Mandalay LION KING's Hollick Becomes Father Immediately Following Performance

The Las Vegas Sun reports that Michael Hollick, understudy for 'Scar' and 'Simba' in Mandalay Bay's LION KING production, recently became a father -- and not in the most traditional way! He was preparing to go on as 'Scar' when his wife Angela's water broke, seven weeks early. Hollick had left his cell phone in the dressing room when he sat down for the 45-minute makeup process, and had no idea.

Unable to reach Hollick, Angela called a LION KING cast friend, who "broke" the news to him 15 minutes before curtain. Assured by Angela's doctor that it would be a long labor process, Hollick agreed to continue with the evening's performance.

Said Hollick, "I’ve never had a more challenging show in my life. Keeping focus was challenging – you just try to forget what’s going on and play the role." Updates continued to pour in from the hospital periodically throughout the evening. Immediately following his bow, he rushed to the hospital, still in Scar makeup, to help Angela deliver.

Of his race to the hospital, Hollick says, "I got some looks, believe me. I got some looks running through the Mandalay Bay parking lot. I got some looks when I was running through the emergency room entrance at the emergency room – the guy who checked me in looked at me like he’d seen a ghost. But when I got to the maternity ward, they were loving it."

Maxwell Ming “Ziggy” Hollick was born 90 minutes after Hollick's arrival.

Mandalay Bay's production of THE LION KING is staged with all of the same spectacular music, sets and costumes that have made it a worldwide phenomenon, reaching more than 50 million people in 11 countries. Mandalay Bay's production of THE LION KING is virtually identical to the other companies seen around the globe. For Las Vegas, Disney hand-selected an international cast of performers who have won acclaim in productions of THE LION KING across the globe, including Broadway, Taipei, South Africa, London, Los Angeles, Australia, Toronto, Shanghai, Paris and Holland. The show is performed Monday through Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m. with Saturday and Sunday shows at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.

For additional information, visit: www.lionkinglasvegas.com.