Renfrow explained, “I had 4 more hours to go, and would be landing around 5pm – which gave me no time for me to make the show for half hour call.”Renfrow tells PEOPLE that she was originally set to land in the city early Tuesday morning to take on her ensemble role that evening. However, her flight was delayed, pushing her comeback performance to Wednesday. The text Renfrow received after the current Jasmine, Sonya Balsara, fell ill meant the actress would have to return to the New Amsterdam Theater at 6:30 p.m. that night — so she sprung into action.Mikayla RenfrowShe tells PEOPLE that “panic” ran through her head at that moment. “I think my brain just immediately started going through every option that I knew was possible at that point,” she said.Renfrow writes in her TikTok that she asked her flight attendant if she’d be able to be the first one off the plane to make it to the theater on time. Then, the actress wrote in her TikTok, “That’s when it got crazy.”She explained to PEOPLE, “Never in a million years did I think what they had in store was what the plan was going to be.”The pilot met with the performer and told her the only way she’d be able to make it to the theater from John F. Kennedy International Airport in time was to take a helicopter, reducing the up-to-two-hour-long drive to minutes. She writes in the video that the pilot said “he would do everything in his power to get me there on time,” including requesting a gate closer to customs.Mikayla RenfrowNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.As Renfrow waited for the plane to land, the actress was moved to a seat in the front of first class, so she could get a nice meal and some sleep before landing. She was also given “a giant water bottle to make sure I stay hydrated.”In her seat, Renfrow tells PEOPLE “my first instinct was to just put my earphones on and listen to the music, so that I could run through the mental story that I needed as an actor.”In her TikTok, she writes that she had gate issues upon landing and almost missed her helicopter. A Delta agent expedited her through customs, leaving her only two minutes to get from the terminal to the chopper.“I ended up being 1 minute late, but Blade waited for me knowing this was my last try at making it for the show. They saved me!!!” Renfrow writes, explaining to PEOPLE that she was “constantly in contact with somebody at the company,” to keep them aware of her ETA.Mikayla RenfrowThe actress takes in the New York City skyline during her seven-minute helicopter ride, telling PEOPLE she thought, “How on earth am I going to be Jasmine in an hour?”Myriah Bash, general manager ofAladdinon Broadway, tells PEOPLE the untraditional transit to Manhattan “is the modern day magic carpet,” saying the helicopter “seemed like the best guarantee.”“I did not want to keep 1,700 people waiting,” Bash adds, telling PEOPLE the adage “the show must go on” remained true while searching for the right solution to get Renfrow to the stage.She landed in Hudson Yards and looked for a cab. However, unable to find one, the actress ran from 12th Avenue to 7th Avenue, making it to a train that got her to the theater in time.Mikayla RenfrowRenfrow writes, “I made it … thanks to Delta & Blade championing me through.” In the video the actress quickly transforms into the princess before taking the stage.At the end of her TikTok, Renfrow reveals that her flight attendant was even able to make it out to the show and see her perform as Jasmine.“Hearing her cheer me on from the moment I stepped out just carried me through the whole thing,” she tells PEOPLE, “So that show was for her. She helped me through that whole journey, even to the theater at the end of the night.”
Talk about a magic carpet ride!
On Monday, Mikayla Renfrow, an understudy for Jasmine inAladdinon Broadway, posteda TikTokdetailing her down-to-the-wire return to the Great White Way after receiving a last-minute call to play theDisneyprincess onstage.
The video starts off with Renfrow explaining that she was on a Delta flight home from Europe when the stage manager of the show sent her an urgent text.
“Mikayla… please send an updated eta when you can. I may need you for Jasmine tonight,” the message read.
In the TikTok, Renfrow explained, “I had 4 more hours to go, and would be landing around 5pm – which gave me no time for me to make the show for half hour call.”
Renfrow tells PEOPLE that she was originally set to land in the city early Tuesday morning to take on her ensemble role that evening. However, her flight was delayed, pushing her comeback performance to Wednesday. The text Renfrow received after the current Jasmine, Sonya Balsara, fell ill meant the actress would have to return to the New Amsterdam Theater at 6:30 p.m. that night — so she sprung into action.
She tells PEOPLE that “panic” ran through her head at that moment. “I think my brain just immediately started going through every option that I knew was possible at that point,” she said.
Renfrow writes in her TikTok that she asked her flight attendant if she’d be able to be the first one off the plane to make it to the theater on time. Then, the actress wrote in her TikTok, “That’s when it got crazy.”
She explained to PEOPLE, “Never in a million years did I think what they had in store was what the plan was going to be.”
The pilot met with the performer and told her the only way she’d be able to make it to the theater from John F. Kennedy International Airport in time was to take a helicopter, reducing the up-to-two-hour-long drive to minutes. She writes in the video that the pilot said “he would do everything in his power to get me there on time,” including requesting a gate closer to customs.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
As Renfrow waited for the plane to land, the actress was moved to a seat in the front of first class, so she could get a nice meal and some sleep before landing. She was also given “a giant water bottle to make sure I stay hydrated.”
In her seat, Renfrow tells PEOPLE “my first instinct was to just put my earphones on and listen to the music, so that I could run through the mental story that I needed as an actor.”
In her TikTok, she writes that she had gate issues upon landing and almost missed her helicopter. A Delta agent expedited her through customs, leaving her only two minutes to get from the terminal to the chopper.
“I ended up being 1 minute late, but Blade waited for me knowing this was my last try at making it for the show. They saved me!!!” Renfrow writes, explaining to PEOPLE that she was “constantly in contact with somebody at the company,” to keep them aware of her ETA.
The actress takes in the New York City skyline during her seven-minute helicopter ride, telling PEOPLE she thought, “How on earth am I going to be Jasmine in an hour?”
Myriah Bash, general manager ofAladdinon Broadway, tells PEOPLE the untraditional transit to Manhattan “is the modern day magic carpet,” saying the helicopter “seemed like the best guarantee.”
“I did not want to keep 1,700 people waiting,” Bash adds, telling PEOPLE the adage “the show must go on” remained true while searching for the right solution to get Renfrow to the stage.
She landed in Hudson Yards and looked for a cab. However, unable to find one, the actress ran from 12th Avenue to 7th Avenue, making it to a train that got her to the theater in time.
Renfrow writes, “I made it … thanks to Delta & Blade championing me through.” In the video the actress quickly transforms into the princess before taking the stage.
At the end of her TikTok, Renfrow reveals that her flight attendant was even able to make it out to the show and see her perform as Jasmine.
“Hearing her cheer me on from the moment I stepped out just carried me through the whole thing,” she tells PEOPLE, “So that show was for her. She helped me through that whole journey, even to the theater at the end of the night.”
source: people.com
