Disney’s The Lion King Cast ‘ecstatic’ to be back on stage!

Disney’s The Lion King Musical returned to the Lyceum Theatre on July 29 for the first time since the production had to close in March 2020. Members of the West End cast of The Lion King have said they are ‘ecstatic’ and ‘emotional’ to finally be back performing on stage.  

The show, which was the West End’s best-selling stage production when it closed, has been running in London for 22 years and has been seen by more than 16 million people during that time. 

Janique Charles, who plays the character of Nala, told the PA news agency the day of opening night: “I’m absolutely ecstatic, it’s been such a long time. I’m getting emotional right now because this is what we are born to do, so when you guys come out to see the show on July 29 and onwards, that’s the energy you’re going to be feeling. It’s going to be electric; it will be as no other West End show that you’ve seen before”.

Kayi Ushe, who stars as Simba, said: “I think it’s going to be a release for everyone, to finally have that audience and performer relationship come alive once again – we’ve been stopped for so long. I mean, when we roar on stage, we’ll hear them roar out front, and it’s going to be massive”.

The stage production is based on the Disney animated film released in 1994, which is set in Serengeti in Africa, and follows lion cub Simba, who is running away after his father, Mufasa, the king of the pride, is murdered by his brother Scar. 

Discussing the show’s message, Ushe said: “The journey that Simba goes on is something that we can all relate to, losing someone, losing sight of yourself, especially given this past 16 months. I feel like now is the perfect time to play such a role, to give people that cathartic feeling of inspiring hope. He goes on a journey, he reclaims his kingdom, he comes back and takes his rightful place as king. Letting people know that they can do the same thing, it’s wonderful to be able to give people hope”.

The film was adapted in 2019 into a live-action format with photorealistic animals and scenery and featured an all-star line-up including singing superstar Beyonce as Nala and Donald Glover, better known as rapper Childish Gambino, as Simba. 

The Lion King musical has a cast of more than 50 actors, singers and dancers who perform classic numbers, such as the award-winning song The Circle of Life, composed by Sir Elton John and Sir Tim Rice. 

The show also uses vibrant costumes, masks and puppetry to create the theatrical magic. 

Director, costume designer and mask co-designer Julie Taymor has won numerous Tony awards for her various productions of the show. 

Since Taymor’s first adaptation debuted on Broadway in 1997, it has been seen by more than 100 million people across 25 productions worldwide. 

Want to live out your childhood and see Disney’s The Lion King Musical in action? You can find all tour dates, locations and best of all tickets on our website here.