Mark: No. When I
was in the opening for London,
a couple of press people said to me: "You realize this is going to be a
ten-year run of a show?" I couldn't imagine anything going that long, but it
would be terrific if it did! My experience with musicals, it would be lucky to
get a year or two. The fact that it's been ten years – not only does it feel
like all that happened so long ago – but it's not only in New York… it's all
over the world!
Eugene: What hand do you play in those
different world productions? Do you have any creative guidance?
Mark: Minimally…
I was much more involved when the shows first went to different places like London and Canada
and Los Angeles.
It was like starting from the ground-up again with completely different actors.
But now, it has a life of its own. The
people that are coming on-board to mount the shows, they know what they're
doing. Now there are cast members who
can teach, several music directors. What I do now is, as the show is running
for a while, I try to get Lebo and our orchestrator to have a day-time
rehearsal. We did one in New York about a year
ago, and it's amazing. The cast comes strolling in, they're tired. But really,
we try to re-inspire them. It's amazing the connection we have with these casts
– they're new faces and new people but it's the same songs and same characters
– I feel connected from the beginning because they're singing my songs! As I
work with them, they respond in really a positive manner. I have such respect
for the cast and the pit-orchestra. It's
all tricky stuff and I think it just makes them feel good to know they're paid
attention to and that the music is such an important factor in the show. It's a
really rewarding experience to do that.
Eugene: Going back a little bit about your
other impressive list of compositions. Your work with Disney didn't stop with The Lion King. You've also done Tarzan and The Haunted
Mansion and Brother Bear. How is composing music for a Disney project
different from composing music for other films, like Twister and Training Day?
Mark: Randy
Newman once said that for every minute he puts into a live-action score work,
he puts three minutes into an animated score work. I think that's really
accurate. In order to give depth to animated-characters, and to help people
take the leap of faith of really believing in their heart in these characters,
is kind of the trick in writing for animation.
Being that there's more depth to the themes, they need to last longer,
they need to mean more, it's a harder chess game. Animation gives you more time,
and believe me, you need more time! I tend to like that work, to think about it
longer.
Eugene: Where did you find your gift in
music?
Mark: Probably
through a series of failures [laughs]. I
originally was a classical musician, and then went into song-writing in high
school and stayed with that for quite a while, until I got involved with
writing instrumental music for documentaries. I had a knack for it and it felt
comfortable to me. It was a way to
compose music that you probably would never write. That's the thing about film
scores that's so great; you write music that you normally wouldn't wake up, get
out of bed, and write something like that! But the film asks you to write it.
That's what's fascinating. Working on The
Lion King musical for me was more like writing for animation because the
themes need to match and you have to book-end of ideas. You're working within a
certain pallet with a live orchestra. You're playing some tradition-sounding
African music, then you're writing strictly orchestra music, and then switching
to pop music. You need to do this with one group of musicians – you can't
switch. We were lucky we had Tommy Igoe,
our original drummer, who was someone extremely skilled – that's a really big
part, like a quarter-back. And they vary
so much, the feel in "The Stampede" is a completely different feel from "Can
You Feel The Love Tonight." All of that
really was my responsibility. Lebo was hired as the vocal-coach and consultant
and writer – obviously with the lyrics and the different languages in the show.
My responsibility as the producer of the music was the ultimate responsibility
of making sure that every single musical base was covered. Everything from the
arrangements, to the orchestration, to the band, to how it sounds and is
arranged. On top of writing lyrics and additional music. It was a big big big
job for me. But it has paid-off and something I'm extremely proud of because
it's touching so many people. It's an amazing feeling.
Eugene: To put it down in layman's terms, are
you a musical theatre fan or a movie fan?
Mark: When I was
first going to do this project, I wanted to know more about Julie so I went and
saw a production of The Green Bird
and it floored me. I had made the
mistake of going to see "popular" theatre.
I came to New York
but I didn't go to the right shows. I didn't know the depth of human-behavior
you can explore in theatre. But in The
Green Bird, I saw it! Since then, I became a huge fan of it. In my world,
I'd love to be involved in another piece. It's just difficult to go from The Lion King looking for the next idea,
it's just such a success. I'm connected
to projects now, but it's been hard to find the right piece, that makes me feel
I want to live that. I do have a
film-score career and it's difficult to keep both moving. You kind of have to
pick and choose.
Eugene: What has been the most rewarding or
unbelievable experience in this ten year saga?
Mark: Not to be
morbid, I lost my father a few years back. I'd gotten a phone call from a
school that was going to perform a piece from The Lion King musical – the kids had been rehearsing and really
wanted me to be there – because they were going to sing "He Lives In You" –
which is actually a song I wrote for my dad.
It meant a lot to me they would be performing it, but my dad got ill and
passed away and I couldn't make it. I
got a phone call later from the school saying: "We're sorry you missed the
performance. It was amazing. It was really raining and dark and cloudy. We
decided to do it anyway and when we began singing 'He Lives In You,' the sun
came out, the clouds opened, everybody cheered." I came to find out that the event happened at
the exact time he passed away. I
nearly dropped the phone. For me, that's
what it's all about… that connection.
Had The Lion King musical
never happened, those kids wouldn't know that song; those kids wouldn't have
seen it or performed it. And yet, it was
written for somebody who at that time had passed away, and this new life was
breathed into these kids. It was just
one of those coming-together moments that makes it feel like things are really
timed and worthwhile and in harmony somehow in the world.
Eugene: What a phenomenal story! Wow… I can't
imagine what a world-bending experience The
Lion King has been for you.
Mark: It really
is. Thank you! All the best.
Disney's The Lion King celebrated its 10th
Anniversary on Broadway Sunday, November 11 with a private cast party (its gala
performance was postponed by the strike).
In addition to New York City where the show has remained among the top 5
selling shows on Broadway for 10 years, the curtain of The Lion King currently rises seven more times every night all over
the world in London, Hamburg, Tokyo, Johannesburg, Paris, and two touring
companies throughout the United States. For more information visit www.DisneyOnBroadway.com.
Photo: Mark Mancina
