Disney’s ‘Lion King’ at Popejoy
Amazing puppetry, high energy creates a tale familiar to everyone in ‘Lion King’
More than 130 million across the globe have seen it.
It garnered six Tony Awards. It’s been touring the world for more than a decade and it’s still going.
Yes, it’s Disney’s “The Lion King” and it’s coming to Popejoy Hall for a 30-performance run beginning on Tuesday, Oct. 4.
The production that will be in Albuquerque features Mark Campbell as “Scar,” Gerald Ramsey as “Mufasa,” Buyi Zama as “Rafiki,” Drew Hirshfield as “Zazu,” Ben Lipitz as “Pumbaa,” Nick Cordileone as “Timon,” Aaron Nelson as “Simba,” Nia Holloway as “Nala,” Keith Bennett as “Banzai,” Tiffany Denise Hobbs as “Shenzi” and Robbie Swift as “Ed.”
The role of “Young Simba” is alternated between BJ Covington and Julian Rivera-Summerville, and the role of “Young Nala” is alternated between Meilani Cisneros and Savanna Fleisher.
John Stefaniuk is an associate director of the Broadway smash.
He is currently in Amsterdam, where a new production of “The Lion King” is being worked out.
“This is the best thing about the job,” he says. “To take the show around the world. I try to make a real point of ensconcing the world with the people. I meet the locals and then I’m able to incorporate the area into the show. It’s a show that’s not about replication. Each show tells the story through a different lens.”
“The Lion King” begins at Pride Rock on the savannah, where Mufasa, the Lion King, and his queen, Sarabi, introduce their newborn son, Simba.
Meanwhile, Mufasa’s wicked brother, Scar, laments the unfairness of his life.
He resents the new prince and the cub’s status as the next in line to be king — a position he covets for himself.
As time passes, Simba grows into a cocky young cub. Mufasa leads his son to the summit of Pride Rock, where they look down upon the Pridelands.
Mufasa tells Simba that everything
lives together in a delicate balance called the Circle of Life, and warns him never to go beyond the boundaries of the Pridelands and into the territories of the evil hyenas.
Scar then plots the deaths of Simba and Mufasa in a stampede. Simba lives and Scar makes him believe it’s his fault. Thus marking Simba’s journey. “The story just resonates with so many people,” Stefaniuk says. “It doesn’t matter where you come from, this story exists.”
After years of seeing the production, Stefaniuk says, for him, it’s a feast for the eyes.
“You have this puppetry that is amazing,” he says. “Then you mix it with African culture and music, which is foreign to us as Westerners. The music is so spiritual. It gets you in touch with your energies and you feel that energy. You put that in the mix with a simple story of this boy who goes out into the world.”
“The Lion King” is unique in that there is so much puppetry.
Julie Taymor, director and mask/ puppet designer, says that, when the human spirit visibly animates an object, we experience a special, almost lifegiving connection.
“Disney animated characters are so expressive — they’re animals, but they’re very human animals,” she says. “I had to play with keeping some of the ‘character’ of the Disney characters, so that they’re recognizable. But then, I was also very inspired by African masks, which are much more abstract, much more stylized, much more essential, less soft and round.”
Taymor didn’t want the faces to look flat and wanted the masks to have depth.
“In contrast to the continually changing facial expressions in the animated film, a mask can project a single, fixed attitude,” she says. “The sculptor has only one opportunity to incorporate the anger, humor and passion of a character, to tell his or her whole story.”
Stefaniuk says each production aims to remain true to its African roots.
“There is singing in different African languages,” he says. “We teach each performer proper pronunciation. It’s important to give the authenticity and every country is different, therefore each production is different. That’s the beauty of this show.”