Interview: THE LION KING's Drew Hirshfield Celebrates the Simple Power and Connection of Live Theatre

The awe-inspiring spectacle of The Lion King returns to Greenville's Peace Center on May 31 for an extended run. It's a uniquely theatrical adaptation of the beloved Disney animated classic featuring breath-taking puppets and soul stirring music.

In the current production, Drew Hirshfield plays Zazu, the chief advisor to The Lion King himself, Mufasa. The New York based actor has been on the road with the show for three years.

"In Lion King terms, that's actually not very much, believe it or not," Hirshfield told me in a recent telephone interview. "Just last week we celebrated a colleague who's been with the show since the beginning, so that's twenty years. He started twenty years ago at the first rehearsals, and he's been with the show continuously for all that time. Of course, the tour's only been about fifteen years, and we do have colleagues with the tour who have been with the tour the whole time. "

When asked about the staying power of the show, Hirshfield points to the simple power of a story that everyone can connect to. "You know, everyone has a dad. And when you tell a story through an animal, it makes it accessible for all ages."

But even more than that Hirshfield points to old-school theatre magic. "It's old fashioned techniques, it's not newfangled special effects," he says. "It's the masks, the puppets and the African music that give it a depth that isn't there just in the story alone. That gives it a resonance that makes it really hit home for a lot of people."

Hirshfield did not come to the show with formal puppetry training. He says that's pretty typical. "Lion King makes it a practice of hiring actors first and trusting that they can be taught the puppetry," he says. "So that was the process for me. I auditioned as an actor and then the last stage of the audition process was I showed up to rehearsal space in New York City and they had this big hand puppet sitting on the table, a Zazu puppet, and they said, 'Now go over there and pick that up and let's see what happens.'"

After getting hired, Hirshfield had about a month to rehearse and get worked into the show, but it took a lot longer for him to truly feel comfortable. "It took me about five or six months to feel like I was in sync with the puppet in an unconscious way, which is where you want to get to, where muscle memory takes over and the puppet is functioning without a lot of conscious thought," he says cautioning that it's still a continual pursuit. "It's not like I've mastered it now and I can sit back and coast. It's all about approaching it every day as for the first time - the beginner's mind idea - and making the puppetry work every day. Some days I feel like I'm pretty successful...but it's a pursuit and you never arrive."

Along with that process of discovery, Hirshfield revels in the joy of working with such a beautifully made puppet. "There's a lot of joy and pleasure when I feel like I'm in full connection with the puppet and whatever else is happening on stage," he says. "I sometimes think of it as a yoga practice or a meditation practice, where you're doing the same thing over and over but if you bring yourself to it each time with an open mind it does deepen and get more interesting for yourself, and in that, hopefully, it supports the storytelling."

When asked about the show's message, Hirshfield points again to the universal relevance of the story. "This show is so much about joy and connection and unity and, of course, those are things that the world always needs, especially in this moment in time," he says. "I hope that people feel more connected to the world around them when they leave the theatre."

Hirshfield travels with his wife and five year-old daughter. And since typical Lion King engagements are four weeks, they get plenty of time to explore the cities they visit. And Greenville is one they're really looking forward to.

"Believe it or not, I've heard great things about Greenville from other colleagues who were with the show when it was there before. They said, 'We didn't anticipate it being awesome - and it was awesome!'"

The Lion King runs from May 31 - June 25 at the Peace Center in downtown Greenville, SC. Tickets start at $35. For reservations and show times call the box office at 864.467.3000 or visit www.peacecenter.org.

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