by kellie abrahamson kabrahamson1@aol.com
The stage production of Disney’s The Lion King finally roars into town this week, giving Jacksonville a chance to see the Tony-winning show that we’ve been seeing ads for for so long. EU intends to bring you the full details of this historic event. From interviews with the actors you will see on the stage during the engagement, to detailed descriptions of the elaborate staging, to reviews of the performances by theatre critics and young children alike, EU is here to help you vicariously experience the thrill and hopefully enhance the suspense for when you and yours attend a performance.
The Lion King; The Broadway Musical is based on the same story you may remember from the Disney feature film, but live on stage, this production is a totally different animal. From Jacksonville locals, like Izell O. Blunt, to Broadway regulars from New York, this show brings the whole world of Broadway to our own Moran Theatre in the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts. I got to speak with Chauntee´ Schuler, the actress who plays adult lioness Nala in the show
EU: Kids everywhere know The Lion King. What is it like to be a part of such a recognizable show?
CS: Well, it’s an absolute honor. It’s so funny. You always think of the kids knowing it, but sometimes the parents know it even better than the kids. It’s really cool to be characters that the kids know in a different way and have them see you and say “Oh, that’s Nala. That’s Simba or Scar,” but in a human form. So, it’s pretty neat.
EU: How is the stage production different from the film version?
CS: It’s extremely different from the movie. A lot of the stage version has South African elements to it, so on top of the music that you might have heard in the movie version, we have a lot of new music that actually has more South African flair. And in the stage version, we take all of the characters to a different level. All the characters in the cartoon are animals and in the stage version we’re… making them half-animals/half-people and using a lot of different techniques with scenery and costumes and lights to create that.
EU: What does your costume consist of?
CS: My costume consists of a skin-toned leotard, silk hand-painted pants, boots and a 10-pound, hand-beaded corset, which is pretty cool and heavy. [Laughs] And my headpiece is pretty light, but it’s of a lion.
EU: Is it difficult to move around in that 10 pound corset?
CS: At first it was. I definitely had to get up my stamina going from rehearsals to the show. It definitely was a slight change, but you get used to it. It makes you feel different. It gives you more of an essence of the character. Of how you stand, of how you move, of being grounded. So it’s an added bonus.
EU: What’s a typical day on tour like for you?
CS: Our day pretty much starts at around 7:00. You start warming up… By 7:30 you’re at the theater and by 8:00 you’re in the show and you do the show and you don’t get out until 11:00… Because it’s the beginning of your night, some people make after-the-show a late night event and some people go to bed soon after. So, our days start quite late.
EU: What’s been the toughest part of playing Nala?
CS: I’d say the toughest part of playing Nala is bringing out her strength as well as her vulnerability, because as strong as she is and as powerful as she is, and [she’s a] risk taker to go out and try and save her home, she’s still a young teenager. She’s still a woman, and she still falls in love. So it’s kind of a difficult task to play a woman who’s vulnerable and falling in love and also a strong, powerful and driven character.
EU: Switching gears, I did a bit of Googling… And discovered that you and your significant other, Joshua, participated in the “Today Throws a Wedding” competition last year.
CS: Yes we did, we did.
EU: What was that like?
CS: It was so much fun. We had such a great time. We did it on a last minute whim… We’ve lived together for almost 6 years now and we’ve been trying to get married for almost two and our schedules are crazy. So we entered it knowing that other people would have to do it for us. [Laughs] So it turned out to be an awesome thing. We came in as runners-up and we actually ended up getting married two months later. It was great.
EU: Do you think you’ll try to make the leap from the stage to television or film at some point?
CS: I think I probably will, but the stage is my home and I don’t think I’ll ever leave it. The thing I love about the theater is that it’s something that you can’t get sitting on your couch at home. That energy and the excitement, even the mistakes [laughs], the wonderful experiences. I mean, it’s live. It’s as close as you can get to your reality TV. It’s real and it’s in front of your face, so I think at a certain point in time I’ll probably give TV and film a try, but I’ll never leave the stage.
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