Posts Tagged ‘The Lion King Cast Update’
Lion King Nashville Return Engagement Schedule and Cast Update
Lion King musical national tour is all set to return Nashville from May 07 to June 02, 2013. The lion King engagement is presented by arrangement with TPAC and is a subscription offering of the HCA/Tri-Star Health Broadway at TPAC series.
Casting has been announced for the Nashville return engagement of Lion King musical. Nashville’s most eagerly awaited stage production ever will leap onto the stage in the Tennessee Performing Arts Center’s Andrew Jackson Hall from Tuesday, May 7 to Sunday, June 2, 2013. The show’s six-week premiere engagement in 2006 played a sold-out run at Tennessee Performing Arts Center – Andrew Jackson Hall.
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The production features Timothy Carter as “Scar”, Dionne Randolph as “Mufasa”, Nteliseng Nkhela as “Rafiki”, Mark David Kaplan as “Zazu”, Ben Lipitz as “Pumbaa”, Nick Cordileone as “Timon”, Jelani Remy as “Simba”, Syndee Winters as “Nala”, Keith Bennett as “Banzai”, Rashada Dawan as “Shenzi” and Robbie Swift as “Ed.”
The role of “Young Simba” is alternated between Zavion J. Hill and Adante Power and the role of “Young Nala” is alternated between Sade Phillip-Demorcy and Kailah McFadden.
Lion King will be in Nashville TN through June 02, 2013. Buy Lion King Tennessee Performing Arts Center Tickets Online – Buy NOW and SAVE $10 on ALL ORDERS of $350+, Use code: TICK13.
The Lion King North American Tour at Popejoy Hall Through October 28, 2012
Disney’s the Lion King Musical Comes to Albuquerque, New Mexico for a limited engagement of four weeks from October 02 to October 28, 2012.
The Lion King Popejoy Hall tickets are still available. “Albuquerque has received The Lion King with open arms,” said Tom Tkach, Director of Popejoy Hall. “Though we have sold out of several performances, tickets may still be purchased, with weeknight performances having the best availability.”
The Lion King Popejoy Hall Schedule:
Tuesday to Thursday – 7:30 PM
Friday – 8:00 PM
Saturday – 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM
Sunday – 1:00 PM and 6:30 PM
Cast Update: The “Scar” is played by Brent Harris. Dionne Randolph is “Mufasa”, Buyi Zama is “Rafiki.” “Simba,” is played by Jelani Remy and Syndee Winters is the loyal lioness “Nala.” The three evil hyenas are played by Keith Bennett (“Banzai”), Rashada Dawan (“Shenzi”) and Robbie Swift (“Ed”). The role of “Young Simba” is alternated between Zavion J. Hill and Adante Power and the role of “Young Nala” is alternated between Sade Phillip-Demorcy and Kailah McFadden.
Lion King musical will run through October 28 at Popejoy Hall. Buy Lion King Albuquerque NM Tickets Online at discounted prices, Get $10 OFF on Orders of $350 or more by using code AFF$10.
Andile Gumbi Joins The Lion King Broadway Cast as Simba
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 in The Lion King Musical
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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Lion King’s Young Simba Judah Bellamy in Broadway
Judah Bellamy who plays young Simba in the Broadway production of “The Lion King,” in front of the Minskoff Theatre in Times Square, Manhattan.
Judah Bellamy in Lion King Broadway
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.
Judah Roars in Lion King
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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Broadway’s The Lion King Welcomes Back Dashaun Young as Simba
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.
Dashaun Young Returns to The Lion King on Broadway
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!
The Lion King Touring Company’s Mufasa is Dionne Randolph through 2013
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.
Dionne Randolph in the Lion Mask as Mufasa - Lion King Musical
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.
