New Simba and Nala Will Join Disney's THE LION KING in the West End
Posi Morakinyo and Asha Parker-Wallace will join the cast of the beloved musical at London's Lyceum Theatre.
The London production of Disney's THE LION KING, now in its 27th year, has announced that Posi Morakinyo and Asha Parker-Wallace will take over the roles of Simba and Nala from Tuesday 5 May 2026.
Posi and Asha have just concluded starring alongside one another in the acclaimed Almeida production of American Psycho. Posi Morakinyo has recently appeared in the West End production of For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy and The RSC's Much Ado About Nothing. Asha Parker-Wallace has recently appeared in Burlesque The Musical at The Savoy Theatre and Starter for Ten at Bristol Old Vic & Birmingham Rep.
Posi Morakinyo said: “It's an honour to be taking on the role of Simba in The Lion King. I'm excited to start this new adventure and be a part of this iconic show, sharing the stage with Asha once again”.
Asha Parker-Wallace added: “It's been so much fun working with Posi over the past few months. Now, playing the iconic roles of Simba and Nala on stage together at the Lyceum Theatre is a dream”.
To mark the occasion, THE LION KING collaborated with acclaimed photographer Perou to release a new collection of images of the pair in iconic locations across London to mark their arrival to the Pridelands.
Posi and Asha will also be joined by new company members including Stuart Neal as Timon, Michael Jeremiah as Banzai and Simone Robinson as Sarabi. Raul Reinoso, Steve Cornwall, Gabrielle de Souza, Lindokuhle Thabede, Marcellus Whyte and Shayna McPherson join the ensemble.
Julie Taymor's internationally celebrated stage adaptation of THE LION KING opened on Broadway in 1997 and 29 global productions in nine different languages have been created since then (English, Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Spanish, Mandarin and Portuguese).
The stunning artistry of the production is the work of a team of designers which drew on diverse cultural influences to recreate the rich colours and vast expanses of the African savanna in this daring and inspiring reinvention of one of the most successful animated feature films of all time.
Julie Taymor, one of the world's most innovative directors, brought a vast array of disciplines to THE LION KING, including extensive experience staging epic theatre and opera productions, exploring classic myths through ritualised puppetry, mask, and movement. The Lion King was the first musical Taymor directed in the commercial theatre and she made Broadway history by becoming the first woman to win the Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical.
The Broadway show's full creative team, which won five Tony Awards for its work on THE LION KING, reunited in 1999 to recreate the show in London. Julie Taymor and Michael Curry created hundreds of masks and puppets.
Scenic design is by British designer Richard Hudson and lighting is by Donald Holder. Costume design is by Julie Taymor, and choreography by Garth Fagan. The book was adapted by Roger Allers, who co-directed the animated feature and Irene Mecchi, who co-wrote the screenplay.
The original score from the animated film was expanded for the stage and now features 15 musical numbers. As well as writing completely new songs, South African composer Lebo M created an evocative blend of African rhythms and chorales, with additional material by Julie Taymor and Mark Mancina.
Elton John and Tim Rice have added three new numbers to the five that they wrote for the award-winning score of the animated film. The resulting sound of THE LION KING is a fusion of Western popular music and the distinctive sounds and rhythms of Africa, including the Academy Award-winning Can You Feel The Love Tonight and the haunting Shadowland.
