THE LION KING Will Welcome New Young Simba and Young Nala Next Week

The Lion King will welcome Austin Elle Fisher as “Young Nala” and Jacob Pham as “Young Simba” beginning Tuesday, August 20, alternating in the roles with current cast members Annika Reese Franklin and Albert Rhodes, Jr. Current cast members Ezekiel Kekuna and Nia Thompson will play their final performance Sunday, August 18. 

Meet the New Cast Members

AUSTIN ELLE FISHER (Young Nala at certain performances) made her Broadway debut at age 9 as Natalie Hillard in Mrs. Doubtfire and played Marta von Trapp in the Sound of Music at Paper Mill Playhouse. TV/film credits include "Atlanta" as Lottie, "Manifest," "Kaleidoscope,” “Blue Bloods” and more. @austin.elle.fisher

JACOB PHAM (Young Simba at certain performances) is thrilled to be making his Broadway debut. Credits: A Christmas Story at CTGLA, “Sesame Street,” voiceovers for Disney & Nickelodeon. IG:  @jacobphamofficial 

In The Lion King on Broadway: “Scar” is played by Stephen Carlile, L. Steven Taylor is “Mufasa,” Tshidi Manye is the baboon shaman “Rafiki,” Cameron Pow portrays the hornbilled bird “Zazu,” Ben Jeffrey is the warthog “Pumbaa” and Fred Berman is the meerkat “Timon.”  Mufasa’s son, “Simba,” the lion prince born to be king, is played by Vincent Jamal Hooper and Pearl Khwezi is the lioness “Nala.” James Brown-Orleans, Bonita J. Hamilton and Robb Sapp portray the hyenas “Bonzai,” “Shenzi” and “Ed.”

 ABOUT THE LION KING

Celebrating 26 landmark years on Broadway, The Lion King continues ascendant as one of the most popular stage musicals in the world.  Produced by Disney Theatrical Group, under the direction of Andrew Flatt, Anne Quart and Thomas Schumacher, The Lion King has made theatrical history with three productions worldwide running 20 or more years and two others running 25 or more years. 

Performed over its lifetime in nine different languages (English, Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Spanish, Mandarin and Portuguese), there are currently seven productions of The Lion King around the world: Broadway, London, Paris, Hamburg, Madrid, Tokyo, and on tour across North America. The Lion King has played over 100 cities in 24 countries on every continent except Antarctica; its worldwide gross exceeds that of any film, Broadway show or other entertainment title in box office history.     

The Lion King won six 1998 Tony Awards®:  Best Musical, Best Scenic Design (Richard Hudson), Best Costume Design (Julie Taymor), Best Lighting Design (Donald Holder), Best Choreography (Garth Fagan) and Best Direction of a Musical.  The Lion King has also earned more than 70 major arts awards including the 1998 NY Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, the 1999 Grammy® for Best Musical Show Album, the 1999 Evening Standard Award for Theatrical Event of the Year and the 1999 Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Choreography and Best Costume Design. 

Director, costume designer and mask co-designer Julie Taymor, the first woman to win a Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical, remains actively involved in the show, launching new productions and maintaining the flagship Broadway production. 

The Broadway score features Elton John and Tim Rice’s songs from The Lion King animated film along with three new songs by John and Rice; additional musical material by South African Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor and Hans Zimmer; and music from "Rhythm of the Pride Lands," an album inspired by the original music in the film, written by Lebo M, Mark Mancina and Hans Zimmer.  The resulting sound of The Lion King is a fusion of Western popular music and the distinctive sounds and rhythms of Africa, ranging from the Academy Award®-winning song “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” to Lebo M’s rich choral numbers. 

Elton John, Lebo M and Hans Zimmer all collaborated on the 2019 version of the film, executive produced by Julie Taymor and Thomas Schumacher, which has gone onto extraordinary worldwide success.

The book has been adapted by Roger Allers, who co-directed the animated The Lion King feature, and Irene Mecchi, who co-wrote the film’s screenplay.  Other members of the creative team include:  Michael Curry, who designed the masks and puppets with Taymor, Steve Canyon Kennedy (sound design),Michael Ward (hair and makeup design), Anthony Lyn (associate director), Marey Griffith (associate choreographer), Clement Ishmael (music supervisor), Lisa Dawn Cave (production supervisor), Thomas Schlenk (general manager) and ARC / Mark Brandon, CSA (casting). Anne Quart serves as executive producer.