{"id":28223,"date":"2023-08-16T09:33:53","date_gmt":"2023-08-16T13:33:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/?p=28223"},"modified":"2023-08-16T09:33:54","modified_gmt":"2023-08-16T13:33:54","slug":"on-stage-extra-after-a-long-wait-the-lion-king-returns-to-philly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/?p=28223","title":{"rendered":"On Stage Extra: After a long wait, The Lion King returns to Philly"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, Entertainment Editor, The Times\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"

The Lion King<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cRent,\u201d \u201cLes Mis\u00e9rables,\u201d \u201cCats,\u201d \u201cPhantom of the Opera\u201d — many touring Broadway shows make frequent return visits to Philadelphia. The hit musical \u201cThe Lion King\u201d is not one of them.<\/p>\n

The show made its area debut in 2006 at the Academy of Music and then didn\u2019t come back again until 2010. It returned to the same venue in 2015.<\/p>\n

Now, after another wait — eight years this time — \u201cThe Lion King\u201d is ready for another triumphant return to the Quaker City. <\/p>\n

Disney Theatrical Productions, along with the Kimmel Cultural Campus and The Shubert Organization, celebrates the eagerly awaited return engagement of Disney\u2019s \u201cThe Lion King\u201d for a four-week summer engagement at the Academy of Music on the Kimmel Cultural Campus.<\/p>\n

The musical, which features music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice, opens on August 16 and runs through September 10 at the Academy of Music (Broad and Locust streets, Philadelphia, 215-731-3333,\u00a0www.kimmelculturalcampus.org<\/a>), as part of the Kimmel Center\u2019s \u201cBroadway Series.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Lion King\u201d\u00a0is a\u00a0stage musical\u00a0with a book\u00a0by\u00a0Roger Allers\u00a0and\u00a0Irene Mecchi, with additional music and lyrics by\u00a0Lebo M,\u00a0Mark Mancina,\u00a0Jay Rifkin,\u00a0Julie Taymor, and\u00a0Hans Zimmer. It is based on the 1994\u00a0Walt Disney Animation Studios\u2019 film\u00a0of the same name. Directed by Taymor, the musical features actors in animal costumes as well as giant, hollow\u00a0puppets.<\/p>\n

After 25 landmark years on Broadway, \u201cThe Lion King\u201d continues its ascent as one of the most popular stage musicals in the world.\u00a0Since its premiere on November 13, 1997, 27 global productions have been seen by more than 112 million people.\u00a0Produced under the direction of Thomas Schumacher, \u201cThe Lion King\u201d has made theatrical history with six productions worldwide running 15 or more years, with four of those running 20 or more years.<\/p>\n

The show, which is set in the jungle somewhere in Africa, tells the story of the lion Simba from his days as a newborn cub through his adult years and is filled with sub-plots and unexpected twists. The hyenas \u2013 Shenzi, Banzai and Ed \u2013 provide a bit of comic relief.<\/p>\n

With \u201cThe Lion King\u201d, the animated feature came first and then the Broadway show. The stage production is very similar to the movie. The story and the characters are exactly the same and so is a lot of the dialogue.\u00a0\u00a0The stage version \u201cThe Lion King\u201d is known for its elaborate costumes — outfits that transform human actors into jungle animals. It also wins over audiences with its lively, exotic music.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Lion King\u201d won six 1998 Tony Awards — Best Musical, Best Scenic Design, Best Costume Design, Best Lighting Design, Best Choreography and Best Direction of a Musical.\u00a0\u00a0It has also earned more than 70 major arts awards including the 1998 NY Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical and the 1999 Grammy for Best Musical Show Album.<\/p>\n

One of the key players in the touring show is Gugwana Dlamini, who performs the role of\u00a0Rafiki, a Sangoma.\u00a0As the start of the show,\u00a0Rafiki\u00a0the mandrill calls the animals to Pride Rock. She greets King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi before presenting their cubs to the gathered animals.<\/p>\n

The name given to the traditional healers of many southern African tribes, including the Zulu, is Sangoma.\u00a0It is a spiritual calling based on a belief in ancestral spirits. A Sangoma is highly respected healer\u00a0who diagnoses, prescribes, and often performs the rituals to heal a person physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually.<\/p>\n

The Sangoma may address all of these realms in the healing process, which usually involves divination, herbal medicine, and specific customized rituals to cure illness and restore well-being. The Sangoma performs a holistic and symbolic form of healing by drawing on the beliefs that ancestors in the afterlife guide and protect the living.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am familiar with Sangomas and what they do,\u201d said Dlamini, a native of South Africa, during a recent phone interview. \u201cThey are familiar to me and my culture.<\/p>\n

\u201cRafiki has real African roots. I realized I had a calling. I believe that I was born to play Rafiki.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was born and raised in Durban (South Africa) and moved to Johannesburg in 1988 where I was trained in singing and acting. I moved to London in 1999 and was involved in soundtracks.\u201d<\/p>\n

In South Africa, Dlamini trained at Committed Artists Academy. Her theater credits include\u00a0\u201cDisney\u2019s The Lion King\u201d\u00a0(London, UK tour, Singapore, North American tour),\u00a0\u201cSarafina!,\u201d and \u201cTownship Fever;\u00a0Unity in Diversity\u201d\u00a0(South Africa). Her television work includes \u201cGenerations: The Legacy\u201d (South Africa) and film credits include \u201cSarafina!\u201d<\/p>\n

Her first role was in musical\u00a0\u201cSarafina!\u201d when she was 18 years old, just after finishing high school. She also later appeared in the movie version.<\/p>\n

Dlamini can be heard on the original Disney movie soundtracks of\u00a0\u201cThe Lion King\u201d\u00a0and\u00a0\u201cDinosaur.\u201d She also appeared in the BBC Radio play\u00a0\u201cDear Mr. Lampard,\u201d alongside various South African artists (including Lucky Dube).<\/p>\n

\u201cI was fortunate to have performed with Lucky Dube,\u201d said Dlamini.<\/p>\n

Dube is a South African reggae musician and Rastafarian. His record sales across the world earned him the Best-Selling African Musician prize at the 1996 World Music Awards. In his lyrics, Dube discussed issues affecting South Africans and Africans in general to a global audience. He recorded 22 albums in a 25-year period and was Africa’s best-selling reggae artist of all time. Dube was murdered in the Johannesburg suburb of Rosettenville in 2007.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sang on two of Lucky\u2019s albums \u2013 \u2018Taxman\u2019 and \u2018Trinity,\u2019\u201d said Dlamini. \u201cI also sang with Vusi Mahlasela.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was first exposed to \u2018The Lion King\u2019 when Lebo M came to South Africa. He contacted me to be a part of the soundtrack for the animated film, and then later asked me to audition for the musical.<\/p>\n

Lebohang Morake, known as\u00a0Lebo M, is a South African\u00a0producer\u00a0and\u00a0composer, known for his songwriting and vocal work on the soundtracks to films such as\u00a0\u201cThe Lion King,\u201d \u201cThe Power of One\u201d\u00a0and\u00a0\u201cOutbreak\u201d\u00a0and numerous\u00a0stage productions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was in the London cast of \u2018The Lion King\u2019 starting in 1999,\u201d said Dlamini. \u201cI was offered ensemble and cover for Rafiki. In 2002, I took over the role.<\/p>\n

\u201cRafiki is the weight of the show. With this role, as a singer and an actor, you grow every day.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat first note when the audience cheers \u2013 that first note, here comes the lion. When that note starts, I draw the energy. It\u2019s not just about the singing, it\u2019s about the story. And Rafiki is the heartbeat of the show.\u201d<\/p>\n

In this show, Dlamini works hard for the money.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe running time for the show is two-and-one-half hours,\u201d said Dlamini. \u201cIt\u2019s physically challenging. You have to work hard. If you don\u2019t, you won\u2019t survive eight shows. I have big numbers that I have to sing in the show. So, I do vocal exercises every day. Then, during make-up, I prepare myself mentally.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Lion King\u201d has reached a popularity level that is astronomical.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are many reasons \u2018The Lion King\u2019 is loved by so many people,\u201d said Dlamini. \u201cThe music is beautiful with the African band. It touches everyone \u2013 children and adults.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful story the touches people in many ways. If you\u2019re feeling low, \u2018He Lives in You,\u2019 which is sung to Simba, gives you comfort.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlso, it\u2019s a journey with amazing costumes, sets and lighting. It\u2019s a beautiful story in so many ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for \u201cThe Lion King\u201d —\u00a0https:\/\/youtu.be\/awqwdi1xakU<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tickets for \u201cThe Lion King\u201d range in price from $29-$189.<\/p>\n

African music isn\u2019t the only international music coming to Philly this week. Irish music is also on the way.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Socks in the Frying Pan<\/p><\/div>\n

On the same night that \u201cThe Lion King\u201d opens at the Kimmel Cultural Campus, Socks in the Frying Pan is headlining a show at the City Winery (990 Filbert Street, Philadelphia, www.citywinery.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Socks In The Frying Pan\u00a0is an award-winning trio from County Clare, the universal hub of Irish traditional music. When formed in 2014, this trio featured Aod\u00e1n Coyne\u00a0on guitar and vocals,\u00a0Shane Hayes\u00a0on accordion and\u00a0Fiachra Hayes\u00a0on fiddle & banjo.<\/p>\n

Socks In The Frying\u00a0Pan blends traditional Irish melodies and pitch perfect vocal harmonies with their own personal flair and energetic approach to music.<\/p>\n

The trio\u2019s love for live performance and onstage wit has captivated audiences around the world.\u00a0 They have performed in 46 U.S. states, headlined most of the major Irish music festivals in America, and have toured extensively in Europe.<\/p>\n

\u201cMyself and Aod\u00e1n are the same age,\u201d said Hayes, during a phone interview last week from a tour stop in Chicago.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a mutual friend, so I knew he played guitar.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a local competition, and no-one was available. He was the last one. Now, we\u2019ve been together for 15 years. I\u2019m 36, Aod\u00e1n is 37 and Fiachra is 32.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the band made its debut album, Coyne was still in high school, and the two others were in university. After they made the album, they started playing more gigs.<\/p>\n

Their 2015 sophomore release \u201cThe Return of the Giant Sock Monsters from Outer Space\u201d continued the rave reviews generated with their 2013 debut, with the Irish American News saying, \u201cThis is a great album by three extremely talented young artists.\u00a0It has been a while since we have enjoyed a new group as much as this.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2016, the band released \u201cWithout A Paddle\u201d to coincide with its 2016 U.S. summer\/fall tour, which commenced late July and through mid-September and included performances at some of the biggest Celtic and Irish festivals in the U.S. and a number of club shows.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a break for a while,\u201d said Hayes. \u201cI was a high school Math & Sciences teacher. My brother is on a sabbatical \u2013 travelling the world just to see it. We don\u2019t know how long he\u2019ll be gone.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow we have Ian King, who is a brilliant fiddle player from Chicago. Ian was brought to a session in one of our first tours in America. Ian was with us last year and he\u2019s back again this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have no recordings with the current three. Our live album is a little over a year old. We\u2019ve made three studio albums and one live album. Our first album was 13 years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2020, they were named \u201cLive Band of the Year\u201d and received \u201cLive Album of the Year\u201d award by the Celtic Music Awards. Their most recent release,\u00a0\u201cRaw Ri\u0301l Live\u201d\u00a0(Raw & Reel), was recorded in front of a sold-out capacity crowd at Gl\u00f3r theater in their hometown of Ennis.<\/p>\n

The band\u2019s influences are more than just Irish trad acts.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy favorite band is Queen,\u201d said Hayes. \u201cFiachra\u2019s favorite is Creedence Clearwater Revival and Aod\u00e1n\u2019s is Steely Dan. We also have traditional favorites like Liz Carroll and M\u00e1irt\u00edn O\u2019Connor. There are just so many of them around Ennis. It\u2019s the Mecca of Irish music on the River Shannon.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have a set date to go back in the studio. We did our last two albums at Sonas Studio in Killarney. We\u2019re about halfway there with songs for an album. It probably wouldn\u2019t take too much to finish it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn our live shows on this tour, we do stuff from all the albums and some new material if people want a sneak peek. We do old stuff, new stuff and kinda old stuff.<\/p>\n

Video link for Socks in the Frying Pan \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/1uYMhyOX8so<\/a><\/p>\n

The show at City Winery will start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $20 and $30.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times\u00a0 \u201cRent,\u201d \u201cLes Mis\u00e9rables,\u201d \u201cCats,\u201d \u201cPhantom of the Opera\u201d — many touring Broadway shows make frequent return visits to Philadelphia. The hit musical \u201cThe Lion King\u201d is not one of them. The show made its area debut in 2006 at the Academy of Music and then didn\u2019t come back […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28221,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4357],"tags":[3162,11241,3002],"class_list":["post-28223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-featured","tag-socks-in-the-frying-pan","tag-the-lion-king"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28223"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28223\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28224,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28223\/revisions\/28224"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/28221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}