Tell us a bit about yourself and your Lion King JR character. What do you love most about being part of the show?
Jason Woollatt, 12 (Scar): I love singing and acting and making people laugh. I like being a villain because it’s a challenge and fun. I love making friends with the other cast members and bringing joy to people’s faces – even if they’re a little scared of Scar!
Simthandile Alie, 11 (Nala/Zazu): This is my third time being in The Lion King JR. What I love most is learning new things from different people. I learned from the directors of the first production, and now again from the new directors. They have helped me with fixing my posture and even how to use my hands like claws. I also really like making new friends and seeing what the other children are good at.
Boikanyo Lekasapa, 13 (Mufasa): I play Mufasa and it’s my second year doing The Lion King JR.
Amahle Mbonyana, 11 (Rafiki): What I like about Rafiki is that she’s wise and powerful. What I like about the show is everyone is kind, no one judges me and fame has never been an issue in our cast. We all treat each other as equals.
Divine Phiri, 12 (Timon): I enjoy how we worked on all scenes separately and then saw how the whole show came together.
Zoe Mabalane, 11 (Rafiki): I love dancing, singing, acting and listening to music. I play Rafiki.
It’s the school holidays and you get to choose one fun place to visit with your friends. Where do you go and why?
JW: I’d love to go camping in the Kruger National Park. I love nature.
SA: I’d love to go with my friends to a beach, to picnic and talk about interesting stuff. The beach is where I feel most calm.
BL: Gold Reef City. The rides create suspense and I like being scared a bit.
AM: Gold Reef City because my friends love the rides and we’d get to spend time together.
DP: Going to the mall to walk around and see different places and people. It’s a good place to hang out with friends.
ZM: Gold Reef City for the roller coasters because of the heights and they are fun.
Where’s your favourite place to eat or grab a treat with your family?
JW: Probably the kitchen because most of my food comes from there. A restaurant choice would probably be Luigi’s Pizzeria or Yamakado, which has a buffet with bao buns, spring rolls and ice cream.
SA: Little Addis, the Ethiopian restaurant at 44 Stanley. I like treats from the bakery around the corner.
BL: Papachino’s because of the variety of meals and because it has a jungle gym, which my younger sibling can enjoy.
AM: Ocean Basket. We are all sushi fans.
DP: Spur. I have good memories of going there for my 7th birthday.
ZM: At home. Friday is family dinner night.
Imagine you’re showing a visitor around Johannesburg for the day. What are the top things you’d want them to see or do?
JW: Rietvlei Nature Reserve to see some animals and beautiful scenery. Gold Reef City is also fun.
SA: Go to BeUp!, the indoor adventure park in Cresta. Also Zuney Burger Bar at Nine Yards. I love Nine Yards!
BL: I would take them to different theatres to see different shows and then we would review all the shows.
AM: I’d take them on the City Sightseeing bus for a great overview of Johannesburg. We’d also visit Mandela House in Soweto to learn more about South Africa’s history and do some rides at Gold Reef City.
DP: The Nelson Mandela Bridge.
ZM: Mzansi Theme Park because it has great views of Johannesburg from the slides.
If your Lion King character came to Johannesburg for the first time, how do you think they’d describe the city?
JW: Scar would say, “There are a lot of idiots here. I am surrounded by idiots.”
SA: Very polluted! Air polluted, rubbish polluted. So much noise.
BL: Mufasa would say that Johannesburg is louder than the Pride Lands at sunrise and the taxis are like loud wildebeest.
AM: I think Rafiki would be fascinated by the technology. She’d probably think a car was an advanced version of an ostrich.
DP: Timon would say that Johannesburg is “a fixer upper”. He would also like the stadiums because they would allow him to express his energy.
ZM: Rafiki would say that there are lots of friendly people in Johannesburg and she would like The Leonardo because it’s so tall and you can see it from so far away.
SEE THE SHOW
• Disney’s The Lion King JR is on at the National Children’s Theatre in Parktown until 19 July. Tickets start at R150 and are available through Quicket.
