The Lion King celebrated its 27th anniversary on Broadway tonight, Wednesday, November 13th. A surprise guest made an emotional appearance in the show’s curtain call and revealed herself as Kajuana S Marie, who had created the role of Young Nala at age 10 when the show opened in 1997.
Marie (whose Equity name in 1997 was Kajuana Shuford) has been busy in film and television since that Broadway debut, and this evening saluted the 14 original company members still proudly with the show.
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While two Broadway juggernauts have previously reached this anniversary milestone, The Lion King marks several historic firsts. Never before has a show in its 28th year been playing in so many productions around the world and placed in the Top 5 grossing Broadway shows virtually every week for this long – 27 years and counting. Currently, 90,000 people every week enjoy the show in eight productions on three continents. There have been 29 productions over the life of the show, seen by a staggering 120 million people.
Composer Lebo M and the Tony-winning choreographer Garth Fagan hold their own Broadway records; with The Lion King at over 10,600 main stem performances, they are the longest running Black composer and choreographer in Broadway history.
Many of the artists and craftspeople who launched the show remain an integral part of it. Lindiwe Dlamini has performed in the show since its first pre-Broadway preview in Minneapolis in summer 1997. Seven musicians have been in the orchestra pit since its Broadway opening: Tom Brett, Avril Brown, George Flynn, Eliana Mendoza, Rolando Morales-Matos, Horace “Junior” Wedderburn and David Weiss. Original crew members include Cynthia Boardman (Assistant Wardrobe Supervisor), Elizabeth Cohen (Production Makeup Supervisor), Hilda Garcia-Suli (Wardrobe), Doug Graf (Head Follow Spot Operator), Anne Salt (Puppet Technician and Props) and Sean Strohmeyer (Varilites Electrics). All told, 14 original company members continue their vital work onstage and off.
