Harris, Randolph, Mkhize & More Cast In Calgary Engagement Of THE LION KING, Opens 8/4

Casting has been announced for the Calgary engagement of Disney's THE LION KING. Calgary's most eagerly awaited stage production ever will leap onto the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium stage from Tuesday August 4 to Sunday, August 30. The press opening night is Thursday, August 6 at 8 pm. This Calgary engagement is currently one of eight productions running worldwide along with New York, London, Hamburg, Tokyo, Paris, Fukuoka and Las Vegas.

The malevolent and evil "Scar" will be played by Brent Harris, who has been playing leading roles in many of the top regional theatres in the U.S., including the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, American Repertory Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company (D.C.), Seattle Rep, Denver Center and many others. Dionne Randolph will play the lion king "Mufasa." Mr. Randolph's credits include Smokey Joe's Café, Little Shop of Horrors and Once on this Island. Phindile Mkhize, a native of South Africa, is the wise "Rafiki." Ms. Mkhize has traveled to Germany, Australia, Holland and Amsterdam performing and sharing her talents, and her credits include The Lion King Soundtrack '94, Sarafina 2; Mama, Maria, Maria, and WozaMyFohloza.

The meerkat "Timon" will be played by Tyler Murree, who has appeared in productions of Dirty Dancing, The Lord of the Rings: The Musical and Disney's Twice Charmed. Tony Freeman, who will portray "Zazu", has previously played the role on Broadway for over 1,300 performances. Mr. Freeman recently performed in Kander and Ebb's new musical All About Us and in Caroline, or Change in Los Angeles and San Francisco. And Bob Amaral will portray "Pumbaa"-the warthog-after originating this role with this company in Chicago. His Broadway credits include ...Forum, Guys & Dolls, and The Lion King; his national tour credits include The Producers (Max), Annie Get Your Gun, and Patent Leather Shoes.

Marja Harmon, a graduate of the University of Southern California, is the lioness "Nala" and was recently seen on Broadway in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and in the National Tour of Aida. Mufasa's son, "Simba," will be played by André Jackson, who is an alumnus of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and has numerous Broadway, film and television credits.

The three hyenas will be played by: Omari Tau ("Banzai"), a graduate of Michigan State University who has performed with the National Tour of The Lion King for the past 5 years; Andrea Jones ("Shenzi"), a graduate of Michigan State University who has performed with Jessica Simpson and Babyface; and Ben Roseberry ("Ed"), a graduate of Webster University whose stage credits include Rent, Emma, The Mysteries of Harris Burdick and Max Understood.

Performances in the role of "Young Simba" will be alternated between Chaz Marcus Fleming and Jerome Stephens, Jr. Mr. Fleming has studied acting and dance at the Harlem School for the Arts and has appeared in commercials and print ads for The Gap and Toys"R"Us. Mr. Stephens was recently seen in The Lion King on Broadway and in the feature film Away We Go. Performances in the role of "Young Nala" will be alternated between Sadé Louann Murray and Jamariana Tribble. Ms. Murray is an 11 year-old from Springfield, MA and is making her professional debut in The Lion King. Ms. Tribble, a native of Van Nuys, CA, is also making her professional debut in The Lion King.

Now in its second sold-out decade in New York, THE LION KING is the winner of six Tonyâ Awards including Best Musical, eight Drama Desk Awards, six Outer Critics Circle Awards, the New York Drama Critics award for Best Musical, the Evening Standard Award for the Theatrical Event of the Year, two Olivier Awards, a Theatre World Award, the Astaire Award for Outstanding Choreography, two Drama League Awards and a Grammyâ Award for Best Musical Show Album.

Director Julie Taymor became the first woman in Broadway history to win the Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical. Taymor, along with Michael Curry, created hundreds of masks and puppets for THE LION KING. Choreography is by Garth Fagan, scenic design is by Richard Hudson, costume design is by Julie Taymor and lighting design is by Donald Holder. The book has been adapted by Roger Allers, who co-directed the animated film and Irene Mecchi, who co-wrote the screenplay for THE LION KING. The score features Elton John and Tim Rice's music from the 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.

In Calgary, THE LION KING will play Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8 pm; Saturday matinees at 2:00 p.m.; Sunday matinees at 1:00 p.m.; Sunday evenings at 6:30 p.m. and a Thursday August 27th matinee at 2:00 pm. Ticket prices start as low as $23.65. Premium Ticket Packages, which include prime seat locations, a commemorative souvenir program and an exclusive merchandise item, are also available. Tickets are available at all Ticketmaster locations, online at www.ticketmaster.ca and to charge by phone, call Ticketmaster at 403-777-0000. Orders for groups of twenty (20) or more may be placed by calling 1-800-889-8457

The Calgary engagement of Disney's THE LION KING is presented by arrangement with Broadway Across Canada and is a subscription offering of the Broadway Across Canada 2009 - 2010 Season.

About Broadway Across Canada Broadway Across Canada: Owned and operated by British theatre producer John Gore (CEO) and led by Thomas B. McGrath (Chairman), Broadway Across Canada, in association with Broadway Across America, presents first-class touring Broadway musicals and plays, family productions and other live events throughout a network of 43 North American cities. Broadway Across America is also dedicated to the development and production of new and diverse live theatre for productions on Broadway, across America and throughout the world. Current Productions include Tony Award-winners BOEING BOEING and SPAMALOT, as well as THE BACKYARDIGANS. Upcoming productions include 13, WEST SIDE STORY, DORA THE EXPLORER and the Broadway premiere of Irving Berlin's WHITE CHRISTMAS opening this 2008 holiday season. For more information or to purchase tickets through an authorized agent go to BroadwayAcrossCanada.ca

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