The Lion King musical is celebrating its 25-year run at New York’s Broadway theatre district, and its famed South African songwriter Lebohang Morake was in town to join the party.
Morake, popularly known as Lebo M, is in the US with his wife Pretty Samuels-Morake to film the second season of his reality TV show. It is called Lebo M Is Home and is scheduled for release early next year.
To mark The Lion King’s milestone, the SA consulate is hosting an exhibition of the show’s masks and costumes at its cultural centre in Manhattan, New York.
Morake joined the show’s cast members for Monday night's exhibition opening.
“I’m really grateful that we made it to 25 years. We thought we would only do this (The Lion King) for three years. But now we are celebrating the possibility of another 25 years,” said Morake.
He credited the global theatre shows for keeping alive the African story of little lion Simba, his girlfriend Nala and their fight with the evil, power-hungry Scar.
Different actors perform The Lion King worldwide. The New York show is the longest-running version though, winning numerous awards over the years.
The Disney film company’s popular animated version of The Lion King is regularly referenced in pop culture.
Morake said: “I don’t think the movie journey would have survived if the theatre productions did not exist. It attracts a never-ending energy because it’s live.”
He said there would also always be a space for African stories.
“We need to invest time, energy and money to produce quality products. The space has been there.”
They say I have made history because I am the only person who has been in the same show for 25 years straight on Broadway. So many people have come and gone in the show.
— Cast member, Lindiwe Dlamini
Morake has written songs for various films and most recently wrote and produced five songs in The Woman King, a Hollywood film about African female warriors. It was released this year.
SA consul-general Motumisi Tawana awarded Morake a statuette for his contribution to the arts.
Shawyn Patterson, the mayor of Mount Vermont, a city in New York state, handed Morake a proclamation from her city. It recognises his “contribution to the success of The Lion King” which “introduced the sounds and culture of SA to the rest of the world”.
Rob Minkoff, co-director of the Disney film version, was also at the exhibition opening.
The Lion King veteran cast members Ron Kunene and Lindiwe Dlamini talked about their experience on stage. Dlamini said she was still performing each show “like it’s the first time”.
“They say I have made history because I am the only person who has been in the same show for 25 years straight on Broadway. So many people have come and gone in the show,” said Dlamini.
“I’m so privileged in this show that I get to sing in my own language. I bring my culture to Broadway in New York.”
Dlamini encouraged young SA actors and singers to audition for show.
“The show is all over the world, and it needs South Africans.”
One of the younger cast members, Nhlanhla Ngobeni, who has performed on Broadway for the past seven years, said it was easy to “feel so small, like a drop in the ocean” in New York.
“But I celebrate that I am part of this legacy and it’s expanding. I feel like I am part of a very big, powerful legacy. I’m working with a big company on the biggest stage.”
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