Cast Announced for THE LION KING National Tour Coming to Playhouse Square This Fall

Disney Theatrical Productions, under the direction of Thomas Schumacher, and Playhouse Square have announced casting for The Lion King North American tour, which will return to the road this fall and resume performances in Cleveland. The two-week return engagement at Playhouse Square will begin Friday, October 1, 2021 and will play through Friday, October 15, 2021, at the KeyBank State Theatre. Opening night is set for Tuesday, October 5 at 7:30pm.

The Lion King Tour Cast

Returning to the cast of The Lion King North American tour are Spencer Plachy as "Scar," Gerald Ramsey as "Mufasa," Nick Cordileone as "Timon," Jürgen Hooper as "Zazu," Ben Lipitz as "Pumbaa," Kayla Cyphers as "Nala," Keith Bennett as "Banzai," Martina Sykes as "Shenzi," Robbie Swift as "Ed," Charlie Kahler as "Young Simba" and Kalandra Rhodes as "Young Nala."

Joining these returning stars are new tour principal cast members Gugwana Dlamini as "Rafiki," who since 2002 has played the role in multiple worldwide productions of The Lion King, including the North American tour, and mostly recently in London's West End. Darian Sanders returns to the tour in the role of "Simba." Jaylen Lyndon Hunter joins the tour as "Young Simba" (alternating with Charlie Kahler) and Nia Mulder will play "Young Nala" (alternating with Kalandra Rhodes).

The Lion King also features Derek Adams, Kayla Rose Aimable, Sandy Alvarez, William John Austin, Eric Bean, Jr., TyNia René Brandon, Sasha Caicedo, Sean Aaron Carmon, Kyle Robert Carter, Thembelihle Cele, Adrianne Chu, Daniela Cobb, Lyric Danae, Paige Fraser, Tony Freeman, Mukelisiwe Goba, Jamal Lee Harris, Alia Kache, Gabisile Manana, Christopher L. McKenzie, Jr., Marq Moss, Nhlanhla Ndlovu, Aaron Nelson, Sihle Ngema, Sicelo Ntshangase, Sayiga Eugene Peabody, Kevin Petite, Yael Pineda-Hall, Nathan Andrew Riley, Maurica Roland, Christopher Sams, Jennifer Theriot, Courtney Thomas and Shacura Wade.

In Cleveland, The Lion King will play Tuesdays through Fridays at 7:30pm, Saturdays at 1:30pm and 7:30pm and Sundays at 1pm and 6:30pm. There will not be a 6:30pm performance on Sunday, October 3. Premium Ticket Packages, which include a prime seat location, a souvenir program and an exclusive cinch bag, are also available. Tickets are available at the Playhouse Square Ticket Office (1519 Euclid Ave in downtown Cleveland), by calling 216-241-6000, or via the Internet at playhousesquare.org. Orders for groups of twenty (20) or more may be placed by calling 216-640-8600, Monday - Friday 9AM - 5PM.

Ticket buyers are reminded that Playhouse Square is the only official retail ticket outlet for all performances at the KeyBank State Theatre. Ticket buyers who purchase tickets from a ticket broker or any third party should be aware that Playhouse Square is unable to reprint or replace lost or stolen tickets and is unable to contact patrons with information regarding time changes or other pertinent updates regarding the performance.

Playhouse Square will follow the safety protocols from the CDC, the state of Ohio, and Cuyahoga County that are in place at the time of the event, and will inform patrons of those requirements prior to the performances which may include requiring masks. Patrons can review Playhouse Square's updated health and safety guidelines on its website.

The North American touring productions of The Lion King have been seen by more than 20 million theatergoers. Having already played more than 90 cities across North America, The Lion King now proudly returns to Cleveland at Playhouse Square.

Approaching 24 landmark years on Broadway, The Lion King continues ascendant as one of the most popular stage musicals in the world. Since its premiere on November 13, 1997, 25 global productions have been seen by nearly 110 million people. Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions (under the direction of Thomas Schumacher), The Lion King has made theatrical history with six productions worldwide running 15 or more years, with four of those running 20 or more years.

Performed over its lifetime in nine different languages (English, Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Spanish, Mandarin and Portuguese), by the end of 2021, there will be ten productions of The Lion King around the world, including Broadway, London, Paris, Hamburg, Tokyo, Madrid, on tour across North America, Japan and the U.K. & Ireland, with a separate production touring internationally. Having played over 100 cities in 21 countries on every continent except Antarctica, The Lion King's 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.

The show's director, costume designer and mask co-designer Julie Taymor continues to play an integral part in the show's ongoing success. The first woman to win a Tony Award for Direction of a Musical, Taymor supervises new productions of the show around the world.

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) and Doc Zorthian (production supervisor). Anne Quart serves as co-producer.

For more information worldwide, visit LionKing.com.