Veronica Love as Zazu and Zoe Rank as Rafiki in the upcoming production of The Circle of Life – Music and Story of the Lion King. Photo submitted.
The Experiential Theater Company’s Vocal Tribe will bring to life the music and story of the “Lion King” in “The Circle of Life” beginning this Friday at the Sonoma Valley Woman’s Club. Twenty young artists and singers, ranging from ages 9 to 19, will take the stage portraying Rafiki, Zazu, Little Simba and Nala, Mufasa, Timon, Pumba and many other animals and tribes people. “This is the first time I have combined both my older vocal group and my young kids as a cast,” explained Director Cat Austin. “It has really raised the bar to have this combination. It created a tribe feeling between the two different casts.”
“The Circle of Life” differs from the original presentation of “The Lion King” as it focuses specifically on the music and less on the story, although, as Austin explains, “There are about ten different scenes from the original show dispersed throughout the performance that present and stay true to the aspects of both the Disney movie and the original Broadway show.” The show also has a twist as it is narrated by character Rafiki, played by Zoe Rank, throughout the music.
“The cast will be in full Zulu makeup and be singing true African music in the play, as well as the more well-known Lion King pieces. It’s amazing – the cast learned the real African style of singing,” said Austin. “Even though they can’t speak the language, they really learned how to sing it.” Some of the more traditional songs to look forward to are “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” “Circle of Life,” “Just Can’t Wait To Be King,” “Hakuna Matata,” “He Lives In You” and the African chants from the Broadway show.
Austin also integrated her own ideas into the style of the show, redesigning the costumes so that only the lion characters appear in actual animal costume, with the rest of the cast show in African tribal costume. “This isn’t a cheesy expression of children’s theater. It’s about the music, and I thought the costume change really drilled that in. This is not a children’s theater group. It’s a professional group and the kids here are trained as professionals.”
“Circle of Life” opens Friday, Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. and continues Feb. 21-22 and 27-28 at 7 p.m., with a final matinee performance on March 1 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $5 for students ages 17 and under. The Sonoma Valley Woman’s Club is at 574 First St. E. Advanced tickets can be purchased at Readers’ Books and Pharmaca. For more information contact the ETC! box office at 707.935.6675.
