Laura and Samara spend their days as non-profit unicorns and fill every spare minute exploring the world of musical theatre as BFFs (that’s Broadway Friends Forever). Follow @bffs613 on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
Broadway Across Canada brings the touring production of Disney’s The Lion King to the National Arts Centre starting Oct. 24 for an extended run with additional matinee performances. A six-time Tony Award-winning show, including Best Musical, it’s based on the animated Disney film we all know and love. A production full of grandeur, this show promises to bring audiences into the beauty and sounds of the Pride Lands. We got to chat with Erick D. Patrick, who plays the role of Simba, to learn more about the touring production.
Erick D. Patrick plays Simba in the tour of Disney’s The Lion King. Photo provided.
This production is quite a feat, with 134 people involved in the daily production, each of whom plays an important part in making the show what it is. What has it been like touring with such a large show?
It’s been unlike anything I’ve ever done before. I’ve been a part of some other tours that travelled North America but this is by far the largest. It also has a different impact than what I’ve experienced with other tours. These audiences feel it. You know a lot of times you’re on stage as an actor or performer and you wonder if this is getting across, I wonder if all these little nuances are being seen and if it’s furthering the story. Just from the amount of DMs I’ve gotten through each city and messages and kind words after the show, people are really connecting with the story.
The animated film was a part of many of our childhoods and is super exciting to see on stage. What has it felt like for you to be part of this show and playing Simba on this tour?
I’m so fortunate and blessed to be able to portray the story of Simba. It’s a story I can relate to in many ways, it’s a story that I think a lot of people can relate to. It’s a classic coming-of-age story and it deals with very adult topics, like loss, and not knowing your place in the world.
I think one of the great things I get to do on stage is to dive into that and relive certain moments in my life when I didn’t know which way I was going to go. For me, it’s almost like therapy every night. You get to figure out your next steps and it’s a reminder that there is something guiding you.
Whether you believe in God, a higher power, the universe, your ancestors or even your own intuition there’s something guiding you and something that’s giving you the next steps in life and just trusting that process. So for me, playing Simba is so cathartic.
Photo by Matthew Murphy
The costumes are a major piece that brings the show to life. What is it like for you not only to wear these gorgeous and intricate pieces but also to be surrounded by them on stage? How do they help you bring the characters to life?
When you first get put into the head mask, there’s always a learning curve. No one is used to having something that big on their head and moving with it.
It didn’t really click for me in rehearsals until I accepted that the costumes and puppetry were a part of the story and that is going to aid in converting the messages. If I’m looking at the other actors’ faces, our masks are also looking at each other.
A lot of the movement that we do in the show is really telling two stories. So if you wanted to look at the masks you’d be able to get the exact same story that you’d be able to get in our faces. The masks and the puppetry is always an extension of the character, everything is a part of you.
In regards to seeing people in these other costumes, the elephant and the rhinos are huge and there’s things flying. I probably have the least amount of costume on as Simba and it makes you feel all those things that Simba feels throughout the show. It makes you feel extremely vulnerable, you have a sense of wonder, and you’re looking at these things that are huge and so much bigger than you. It can make you feel small at times, but it can also make you feel big at times because all those huge animals bow to you at the end.
Julie Taymor, our director, has really masterfully incorporated these costumes and puppetry into the story. It’s so seamlessly woven together that it’s really a beautiful thing.
The range of musical instruments used in the show adds so much depth to the musical numbers. How has this played a role in your performance?
One of the main foundations of the show is the South African music and language that is very different from the animated feature. Our stage adaptation encompasses so much of that deep-rooted culture that it’s baked into everything we do. Specifically the music it for one puts you in the world that we are playing and living in.
As a singer, there’s oftentimes a tendency to want to embellish the music, put your own extra toppings and seasonings into the music but in a show like this where the instruments play such a huge part in the culture of the show you find yourself not want to do that because you’re honouring an entire culture with the music and the instruments that are being played.
It’s something that I feel like all of us performers in The Lion King, we don’t take it lightly. There’s a certain weight to the music and the instruments that hit us and hopefully hit the audiences just the same.
There is something so powerful about the story and the way it is told on stage. What are you hoping audiences take away from the show?
That you can always find your way back. There are many messages but this is one that hits home for me. You can always find your way back, oftentimes we get lost, and oftentimes we can’t find our way. That’s something Simba says, ‘Father, I can’t find my way.’ Through guidance and self-discovery, you can get back to your true calling and what you really should be doing in this life.
Broadway Across Canada’s presentation of Disney’s The Lion King takes place from Oct. 24 to Nov. 10 with evening and matinee performances. It runs 2 hours and 30 minutes with one intermission. The Lion King performances are recommended for ages 6 and up.
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