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The Lion King Broadway Musical welcomes Andile Gumbi as the newest Simba on August 28, 2012. Though Gumbi is making his Broadway debut, he has played the role of Simba in four different countries and has been the face of The Lion King in advertisements throughout the world. The Lion King is a standing production at the Minskoff Theatre.

Andile Gumbi joins the New York company of The Lion King. Gumbi has also performed the role of Simba in London, Sydney, Melbourne, Shanghai and South Africa. A South African native, his other theatrical credits include Dance Through Me, Nkonyeni High and Ntsikana. His screen credits include Australian’s Good Friday Appeal and Carols By Candlelight.

Based on the popular Disney film, The Lion King opened on Broadway on November 13, 1997 at the New Amsterdam Theater, before transferring to the Minskoff in 2006. Now in its 15th year, the show has spawned 19 productions around the world and has been translated into seven different languages. The Lion King is the fifth longest-running show in Broadway history and won six Tony Awards in 1998 including Best Musical. Director Julie Taymor became the first woman in history to win the Tony for Best Direction of a Musical.

The Lion King currently stars Alton Fitzgerald White as Mufasa, Patrick R. Brown as Scar, Tshidi Manye as Rafiki, Jeff Binder as Zazu, Ben Jeffrey as Pumbaa, Fred Berman as Timon and Syndee Winters as Nala.

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Judah Bellamy who plays young Simba in the Broadway production of “The Lion King,” in front of the Minskoff Theatre in Times Square, Manhattan.

When Judah was 6, he announced he would play Simba one day on Broadway. With Judah’s father, Bellamy being a writer in Baltimore, and his mother a day care provider, the dream was brushed off as a childish fantasy.

The Bellamys were so profoundly impacted by the rich African culture embedded in the show that Bernita played “The Lion King songs” to her belly in 1999 when she was pregnant with her first born, Judah Bellamy—who now plays Simba on Broadway.

“None of us can sing. It is just not a part of our make up. I’d probably be less surprised if they told me he could move objects with his mind,” his father said. But not only could Judah sing, he also memorized the entire “The Lion King” script by age 5. He then moved on to memorizing the Danish and German versions. His father could no longer ignore Judah’s wish when he turned 9, and began taking him to “Lion King” auditions.

Without ever taking a single singing or acting lesson, Judah left for his trip to New York. As a 4’3” 9-year-old, he walked into the large auditioning room, getting lost among 50 Simba hopefuls who were at least 3 inches taller than him. To the judges’ surprise, the most regal, resounding voice bustled from the little body. But it was more than the voice that captured the directors’ attention; it was Judah’s passion for ” The Lion King” scenes, his striking familiarity and natural ease with the script, and his compelling bearing as Simba. There was one small problem. He was too short for the role. Over the next two years, Judah was invited to audition five times. Although he was rejected each time, Judah held firmly to his dream.

“I’m going back to get it, at no time did I think I wasn’t going to get it,” he said. He got the auspicious phone call at age 11. Although his dream finally came to fruition, strangely, at such a young age, Judah’s excitement did not affect his rationale. “I ate dinner… I went to bed, because, you know, I wouldn’t really do anything until a month later,” Judah said.

Judah’s first four weeks on Broadway consisted strictly of trainings, with zero break days. But that did not stop Judah from being “a big ball of energy,” his father recalled.

Even today, at age 13, “The Lion King” is still Judah’s favorite movie. He continues to sing “Into the Night” in the shower, which happens to be his favorite scene—where Simba meets his father’s spirit in the starry sky.

Judah aspires to be a screenwriter, director, and film actor after his Simba days are over. He recently completed an independent film with Jono Oliver, an award-winning director. The film, called “Home,” is about the complex relationship between a mentally ill father and his young son. The director was originally looking for younger actors for the role of the son, but out of an array of actors, Judah was chosen for his “nuance” in the difficult role, his father said.

Although Judah has had a string of luck in his acting career, in his father’s eyes, the most important thing Judah has learned is having compassion and love for others.

Read the complete story {Via TheEpochTimes.com}

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The Lion King is currently playing on tour in Greenville, SC. The Lion King tour is looking forward to bringing the show to Houston, Texas for the third time from July 10 to August 12, 2012.

On the morning of June 14, the charming and personable Buyi Zama, who plays Rafiki, took some time out of her demanding performance schedule to talk to me about playing Rafiki all over the world, the wax figurine of Rafiki at Madam Tussauds Las Vegas and some siggestions for everyone with dreams and aspirations. Here is the glimpse of the Musical review by David Clarke at broadwayworld.com

As a child, you never saw yourself as a performer. Is there a unique and interesting story behind how you came to be in the beloved and well known and musical, The Lion King?

Is that a question? (Laughs) I never saw myself… (Pauses) I used to sing. I used to sing all the time, but anything other than just singing, I never saw myself as that. And, I thought everyone could sing, so I didn’t think it was anything special. So, yeah! (Pauses) My audition, I was hanging out on with a friend, so I didn’t really plan to audition for Lion King. And, they gave me a job for some reason. I don’t know. I still think they’re going to find out one day that I’m not really trying to do it; I was just at the right place at the right time and they were desperate enough to give me a job.

Rafiki is a fan-favorite character. What has been like playing this role all over the world?

You know, what’s great about Rafiki is that no one understands her, but everyone understands her at the same time. (Pauses) Me included. (Laughs) Because she is a mysterious being, you know. She is half baboon, half woman. She is just wise woman. I mean, I sing in a language that most people don’t understand wherever I’m at, except when I performed in South Africa where they understood each and every word. Everywhere else we don’t understand her, but they just get the character. They get what I’m about. They get what the character is about. And, that’s partly, or mostly, I think, because (Pauses) emotions have no language. People are actually able to let go of trying to analyze everything, and they just feel. So when you get to use that part of you, which is feelings, you enjoy something more. It’s just like when you love someone and you can’t put it in words, only because you feel it and you can’t explain it.

While playing Rafiki in Las Vegas, Madame Tussauds commissioned a wax figurine of you in the Rafiki costume. What was that experience like?

Um! (Laughs) Firstly, maybe I’m weird, but whenever things like that happen, I always just think, “Aw, that’s not me. They’re not doing this becuase… It’s just something that they want to do. It’s not… (Pauses) It’s not real.” I never believe those things, even though they are happening for real. (Laughs) I guess that’s the weird part of me. Because… (Pauses) I mean, when I was there to unveil the thing, I was, “Why is everyone taking so many pictures? It’s this wax thing. It’s not me, of course. It’s Rafiki.” And also, I think there is that separation, of course, between me and Rafiki. I always just think that Rafiki upstages me all the time. (Laughs) She’s that strong. (Pauses) It is mostly about Rafiki. It’s never me. I just bring her to life. That’s all.

Rafiki displays incredible strength in the show, always believing in Simba and being a good mentor to Simba. Do you share this personality trait or any other personality trait with the character you portray?

Yes. I basically believe in everyone, in my life. I feel that I always want to see the best out of people, be it my family, my friends. You know, I always look for that good part of them, and I want that to be seen by everyone else. People spend enough time doubting themselves. Yes, for that, and taking care of everyone and having everyone come to me for advice, I guess Rafiki and I share that. We’re there to help.

In your opinion, what is it about The Lion King that makes it appeal to such diverse audiences?

I think because it’s a good versus evil story, and, you know, people always want good, being good, to outshine evil, of course, to win. And everyone can identify with it. It’s a family story. It’s a family show. It’s one of those family shows that you can take the whole family [to]. And everyone, you know, the dad’s will identify with Mufasa, and the mother’s with Sarabi. And, you know, being part of a community is what The Lion King is about. Everyone can identify. I think that’s what it is. (Pauses) And, also, it’s more than just, as much as we would think that it’s just about animals, it’s a human story. (Pauses) You know, it’s very human. It goes to that part of ourselves—it’s that emotional center, again; you get to that part. And, the puppets! (Laughs) They make it amazing. People feel like they’re part of the story because they see how everything works. They feel like they, you know, are backstage. They see the gazelle wheel, and they see that, you know, of course, this thing is attached to these wheels that look like a bicycle, but they’re still able to use their imagination. You know, they’re not just limited just to what we want to show them, they also feel like they see how things work. That’s why.

Now that you have established yourself as a musical theatre actress, is there now a dream role that you’d love to play?

See, this is the thing; I wish I had played another role then I would be dreaming of playing Rafiki. (Laughs) But now, I think I’m playing my dream role. Even though I didn’t plan it. I didn’t ever… it’s just this is where it started for me. It just started big! So, (Pauses) I mean, I was in the ensemble a long time ago, when I started. You know, I was having fun then. But then they gave me Rafiki. They believed in me more than I believed in myself. Which is why I always try to make people believe in them[selves]. People never stop and see their potential, and I think I did not see mine. I didn’t know that I could do what I do, until someone else saw it in me and believed in me. Now, I always try to spark that in people and just encourage them. So, you know, this is my dream role, and, of course, I’m living my dream because I travel. That’s all I can ask for, really. (Pauses) You know. That’s it. I don’t know if I… Let me think. I’ve never actually [thought] about it. Maybe when I see you, after the show, I will know. (Laughs) But, I think I’m playing my dream role. (Pauses) Yeah. People tell me I’m pretty funny (Pauses). Sometimes! (Laughs) People tend to laugh around me, so maybe I should get into some comedy. I don’t know. (Laughs) But, I don’t know. I don’t know if there’s a role that I’d like… I don’t know. It hasn’t been written yet.

Read the complete interview {Via BroadwayWorld.com}

The Lion King roars into Houston on July 10, 2012 and it plays at Sarofim Hall Hobby Center until August 12, 2012. Buy Lion King Houston TX Tickets Online, Use Code SUMMERFUNTN to Save $10 on Orders of $250 or more!

The Lion King will welcome Dashaun Young back to Broadway as Simba. Dashaun Young returns as the King of Pride Rock in Broadway’s The Lion King beginning May 16.

Young has previously played the role of Simba on Broadway, North American tour, and most recently in the Las Vegas company. Young will assume the role from current Simba, Adam Jacobs, who is taking a brief hiatus but plans to return to the Tony-winning production on June 26.

Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions, The Lion King is playing at Broadway’s Minskoff Theatre (200 West 45th Street).

In addition to The Lion King, Young has appeared in New York and on tour in: Hairspray (first national tour), Legends (NY premiere), The Scottsboro Boys (reading), Emerald Man (workshop). His regional credits include: Hairspray; Hello, Dolly!; Aida; and Radio City Christmas Spectacular. He appeared in the film Sex and the City 2 and received training at California State University, Fullerton.

Young joins current cast members Alton Fitzgerald White as Mufasa, Patrick R. Brown as the sardonic and deviously cunning Scar, Tshidi Manye as the wise baboon shaman Rafiki, Jeff Binder as Zazu, Ben Jeffrey as the carefree warthog Pumbaa, Fred Berman as the wisecracking meerkat Timon and Chauntee Schuler as the loyal lioness Nala.

The three evil hyenas are played by James Brown-ORLEANS (Banzai), Bonita J. Hamilton (Shenzi) and Enrique Segura (Ed). The role of Young Simba is alternated between Judah Bellamy and Niles Fitch and the role of Young Nala is alternated between NIA ASHLEIGH and Imani Dia Smith.

The musical currently plays Broadway’s Minskoff Theatre. Get discounts on Lion King New York NY Tickets Online, Get $10 OFF on Orders of $350 or more by using Code #SpringSavings at Checkout!

Lion King Broadway Tour will stop in Miami for four weeks from May 15 to June 10, 2012.

Lion King musical is all about the noble lion king Mufasa sacrifices his own life to save his headstrong young son Simba. Mufasa’s evil brother Scar commits fratricide and rules over a dying kingdom. Young love blossoms when Simba reencounters his boyhood friend Nala, then finds the brave purpose that would make his late father proud. The darker elements of The Lion King’s universally resonant story are the stuff of Greek tragedy, but the reliably moving musical glows with a hopeful ending and many moments of beauty, joy and the celebration of life.

For two of the cast members in the Lion King’s touring company, playing the Arsht Center means coming home. Syndee Winters, a Palmetto High graduate, is playing the adult Nala, a role she has coveted since she was a child.

Sharron Williams, a New World School of the Arts and Florida State University grad, plays multiple roles — a cheetah, a lioness, a wildebeest, a hyena and more. Both women trained as dancers and are thrilled to be performing in a show choreographed by Garth Fagan, a Tony-winning modern dance figure.

“When the show played South Florida before, I was in Miami but I couldn’t afford a ticket to see it,” says Winters, who plans to teach a class at her old high school while the show is at the Arsht. “When you come to see The Lion King, you suspend your disbelief. For the next two and a half hours, you belong to us. You could be the biggest, buffest guy, but when you hear Circle of Life, you’re affected. You get a lump in your throat. You get chills.”

Winters’ pal Williams, who will also teach a class while the show is in town, expects as many as 30 people in her extended family will see The Lion King during its Arsht run. For her, the show’s appeal is a combination of story, design, music and Fagan’s demanding choreography.

“When I first saw it, I laughed, I cried, I was touched in every way,” Williams says. “The work is challenging. The beat of the drums, the costumes, the music — they make you feel fierce. I get excited every time.”

Lion King at Ziff Opera House At The Adrienne Arsht Center will perform from May 15, 2012 through June 10, 2012. Lion King Miami FL Tickets sales is in full swing. Book your Lion King Miami FL tickets in advance, Use Code #SpringSavings at Checkout to Get $10 OFF on Orders of $350 or more!

Dionne Randolph is Mufasa in the Broadway touring company of The Lion King Musical. Randolph recently signed a new contract that will keep him in the lion mask through 2013. Dionne Randolph, 39, a nine-year company veteran plays Mufasa in the Lion King Touring team.

Randolph, in fact, was just about to sign a new contract for the theme-park show when he got the call from The Lion King tour; he originally understudied Mufasa before taking on the role full time six years ago.

He got into performing accidentally. He was studying aeronautical engineering at Morehouse College in Atlanta when he participated in Disney’s college-worker program. A show producer heard him talking in the “tunnels” under the Magic Kingdom and asked him to record some voice-overs. That led to a job as the voice of Disney’s Star Wars Weekends and a gig on the resort’s radio station. A Busch Gardens casting director heard him singing on the radio, which led to a job in that theme park, as well as cruise-ship and regional-theater work before returning to Disney.

“Every six months for me, it’s a new show,” he says. That’s because the bulk of Mufasa’s stage time is spent with children portraying young Simba, and the child actors frequently switch as they outgrow the part. “Those boys are hilarious,” says Randolph, “They bring a new energy for me.” “It shows the power of imagination. That’s the key to ‘The Lion King.’ That’s why people love ‘The Lion King,'” he says.”It’s the circle of life … that’s what we do.”

Lion King is currently performing at Mahalia Jackson Theatre in New Orleans LA through April 15, 2012. From here it moves to the Dionne Randolph’s home town Orlando Florida – Schedule (April 17 to May 13, 2012). Get $10 OFF on Lion King Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre Tickets Orders over $350! Use Code #SpringSavings at Checkout.

Disney’s “The Lion King” is welcoming three new cast members to the Las Vegas production at Mandalay Bay.

South African native Phindile Mkhize will take the stage as Rafiki on July 4. She has toured with “The Lion King” for eight years and traveled to Germany, Australia, Holland and Amsterdam.

Dashaun Young began his role as Simba in Las Vegas on June 23 following performances in London, Broadway and the National Tour.

Broadway newcomer Samantha Ware debuted with “The Lion King” on June 13. Ware hails from Lincoln, NE, where she was a student at Doane College.

Mandalay Bay’s production of The Lion King debuted in May 2009. Within nine weeks, it broke the resort’s box office record.

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13 new cast members have joined Disney’s The Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre.

Liverpudlian actress Ava Brennan makes her West End debut as ‘Nala,’ having recently played this principal role in the Hamburg production. Damian Baldet , who has worked at La Jolla Playhouse, Soho rep and the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, comes fresh from the Las Vegas production to play the role of ‘Timon’. Jacquelyn Hodges joins having also performed in the Las Vegas production and in the North American tour, to play the role of ‘Shenzi’. In addition, Sebastien Torkia will play the role of ‘Ed’. Previous West End credits include Saturday Night Fever, A Streetcar Named Desire, La Cage Aux Folles and Guys and Dolls.

New ensemble performers: Curtis Lee Scott, Cleveland Cathnott, Francisco Lins, Wade Lewin, Darcel Frederik, Aisha Jawando, Momo Yeung, Jose Alves and Jamie Golding who will contribute to the international company which already includes performers from 16 countries around the world: UK, Canada, USA, South Africa, Jamaica, Japan, Germany, Holland, France, Mexico, Australia, China, Taiwan, South Africa, Singapore and Korea.

The show continues to feature Shaun Escoffery (Mufasa) and George Asprey (Scar).

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Disney Theatrical Productions: The Lion King Welcomes Clifton Oliver As Simba to Broadway’s Minskoff Theater. Clifton Oliver took over the role as Simba starting from Friday, May 13. Dashaun Young, who played his final Broadway performance on Saturday, May 7 as Simba, will reprise the role with the Las Vegas company on Monday, June 20. Oliver originated the role of Simba in the Las Vegas production at Mandalay Bay (2009) and the Los Angeles production at the Pantages Theater (2000) and performed as Simba on the first national tour.

Clifton Oliver also starred on Broadway as Benny (opposite Jordin Sparks) in In the Heights and as Fiyero in Wicked and appeared in the Los Angeles company of Ragtime. Oliver’s Off-Broadway credits include Wig Out and Miracle Brothers (Vineyard Theatre). Touring productions include Benny in Rent (Australia) and Teen Angel in Grease (second national). Television includes a guest starring role as Mad Hoops on “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.”

Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions, The Lion King is currently playing at Broadway’s Minskoff Theatre (200 West 45th Street). The show officially opened on Broadway on November 13, 1997.

The Broadway cast of The Lion King also features GARETH SAXE as the sardonic and deviously cunning “Scar,” ALTON FITZGERALD WHITE as “Mufasa,” the great warrior and ruler of the Pridelands, and TSHIDI MANYE as the wise baboon shaman “Rafiki.” CAMERON POW portrays the prim and proper hornbilled bird “Zazu,” TOM ALAN ROBBINS is the carefree warthog “Pumbaa,” FRED BERMAN is the wisecracking meerkat “Timon” and CHAUNTEÉ SCHULER is the loyal lioness “Nala.”

The Lion King is the seventh longest-running musical in Broadway history and one of only five productions in theatre history to play for ten years or more, both on Broadway and in the West End. The Lion King can currently be seen on Broadway (its flagship production), on stages across North America, and in Las Vegas, London’s West End, Hamburg, Tokyo and Singapore.

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Samantha Ware to Play the Role of Nala in Lion King Las Vegas Production Starting June 13, 2011.

“The Lion King” reached out to Ware in March while she was in Kansas City, playing opposite Sally Struthers in “Chicago” at Union Station’s City Stage. She took off the spring semester from Doane, where’s she’s a sophomore.

She played Mimi in “Rent” last year at the City Stage in Union Station, in Kansas City, Mo. Locally, however, she is a stage veteran, having appeared in numerous shows at the Lincoln Community Playhouse, Pinewood Bowl and her high school, Lincoln North Star. Samantha Ware is a 2009 North Star graduate.

She went to New York to audition for a role in the Broadway production of Lion King. Producers of “The Lion King” called her in December, but, unfortunately, lost out on the role after reaching the final two. But there was a consolation prize — “The Lion King” asked if she would be willing to play Nala in its Las Vegas production at the Mandalay Bay casino. She agreed, and will begin her run June 13.

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