The senior cast and crew of Disney's #The Lion King explain why it's such a special and enduring show as they mark its 25th anniversary on the #West End. A lovely chat with George Asprey, Shaun Escoffrey, Thenjiwe Nofemele, Merryl Ansah, head of masks Joseph Beagley and head of stage Andy Todd.
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00:00Here we are at the Lyceum 14 in the Strand, London's West End. We're here to celebrate
00:11Disney's 20th anniversary of the Lion King production. Let's come inside and enjoy.
00:18But when I joined the Lion King rehearsals, the MD at the time said, George, how long
00:31do you think you'll be doing the show? And I said, mate, after six months I'll be bored
00:35stupid and after a year you won't see me for the rest of it. That was 16 years. What
00:42Annie said about this being a special show and not unlike any other. Tenji and I were
00:49just talking about it. There's something spiritual about it. There's something, when I stand
00:57at the side of the stage every night and I watch Circle of Life just unfold in front
01:06of me, there's just something happens inside of me and I can't describe what it is. It's
01:11like my heart is filled and I'm thinking of all those kids who've been saying, how many
01:19sleeps to the Lion King? How many sleeps to the Lion King? And I say to myself tonight,
01:25I'm going to be the best star that I can be. If I haven't made that child cry by the end
01:32of the show, I haven't really done my job. And in 16 years I've never been on the train
01:43and go, I've got to go to work. I'm always like, come on, I've got to go to work. What
01:48Annie said, it's the people. It's the people. We met on that first day and as soon as we
01:56met, it was like, seriously, he's my brother off stage and on. We have a better relationship
02:03off stage than we do on stage. He kills me. The audition process was gruelling actually
02:11because I wanted it so bad and I really wanted to play with my son. And I think there was
02:18four or five audition processes and the last one was a room like this. Do you know what
02:23I mean? It's like, we're the creatives from America. I was like, I walked in, I remember
02:27the feeling, I was like, okay, this is going to be interesting. So when I actually got
02:35the part, I felt like I really worked to get it. Unbeknownst to me, obviously the work
02:41begins from this point on. And I remember the first day we had a table read. I remember
02:48George left the room. We sat down at the table and we had a full table and all the principals
02:55sitting there and then the ensemble cast members. So we sat down and I was like, okay. I was
03:00nervous as hell. So I sat down and I said, okay, this is going to be good. And then as
03:05soon as Rafiki started to sing and the ensemble started to open, I tell you what, I remember
03:13it was so vivid. The harmonies and just how it was lofting. And like you said, there's
03:19a spirituality to the show. There's a soul to the show. There's a beauty to it. And then
03:26they start to sing and everything just kind of lifted up. First of all, it gave me goose
03:30bumps straight away. I was thinking, oh my goodness. I'll tell you what, I went to George.
03:34I just met George, right? So what's this? George goes, he's cast. Like this.
03:42And I think to myself, we're a winner. I'm not getting this.
03:48Actually, do you know what? Sean's getting himself down because we had this table saying
03:54over the ensemble, it was amazing, incredible. And then Sean started singing. They live in
04:02here. Everyone was just like, honestly, I've never seen. And then the worst thing about
04:08that, I had to sing, be prepared, straight after that. Oh man, but yeah, it was one of
04:15those, it was amazing. It was amazing. I'll never forget it.
04:20It is such a proud moment for me because I mean, it takes a lot for us to even put the
04:26show together. And it's really about that moment where we, Kurt comes out and it's go
04:33time. It used to be nerve wracking, many, many years ago. But now more than anything,
04:40it's the most rewarding and it's such a great honour for me to open the doors for everyone
04:47sitting here. And just to represent where I'm from will forever be, I think, the most
04:55proudest thing. Representing my family, representing my ancestors. And what a way to do that on
05:02an international stage. What? So for me, it's so exciting, but it's such a great honour
05:08and I'm so proud to be able to do that most nights of my life.
05:15And again, you've been part of the show in venues across the world. Can you tell us a
05:20little bit more about where you've been live in London?
05:23Alright, so my journey with the show started like almost 17 years ago. I know you're 12
05:29but... So yeah, my journey with the show started back in 2007 in South Africa, which was another
05:41great, great day. Yes, we've got to do it at home. Like with a South African cast. Sorry
05:48But that's where I started with the journey. I went on to tour a little bit with the show
05:54in Asia and then I found out my way to Germany where I did it for 11 years. And for those
06:01that don't know, I was Shanty as well before I was a Rafiki. So I started as an ensemble
06:07covering Rafiki, then went on to be Shanty and then went on to be Rafiki in Germany.
06:15And then found my way here with my new family. So it's been the most beautiful journey. And
06:22I think with what's been said amongst ourselves, there's nothing like it. And as you come and
06:30go, I'm going to do other things. Like listen, I was a baby when I started the show. And
06:35as much as the show has given so much to the people out there, it gives so much to us as
06:41well. Yeah, so I first joined the company in 2019 for a year. I was in the ensemble
06:49and I was learning drama as well. So for me, even being a part of the company then was
06:55just the biggest thing. I mean, it's the life. And it's also a really big thing in my family
07:03as well. I've got quite a big family, lots of cousins and stuff. So as soon as I got
07:06the role, everyone was just over the roof like, when can we get a role? So yeah, I really
07:11enjoyed that year so much. I mean, getting to be part of the circle of life was incredible.
07:16Like getting to walk down the aisle and be face to face with the audience members and
07:20literally seeing pigs like trying to get a chance to touch the virus. But you get to
07:32see that excitement and you have grown men with tears and stuff. You're right, you get goosebumps.