LOCAL SPOTLIGHT: EZEKIEL KEKUNA

Welcome to the first in a series of interviews with some of our talented and inspiring theatre locals who are making Hawai’i proud both at home on the ‘aina and abroad.

Today we’re spotlighting Kāne’ohe’s own Ezekiel Kekuna, who recently returned to O’ahu after making his Broadway debut as Young Simba in the Lion King in December 2023.

Background:

Ezekiel got his start right here in O’ahu at the age of six, when he enrolled in I’m a Bright Kid’s Summer Musical Theatre Education Program. He continues a family legacy at IABK, as both his mother and siblings grew up in the program and enjoyed instruction and mentorship by the late Dr. Bright. Ezekiel was thoroughly bit by the theatre bug, and has appeared in IABK’s Seussical as a Wickersham Brother, Dandy Dan in Castle Performing Arts Center’s KidStart Program’s Bugsy Malone, Jr.,  and Fletcher in Diamond Head Theatre’s The Bodyguard. He cites his mom, Auntie Kimee Balmilero, Uncle Miguel Cadoy, and his 5th grade teacher Mrs. Almeida as being particularly influential and supportive of his passion for theatre. Though he admires performers such as Bruno Mars, Michael Jackson, Jeremy Jordan, and Sky Lakota-Lynch, it is clear that the love from his ‘ohana is the most vital asset to his success, stating that “my ʻohana supports me in all that I do and they are always there to cheer me on.”

Ezekiel kindly agreed to answer some questions about the audition process for The Lion King, the experience of performing the show in front of thousands of people in New York City, and his takeaways from the whole journey now that he has returned home to O’ahu. Read his responses below!:

BroadwayWorld Hawaii: What was involved in the audition process, and how did you first hear about it?

Ezekiel Kekuna: I first heard about the audition through my agent at the time. The auditions were done through video submissions. I submitted a video of me singing and heard back from them shortly after to work on a song and a couple of scenes from the show. Then we did a couple of Zoom calls with the casting director. After that, I was told that they would like to see me for the final callback in New York City.

BWWH: Was there anything that happened during the audition process that was surprising or unexpected?

EK: I found out that a few of the kids that were at the callback audition with me already had Broadway credits. I also didn’t know that I was going to be there for almost the entire day. We were there from 10:00 a.m. to about 6:00 p.m.

BWWH: What were you feeling the first time you auditioned for the creatives?

EK: I felt a little nervous because they were a little intimidating, but mostly happy and excited.

BWWH: What’s a good piece of advice you were given during the audition process?

EK: That even if you don’t get cast, it doesn’t mean you’re not good or don’t have talent. To continue to work on your craft and don’t give up.

After getting cast in the show and moving to NYC for his contract, Ezekiel had one month of rehearsals and costume fittings (complete with corset, harness, and a tail!) before performing 4-5 shows per week for Broadway audiences.

BWWH: What was your favorite thing about living in NYC?

EK: My favorite thing about living in NYC was the pace of the city. For example, the city moves at a fast pace which I liked. Another thing that was a favorite of mine in NYC was the diversity. In Hawai’i, there is diversity but not like in New York City. It was full of different types of food at different restaurants, different cultures and ethnicities, lifestyles, etc.!

BWWH: What was your least favorite thing about living in NYC?

EK: In my opinion, I didn't really have a least favorite thing while I was living in NYC, but I wasn’t pleased when I found out that they didn’t have certain things in New York that I had in Hawaii like sticky white rice at every restaurant or they didn’t have poke (which is my favorite food) that wasn’t from Foodland or Times Supermarket.

BWWH: Walk us through what a typical day was like for you once you were in NYC.

EK: On show days, I would wake up, do school work, then get ready for the show, go to the theatre and perform or be on standby, and if it is a two show day I would go and eat with my mom and some of my castmates or go home to eat and/or take a nap. On Mondays, which were my days off, I would sleep in and either stay home, hang out, play, do school work, etc. 

BWWH: Was there anyone in the cast who made you feel particularly welcome?

EK: One person that made me feel welcomed was James Brown Orleans, who we called “Mr. J-Bo.” He plays Banzai, one of the Three Hyenas. Mr. J-Bo gifted me a guitar because I wanted one when I saw the Back to the Future musical on Broadway, and gave me guitar lessons during the second half of the show! He made me feel welcome and always made me feel loved. He always has an upbeat attitude, and is a positive and kind hearted person. Also, my child guardians (a.k.a. “child wranglers”) made me feel welcome because they were like my Broadway moms. They took care of me, we had great memories together, and they loved, cared, and took me under their wings like a mom would. To be honest, I feel like the whole cast and crew made me feel welcome because of their humility, kindness, and just being their beautiful selves everyday.

BWWH: What kind of support or encouragement did you receive from friends and family back in Hawaii while you were in NYC?

EK: The support and encouragement I received from my friends and family was overwhelming because they sent me care packages, letters, gifts, and many even came to New York to see me perform.

BWWH: Was there ever a moment where everything suddenly felt “real”?

EK: During one of my shows, I was into about half of my run, I suddenly remembered, “Wait, I’m on Broadway right now.” I didn’t really think about it at the time, but I was performing in front of about 2,000 people in one of the biggest shows there is. Another moment I experienced that kind of feeling is when I got the role. After I got off of the call with one of the casting directors telling me that I got the role, my mom and I were like, “Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh? OH MY GOSH!?!” We were slowly realizing that I was going to Broadway.

BWWH: What did it feel like to take your first Broadway bow? And what did it feel like to take your final (for now) Broadway bow?

EK: I had my Dad, Mom, sister, brother, grandparents, uncles, and two friends from our Hawai’i theatre family who live in New York there for my debut. My first Broadway show felt exhilarating, and mind blowing because it was my first time doing the show with everyone in costume, all of the lights shining, and 1,700 people watching me, all of that went into a realization that I was on Broadway. I did the show full out and 100%. For my final bow, I felt fulfilled because I felt like I finished what I had started, and I left The Lion King on Broadway a better place than it was before.

Ezekiel completed his contract with The Lion King in August 2024 and returned to O’ahu. He shared some of his thoughts about coming home after such a transformative experience.

BWWH: What did it feel like to arrive back in Hawai’i? What was the first thing you did once you got home?

EK: It felt great to be home again in Hawaii because I was back with my family again, and our first stop was Zippy’s, but we stopped by at my dad’s workplace to say hi and to see him again.

BWWH: How has life changed for you now that your contract is complete?

EK: I think life has changed for me now that my contract is complete because I am back home and back to the life of a typical kid which is fine by me, but I don’t do the show anymore and miss performing and the cast. The cast is like a family to me and I miss them. Also, the whole lifestyle of living in New York is completely different from the lifestyle of Hawaii because of the rush of the city.

BWWH: Do you have any dream roles for the future? Have those roles changed at all since doing The Lion King?

EK: Some dream roles I have for the future are probably Johnny Cade in The Outsiders, Donkey in Shrek the Musical, and maybe Simba (not the Young Simba) in The Lion King on Broadway.

BWWH: If (when?) you win a Tony someday, who would you thank?

EK: If I win a Tony some day, I would want to thank my mom, dad, sister, brother, and all of my family because they have helped me in my journey.

BWWH: What advice would you offer fellow keiki who have big Broadway dreams?

EK: Some advice I would gladly like to offer to fellow keiki who have big Broadway dreams is to work hard, go full out and 100%, and to keep going and keep doing what you love because God will take you there. As my Dad likes to say, and I quote, “Hard work beats talent, when talent doesn’t want to work hard,” meaning that talent alone will only get you so far and it also takes hard work. 

BroadwayWorld Hawai’i would like to thank Ezekiel and his parents for taking the time to answer these questions, and especially to share his mana’o and encouragement to fellow performers here in Hawai’i. Mahalo nui, and we here at BWWH can’t wait to see what’s in store for him!

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