Lion King roars into town
Some of the freight containers for The Lion King’s extravagant props and costumes were so large that they could not fit into the loading bay at Marina Bay Sands, which is specially set up for receiving showbiz sets.
THE STRAITS TIMES | THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2011
By CORRIE TAN
So the hundreds of costumes, puppets and set pieces for the multi-million- dollar musical had to be moved into the stage area bit by bit. Associate director John Stefaniuk, 43, who has been working with show for nine years, says with a laugh: “You can’t just fit the savannah into any container.”
The 21/2-hour musical opens here tonight at the 1,680-seat Sands Theater. It is set to be the longest-running musical in Singapore because it will be the resident musical at Marina Bay Sands. While tickets are currently on sale only until May, new shows will be added based on public demand.
The musical is based on the 1994 Disney film, which tells the story of Simba, a lion cub who is heir to the throne on the African plains. Tragedy befalls his kingdom in the form of the villainous and power- hungry lion, Scar, and Simba must take up his father’s mantle to rule it once again. The cast of more than 50 from 10 countries started rehearsing here in January, and are excited to be performing The Lion King in the Lion City.
Stefaniuk says: “The city has been very welcoming to us, and everywhere we go, whether we are in a taxi or at a food stall, people are excited when they hear we’re with The Lion King.”Canadian actor Patrick Brown, who declined to give his age, is playing Scar.
He quipped: “We’re going to subtitle it The Merlion King.” Brown is playing Scar for the first time. He did not get the role the first time he tried out for it but points to the timing – he auditioned on the morning of Sept 11, 2001, just after the World Trade Centre towers collapsed in New York. The panel auditioning him was understandably distracted by the news.
He said with a laugh: “It’s fun to be the bad guy. Everyone really wants to be bad. There are consequences to being bad – but not on stage. You can be as evil as you like. “The only consequence is the energy drain at the end.”
British actor Jonathan Andrew Hume, 28, who plays the lead role of Simba, has a similar story of rejection and eventual success. He started out as the back end of a rhinoceros in the musical in London’s West End theatre district 10 years ago. He approached Stefaniuk to audition for the role of Simba.
Stefaniuk looked at him and said: “You’re not right for the part.” But over the years, Hume moved up through the food chain in the musical to take on the main role. The original 1997 award-winning stage musical was directed and designed by Julie Taymor, who was inspired by her travels through Asia.
For this production, an Indonesian instructor in masks, puppetry and movement was brought in to train the actors in the nuances of Balinese and Javanese movement. There will also be some regional references, developed during rehearsals, to give the musical a bit of local flavour. For example, in the Sydney production, a kangaroo was introduced and for the Las Vegas production, the cast sang Viva Las Vegas.
And even as the musical enters its 14th year on the world stage, it still remains fresh to those who have been involved in it for years, as well as a visual feast. Hume says: “After a decade, I’m still noticing things about the show that I’ve never seen before.” Stefaniuk adds: “Each show is never a replica. It still surprises and amazes me. Every where you look, you see something exciting.”
