The Lion King
OPENING: October 15th, 1997
CLOSING: Still running as of this entry
Seen: October 6th, 2001
LOCATION: New Amsterdam Theater
Fellow Theater Kids: What was the show that made you a theater kid?
I suspect that this answer is deeply personal for everyone, but every single one of us has that moment etched us in your memory.
In my case, it was a movie. I was a small child and it was the first film I saw in theatres. The idea that it would have an even bigger presence on Broadway would have been mind-boggling to my tiny little brain, as I was so little that I didn’t even know what Broadway was. But as I sat there, awestruck by what I was seeing on the screen, something in me woke up for the first time.
The movie in question? The Lion King.
For years after, the movie lived rent-free in my head. And when it went to Broadway in 1997, even though I didn’t understand what Broadway was, a part of me just knew it belonged there.
In 2001, my friend’s mom called my mom. Through her job, she was able to get tickets to a benefit performance of The Lion King and she was asking whether or not my mom wanted to make a mom date of us and take me and my friend. My mom, without hesitation, said yes.
It was common sense, really. D was one of my best friends. He was funny, kind and didn’t bully me like the rest of the class did. And unlike my friend who I dragged to Annie Get Your Gun, he was actually excited about going. And our moms loved hanging out.
It was win-win-win for everyone involved.
Following the coattails of Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King was the second Disney animated film to make the jump to Midtown Manhattan. It makes sense Beauty and the Beast went first; despite the need to costume dinnerware, a good portion of the characters were human. The Lion King has exactly ZERO human characters. The true challenge was going to be costuming an entire savanna - and not making it look like a Halloween party.
Enter Julie Taymor.
Julie Taymor made her mark in the theater scene as a puppeteer. Enthralled by mythology, she learned how to seamlessly incorporate puppets into pieces she directed. And it was for this reason that she was singled out to direct the up and coming Lion King stage adaptation. Because who better than stage a show with no humans than someone who quite literally was the puppet master?
It was a risk. Ms. Taymor had only one Broadway directorial credit to her name and it ran for 49 performances. In addition, she would be designing AND directing, which is a tall order for anyone. Would it be possible on a production that was going to be as big of a spectacle that Lion King was going to be?
I think, after all these years, we can say that the answer is a resounding yes.
Even as a preteen, I had high expectations for the Lion King on Broadway. This was my favorite movie, after all. Was this going to be as corny as my middle school productions were, with their cardboard sets and fathead animals?
As D and I sat there in the mezzanine, we were blown away. Even all these years later, watching Pride Rock ride from the stage takes my breath away. And watching adult Simba fly into the stage – the athleticism from him out of this world good.
Years later he would be a Tony Nominee. But at that moment, Christopher Jackson wasn’t thinking about Hamiliton. Even In the Heights was seven years away. And D and I were definitely not thinking about where the actors would be in a couple of years. But now I can proudly say that I saw him in his Broadway debut – and he even left a mark. At the time of this writing and posting, he is starring in Hell’s Kitchen and from what I hear he is absolutely tearing it up. But honestly – for those of us who have seen him perform, could you really expect anything less?
But looking through the program – he wasn’t the only one. Lana Gordon of Hadestown fame played Shenzi. Also impressive was Samuel E. Wright – not only was he the Mufasa on the soundtrack, but he was Sebastian in The Little Mermaid. And I don’t mean the show – I mean the original movie that we all grew up on and love. But perhaps the biggest gem in this cast was tucked in the ensemble and the specialty dancers. While typing this up, imagine my surprise to find Camille M. Brown – arguably Broadway’s hottest choreographer right now – hidden in the ensemble.
And the animals weren’t fatheads. They were intricately crafted headpieces and intelligently designed body suits. I think that these costumes spoiled me – a standard had been set and I would not settle for less in my own work.
I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention the Disneyfication of Times Square. Many people credit the Times Square clean up to the infusion of Disney on Broadway; however, it’s my humble opinion that Disney’s entrance just sped up the process. What Giuliani did was make the area safer for the Broadway theaters that were being restored – and amongst them was the New Amsterdam where the Lion King was scheduled to move in.
The New Amsterdam Theater was one of the first Broadway Theaters to start operations. Originally one of the Ziegfeld Folly houses, it was Ziegfeld’s home base until 1927. However, it shuttered once the Great Depression hit. In 1993, Disney signed a 99 year lease on it and restored it to it’s former glory – and it started with The Lion King.
And restore it they did. The theater ghost Olive still runs free and the inside of the building sparkles in a way that the pictures just do not do justice to. And being a historical landmark – there are no elevators and the stairs are narrow and full of twists in a way that only a New York City building can make charming.
The Lion King moved out of the New Amsterdam and into the Minskoff in 2006. The reason for this? I can’t even begin to guess, but Mary Poppins moved in in 2007. At present, it’s home to Aladdin. It’s safe to say that Disney is absolutely getting it’s money worth out of that 99 year lease.
D and I went home that night in 2006 completely enthralled. Considering that it’s almost been 20 years, I wouldn’t say no to seeing it again. It would be awesome if I could see it again with D, but he’s engaged and not to me and that’s not a game I play. But maybe it would be better going alone to relive the memory anyway – and Sondheim knows that the spinning Pride Rock alone would be worth it.
Because really – every show needs a Pride Rock.
CAST: REPLACEMENT
RAFIKI: Thuli Dumakude
MUFASA: Samuel E. Wright
SARABI: Meena T. Jahi
ZAZU: Tony Freeman
SCAR: Martin Kildare
YOUNG SIMBA (Wed Eve, Fri, Sat Eve, Sun Eve): Ruben L. DelValle Jr.
YOUNG SIMBA (Wed Mat, Thurs, Sat Mat, Sun Mat): Mykel Bath
YOUNG NALA (Wed Mat, Fri, Sat Mat, Sun Eve): Tiana Coles
YOUNG NALA (Wed Eve, Thurs, Sat Eve, Sun Mat): Tristin Mays
SHENZI: Lana Gordon
BANZAI: Leonard Joseph
ED: Jeff Gurner
TIMON: John E. Brady
PUMBAA: Tom Alan Robbins
SIMBA: Christopher Jackson
NALA: Sharon L. Young
ENSEMBLE SINGERS: Terron Brooks, Brian Everet Chandler, Lindiwe Dlamini, Carol Mbambo Hansford, Lindiwe Hlengwa, Charles Holt, Meena T. Jahi, Faca Kulu, Ron Kunene, Philip Dorian McAdoo, Sheryl McCallum, Nhlanhla Ngema, Rema Webb, and Leonard Wooldridge.
ENSEMBLE DANCERS: Felipe Abrigo, Camille M. Brown, Iresol Cardona, LaTrisa A. Coleman, Mark Allen Davis, Michelle Dorant, Ramon Flowers, Marque Lynche Jr., Angelo Rivera, Ashi K, Smythe, Ryan Brooke Taylor, Christine Yasunga, and Valencia Yearwood.
SWINGS AND UNDERSTUDIES: Lindiwe Hlengwa (Rafiki); Sheryl McCallum (Rafiki); Brian Everet Chandler (Mufasa, Scar); Philip Dorian McAdoo (Mufasa, Banzai, Pumbaa); Frank Wright II (Mufasa, Ed); Camille M. Brown (Sarabi); Erika LaVonn (Sarabi, Nala); Jeff Gurner (Zazu, Timon); Rick Wasserman (Zazu, Timon, Pumbaa); Michelle Dorant (Shenzi); Rema Webb (Shenzi, Nala); Charles Holt (Banzai); Leonard Wooldridge (Ed, Simba); Terron Brooks (Simba); and Marque Lynche Jr (Simba).
SWINGS: C. Ross Edwards, Christopher Freeman, Dameka Hayes, Christine Hollingsworth, Tony James, Erika LaVonn, Gary Lewis, Dennis Lue, Angelica Edwards Patterson, Abdul Lateef Rasheed, Leonora Stapleton, Frank Wright II.
SPECIALTIES: Faca Kulu (Circle of Life Vocals, One By One Vocals); Nhlanhla Ngema (Circle of Life Vocals, Lioness Chant Vocal, One By One Dance); Charles Holt (Mouse Shadow Puppet, Lioness/Hyena Shadow Puppet); LaTrisa A. Coleman (Ant Hill Lady, Cheetah, Floor Dancer); Ryan Brooke Taylor (Guinea Fowl, Scar Shadow Puppet, Floor Dancer); Mark Allen Davis (Buzzard Pole, Scar Shadow Puppet); Christine Yasunga (Gazelle Wheel, Butterflies, Flying Dancer); Philip Dorian McAdoo (Mole); Ramon Flowers (Gazelle, Giraffe Shadow Puppet, Scar Shadow Puppet, Flying Dancer); Angelo Rivera (Gazelle, Acrobatic Trickster, Stilt Giraffe, Flying Dancer); Ashi K. Smythe (Acrobatic Trickster); Felipe Abrigo (Giraffe Shadow Puppet, Simba Shadow Puppet); Brian Everet Chandler (Simba Shadow Puppet); Leonard Wooldridge (Simba Shadow Puppet, Pumbaa Pole Puppets); Lindiwe Dlamini (One By One Vocals, Lioness/Hyena Shadow Puppet); Ron Kunene (One By One Dance); Camille M. Brown (Fireflies); Valencia Yearwood (Nala Pole Puppets, Flying Dancer); Carol Mbambo Hansford (Lioness/Hyena Shadow Puppet); Lindiwe Hlengwa (Lioness/Hyena Shadow Puppet); Sheryl McCallum (Lioness/Hyena Shadow Puppet); and Rema Webb (Lioness/Hyena Shadow Puppet).
Bordman, Gerald. “American Musical Theatre: A Chronicle.” New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 1978.
Brantley, Ben. “Child With Inner Jaguar In A 60’s Dreamscape.” New York Times, November 25th, 1996. https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/25/theater/child-with-inner-jaguar-in-a-60-s-dreamscape.html
New Amsterdam Theatre. “History”. Accessed October 8th, 2025. https://newamsterdamtheatre.com/history.php
Playbill.com. “Juan Darien”. Accessed October 8th, 2025. https://playbill.com/production/juan-darien-vivian-beaumont-theatre-vault-0000011238
Rothstein, Mervyn. “Before The Lion King, Julie Taymor Came to Broadway With A Jaguar Cub in Juan Darien.” Playbill.com; November 24, 2019. https://playbill.com/article/before-the-lion-king-julie-taymor-came-to-broadway-with-a-jaguar-cub-in-juan-darien
Welcome to Times Square. “History of Times Square.” Accessed October 8th, 2025. https://welcome-to-times-square.com/history-of-times-square/
