A few years after the classic Disney film hit screens, a stage adaptation of “The Lion King” became famous for its complex, colorful costumes. Decades later, the same iconic story and vibrant style is on the stage in Kenai, in a production of “The Lion King Jr.”
The show is being put on by the local theater group Kenai Performers, and features the elaborate masks, costumes and face paint characteristic of the Broadway show. Musically, it features all of the well-loved classics from the original.
But the show also includes less-familiar songs unique to the stage version of the show, like “Shadowland,” written for the 1997 Broadway adaptation, and performed in this show by JLee Webster, who plays adult Nala.
KDLL visited a pick-up rehearsal halfway through the run of shows. The five main cast members — all high school students — gathered outside the auditorium during intermission to talk about their experiences.
They all agreed that the best thing about the show has been meeting new friends. The five main characters come from three different high schools, but united in this performance.
Webster goes to Soldotna High School.
“This is my first production with Kenai Performers, so I’ve gotten introduced to so many people,” she said. “They’re all people that I usually wouldn’t interact with in SoHi productions, and it’s opened me up to a new world of performers.”
For some, this show is also an opportunity to show off a new side of themselves. Josiah Burton plays the show’s villain, a grizzled lion named Scar, and said there’s a certain charm in playing the bad guy.
“I can’t overact, honestly. Especially, as a Disney villain, I get to live in the id section of my brain, and I get to act without consequences,” Burton said. “I get to do some things on stage that I could never get away with in real life.”
The cast has already run their first four shows, and said it’s been an exercise in learning how an audience will react. Jackson Hooper, who plays adult Simba, said it’s easy to forget that jokes are funny when you perform them night after night. That changes when the audience comes in and the lines pay off with a big laugh.
Webster said it’s important to play with each performance, to not grow too formulaic and maintain the fun.
And they all agreed that their best show was Saturday night, when the audience was loud and enthusiastic.
Gavin Hunt, who plays Mufasa, said that kind of energy has been his favorite thing about being in the show.
“Saturday night, they were screaming,” Hunt said. “It was so satisfying to hear all that work paying off, in the same place at the same time. It was just a real joy to hear people enjoy all the effort and work we put into the show.”
Hooper, adult Simba, said the audience impacts the performance.
“They gave us a lot of energy. And the more energy that we get, we gain more confidence, and we’re willing to play more,” he said.
All of the performers in “The Lion King” are under 18. But Oshie Broussard, who plays Rafiki, said not to be deterred by the name of the show.
“When people see the name “junior” on this production…” Broussard said. “Don’t underestimate this cast.”
There are four more performances of "The Lion King": Friday the 23rd at 7 p.m., Saturday the 24th at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday the 25 at 2 p.m. in the Kenai Central High School Auditorium.
