ST. LOUIS – Casting has been announced for the St. Louis engagement of Disney’s The Lion King. St. Louis’s most eagerly awaited stage production ever will leap onto the Fabulous Fox Theatre stage from Wednesday, June 1 to Sunday, June 19.
The production features Spencer Plachy as “Scar,” Gerald Ramsey as “Mufasa,” Gugwana Dlamini as “Rafiki,” Nick Cordileone as “Timon,” Jürgen Hooper as “Zazu,” John E. Brady as “Pumbaa,” Darian Sanders as “Simba,” Kayla Cyphers as “Nala,” Forest VanDyke as “Banzai,” Martina Sykes as “Shenzi” and Robbie Swift as “Ed.”
The role of “Young Simba” is alternated between Jaylen Lyndon Hunter and Jordan Pendleton and the role of “Young Nala” is alternated between Scarlett London Diviney and Farrah Wilson.
Rounding out the cast are Derek Adams, Kayla Rose Aimable, William John Austin, Iman Yana, Isaiah Bailey, Samantha Lauren Barriento, Eric Bean, Jr., TyNia René Brandon, Layla Brent, Christin Byrdsong, Sasha Caicedo, Thembelihle Cele, Adrianne Chu, Leroy Church, Daniela Cobb, Lyric Danae, Marquis Floyd, Tony Freeman, Mukelisiwe Goba, Marquise Hitchcock, Jane King, Gabisile Manana, Christopher L. McKenzie, Jr., Justin Mensah, Nhlanhla Ndlovu, Aaron Nelson, Sihle Ngema, Jeremy Noel, Sicelo Ntshangase, Sayiga Eugene Peabody, Christopher Sams, T. Shyvonne Stewart, Jennifer Theriot, Courtney Thomas, Diamond Essence White and Sherman Wood.
In St. Louis, The Lion King will play Tuesdays through Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. (there will not be an evening performance on Sunday, June 19). There will also be a 1 p.m. matinee on Thursday, June 2 and Thursday, June 16. Premium Ticket Packages, which include a prime seat location, a souvenir program and an exclusive cinch bag, are also available. Tickets are available at MetroTix, by calling (314) 534-1111, 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. (7 days a week), or via the Internet at metrotix.com. Orders for groups of twenty (20) or more may be placed by calling 314-535-2900 Monday-Friday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. or email a request to groups@foxstl.com.
The North American touring productions of The Lion King have been seen by more than 20 million theatergoers. Having already played more than 90 cities across North America, The Lion King now proudly returns to St. Louis at the Fabulous Fox Theatre.
ABOUT THE LION KING
After 24 landmark years on Broadway, The Lion King continues ascendant as one of the most popular stage musicals in the world. Since its premiere on November 13, 1997, 25 global productions have been seen by nearly 110 million people. Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions (under the direction of Thomas Schumacher), The Lion King has made theatrical history with six productions worldwide running 15 or more years, with four of those running 20 or more years.
Performed over its lifetime in nine different languages (English, Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Spanish, Mandarin and Portuguese), productions of The Lion King can currently be seen on Broadway; London’s West End; Paris; Hamburg; Tokyo; Madrid; on tour across North America, Japan and the U.K. & Ireland, with a separate production touring internationally, for a total of ten productions running concurrently across the globe. Having played over 100 cities in 21 countries on every continent except Antarctica, The Lion King’s worldwide gross exceeds that of any film, Broadway show or other entertainment title in box office history.
The Lion King won six 1998 Tony Awards®: Best Musical, Best Scenic Design (Richard Hudson), Best Costume Design (Julie Taymor), Best Lighting Design (Donald Holder), Best Choreography (Garth Fagan) and Best Direction of a Musical. The Lion King has also earned more than 70 major arts awards including the 1998 NY Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, the 1999 Grammy® for Best Musical Show Album, the 1999 Evening Standard Award for Theatrical Event of the Year and the 1999 Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Choreography and Best Costume Design.
The show’s director, costume designer and mask co-designer Julie Taymor continues to play an integral part in the show’s ongoing success. The first woman to win a Tony Award for Direction of a Musical, Taymor supervises new productions of the show around the world.
The Broadway score features Elton John and Tim Rice’s songs from the Lion King animated film along with three new songs by John and Rice; additional musical material by South African Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor and Hans Zimmer; and music from “Rhythm of the Pride Lands,” an album inspired by the original music in the film, written by Lebo M, Mark Mancina and Hans Zimmer. The resulting sound of The Lion King is a fusion of Western popular music and the distinctive sounds and rhythms of Africa, ranging from the Academy Award®-winning song “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” to Lebo M’s rich choral numbers.
Elton John, Lebo M, and Hans Zimmer all collaborated on the 2019 version of the film, executive produced by Julie Taymor and Thomas Schumacher, which has gone onto extraordinary worldwide success.
The book has been adapted by Roger Allers, who co-directed the animated The Lion King feature, and Irene Mecchi, who co-wrote the film’s screenplay. Other members of the creative team include: Michael Curry, who designed the masks and puppets with Taymor, Steve Canyon Kennedy (sound design), Michael Ward (hair and makeup design), Anthony Lyn (associate director), Marey Griffith (associate choreographer), Clement Ishmael (music supervisor), Doc Zorthian (production supervisor) and Binder Casting/Mark Brandon, CSA (casting). Anne Quart serves as co-producer.
For more information worldwide, visit LionKing.com, Facebook and Instagram.
The St. Louis engagement of Disney’s The Lion King is presented by arrangement with the Fabulous Fox Theatre and is a subscription offering of the U.S. Bank Broadway Series.