Adam Jacobs was in the Lion King?

[RippedMan]

Isn't he a little...white looking to be in Lion King?

[Wildcard]

He played a freakin' lion!

[LizzieCurry]

He's half Filipino!

[CATSNYrevival]

I don't understand why all the lions have to be black anyway. I get that the story takes place in Africa, but they're playing animals. Why are the only white people the pig, the bird, the meerkat and the bad guy? What is Julie trying to say?

[bwayphreak234]

I saw him in Lion King. He actually made the show bearable.

[CapnHook]

Pumbaa is a racist.

[threetwoone]

Yeah, saw him a couple weeks after he started and he was easily the best thing about the show.

[broadwayguy2]

I say this as someone who very much enjoys Adam Jacobs as a performer and who is sad to have missed him in the show.

I was VERY taken aback at Adam Jacobs being cast as Simba, not sue to his talent, but yes, due his race. Julie Taymor was always very, very vocal and very, very specific in the racial breakdown for the principals in Lion King. When asked about that interviews, Julie responded as such and she made note that Scar was conceived as a white character role vs black Mufasa and Simba. She then followed that up by saying that she was "open" to a non-white Scar but was INCREDIBLY specific in stating that she was uncomfortable with casting Simba as anything other than black . In her words, Simba would ALWAYS be portrayed by a black actor... so for Jacobs to be cast, well... I was taken.

[RippedMan]

That's what I mean. It's always been a black guy, and that's fine. But it just surprised me to learn that. I mean, I think past the first few rows, he's just going to look like a white guy. So... it doesn't really matter what his heritage is. On stage he's just going to look white and his last name is Jacobs, so there's no way of knowing what his race is to the average theatergoer. It's just surprising because I'm a white guy so if I went into the Lion King audition, I'm sure I'd be typed out or whatever. I wonder why they went with him?

[PastorErnst]

[chellie]

Jacobs was easily the best part of the tour. I think for a show like this, when it works it works, particularly when they're lions.

[seaweedjstubbs]

Black people come in all different shades. I have no clue what Adam Jacobs' ethnicity is, but there are many African-Americans who have complexions very similar to his. My father, for example, is much lighter than I am, but he's still black. Just sayin'. :)

[RippedMan]

I'm not debating that Seaweed. My friends and I have a term called "staged ethnic." Meaning she's black/asian so she can be in anything from Color Purple to West Side Story to Mary Poppins to Lion King. It doesn't matter because around a bunch of black people she'll look black, around a bunch of hispanic people she'll look hispanic, etc. Jacobs, to me at least, would look just like a white guy from the stage. So why can't they cast white guys in the role? Why can't we have a Gavin Creel as Simba, or something? That would never happen, but yet it's okay for this to happe? I just don't get why he got the go ahead, but yet.... I mean he's obviously "stage ethnic" he did Aladdin, and now is doing Zorro and played Simba. So he's basically just tan enough to play all those different ethnicities.

[broadwayguy2]

Complexion.. race.. ethnicity.. all very different things. With casting, it's not about what you ARE, but what you read as. Ms. Taymor though expressed very specifically that Simba is a role for a black man... Much as the show has negotiated a situation to always maintain a minimum number of actual South African performers in the company... didn't matter to Ms. Taymor what they could portray so much as the reality of who they are and where from and she expressed similar sentiment about Simba. Jacobs defies the rule she verbalized often in press. It's not "right" or "wrong", just observation and makes his casting unusual and fodder for discussion.

(To be fair, the Asian companies have almost always had an all Asian cast and an Asian Simba, BUT...)

[seaweedjstubbs]

Ahhh ok, I see. I guess I misunderstood what you were saying before. Sorry about that! :)

[RippedMan]

I've got no qualms about him playing Simba at all. I don't want it come off that way. I just find it interesting is all. That like suddenly the 'race barrier' was broken through the other way around, ya know?

And that's interesting about the Asian companies. I would think they'd always keep a consistent look, but I guess not. I mean, race isn't really part of the story, so it honestly shouldn't matter, but I guess it does.

I mean, was his Mufasa a black man? Did people have a problem with it? I remember on this board people being so confused/angry when Phylicia Rashad was playing the grandmother in August: Osage County.

[AEA AGMA SM]

What's interesting is that Jason Raize, the original Simba, could easily have been classified as "ethnically ambiguous" alongside Adam Jacobs. In fact, the majority of Jason's roles before The Lion King were as Latino characters (including Chino in West Side Story) or Asian roles (a swing in the Hayley Mills tour of The King and I and ensemble in the tour of Miss Saigon.



(from one of the many Ted Neeley tours of Jesus Christ Superstar, definitely what casting directors term "ethnically ambiguous")

[equisy]

Not all the lions around the world are black. For example, in Tokyo all the characters are portrayed by Japanese people and in Madrid, Simba is played by Mexican actor Carlos Rivera, who is obviously not black (while Mufasa, Sarabi and Nala are portrayed by black people). I don't have any problem with this.



Carlos Rivera and Daniela Pobega (Original Madrid Cast)

[RippedMan]

Me either, but would you have a problem if they cast a white actor as Simba? Doesn't seem like that will ever happen for whatever reason.

[LizzieCurry]

It probably won't. Mixed folks like Adam Jacobs are as close as they'll come.

(For those who missed it: Adam is Russian/Dutch/Polish/Filipino. http://entertainment.inquirer.net/11749/%E2%80%98lion-king%E2%80%99-welcomes-adam-jacobs-as-simba )

[Wildcard]

When kids watch The Lion King, I don't think they see the ethnicity of whomever is playing Simba. They see a lion and that's what matters.

[JoeKv99]

Jason Raize, the original Simba was of "indeterminate ethnicity."

[Justin D]

Im a bit surprised to hear that fro Julie, because when it comes to original casts I would figure she would be hands on in the casting process.

Original Toronto Simba was not black
Original Australian Simba was also not black

[PalJoey]

Hakuna matata.

[RippedMan]

Well hopefully they take those risks on Broadway as I don't think it matters to anyone.

[PalJoey]

As long as we're discussing him, let's give a plug to his upcoming February 23 show at Town Hall with Ali Ewoldt:
A Heart Full of Love - Adam Jacobs and Ali Ewoldt - 2-23-13 @ Town Hall