TORONTO — When Ottawa stage actress Camille Eanga-Selenge heard “The Lion King” was mounting a new run in Toronto, she immediately sprang into action.
In an email to the powers that be, she made her case as a homegrown performer whose ties to the hit musical were already strong.
Two years ago, she joined the touring production as an understudy for adult Nala and part of its large ensemble cast. But even before that, the show was close to her heart as one of her earliest Broadway experiences.
“I went with my mom and we both just cried,” she remembered.
“We sat in the nosebleeds of the theatre and when the giraffes came across the stage we were just sobbing.”
Eanga-Selenge’s email to producers not only landed her an audition, she got the lead part. The actress stars as Nala in Mirvish’s open-ended Toronto run of “The Lion King,” which opens Nov. 2 at the Princess of Wales Theatre and plays until at least next spring.
The show is a huge bet by Canada’s largest theatre producer and a sign that live theatre audiences are willing to return to watch contemporary favourites after the pandemic slowdown.
“The Lion King” first rolled into Toronto in early 2000 for a run that lasted nearly four years and 1,560 performances. Three touring productions have played sold-out performances in the city since then.
Mounting a fresh Toronto iteration is a considerable assignment, said associate director Anthony Lyn, who has brought Julie Taymor’s original vision to life with “Lion King” productions around the world over the past 25 years.
“There’s nothing else I’ve worked on that even comes close to it in terms of its complexity, its storytelling but also its reward,” he said.
“The sense of achievement you have when the production is mounted and opens, is greater than anything I’ve known on any other show.”
Along the way, each “Lion King” finds its defining characteristics.
For instance, early on the producers will seek out actors whose personalities shine differently than others who’ve played the part.
“We look for that when we audition … so we’re not just doing a carbon copy of the person who played the role originally,” he said.
“Because if you do that, you end up with a copy of a copy.”
With the Toronto show, part of its definition is how much of its spirit comes from Canada. Nearly all of the cast are Canadian players, while racks of lavishly detailed costumes and hundreds of intricate animal puppets were made by teams of local artists.
And as “The Lion King” continues to extend its long run on stages across the world, Lyn said some of the cast members are coming with their own sense of history.
“We have a lot of people who pass through the show who saw it as children in Toronto,” he said.
South African actor Aphiwe Nyezi, who has played Simba in several runs, said despite many performances under his belt he's still affected by how audiences receive the production.
"Just young kids watching this show, being amazed when the animals are coming in for 'Circle of Life' is the best thing," he said.
"I still get goosebumps."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2024.
David Friend, The Canadian Press