I will never forget March 11th, 2004. My first trip to New York City, and the one night I could see a Broadway show. I was overwhelmed with choices; bright colorful signage was everywhere trying to lure me in. I wandered into the lobby for The Lion King and asked at the box office what they had available. Despite my feet protesting, I grabbed a standing room ticket for $20. My foot ache was quickly forgotten when right beside me, a life sized elephant puppet began to make its way down the middle of the theatre. Across the stage Antelope sprung, and The Circle of Life began. I spent the rest of the evening in teary-eyed wonder at the epic show that unfolded before me.
If you haven’t had the chance to get to New York since the show opened in 1997, or you haven’t made it to LA or Toronto for their long running productions, then the time has come. The touring production of The Lion King comes to Edmonton from July 2nd to August 2nd and Calgary from August 4th to 30th.
Vancouver’s Ian Yuri Gardner, who went to Canadian University College in Red Deer, has been in four different companies of the show. We caught up with him in Sacramento where the tour is currently located.
“It is so amazing from different perspectives. If I am a character where you can see my face, like the rhino or antelope, you see people just erupt. In Sacramento people are applauding four or five times during the opening number. You see that and feel that and it is just a wonderful motivation to just power it out and give more. Sometimes I am in the elephant; you hear people because you are right there, and they are screaming. It is really overwhelming. I am not always onstage so I get to sit back and watch the show from that perspective, and…I have seen people cry and bawl. It impacts so many people, it is quite the phenomenon.”
Being part of a tour can be amazing, but oftentimes artists comment that they see the world without really seeing it. Most Broadway shows have one week stops in each city, but in this case, Gardner enjoys the opportunity to settle down for a longer run and get to know the cities that they visit.
“So far we have had a chance to explore, go do the tourist thing and see the sights of the city. It is nice sitting down in a city for a few weeks. I haven’t really spent a lot of time in Calgary or Edmonton so it will be nice to get to know those cities.”
Coming from Broadway is an interesting contrast. Transitioning a show as massive as The Lion King into theatres with different acoustics, stage sizes, even dressing rooms presents unique challenges.
“Because we are in transition so frequently, the stages change, the backstage area changes, and it is an adjustment. I cover nine roles in the show so there is that extra work, like learning the show again every time we change cities. That is something that drastically changes: onstage they adjust many times because the stage may not be exactly the same. A lot of people don’t think about it. It is definitely challenging.”
I personally can’t wait to see The Lion King again as it has very personal meaning to me. In December of 2002 I lost my father, who was a drama teacher, to cancer. One of the things that we had long spoken of was going to New York City together and seeing a show on Broadway. Seeing a production there without him was emotional enough, but the themes at the heart of the show had me bawling throughout. During the second act, a song called He Lives In You features Simba looking to the stars where an image of his father Mufasa appears. I will be the guy wiping my eyes during that number. Strangely, Gardner and I have a similar background that draws us to this musical.
“My father died after I finished college, literally that same year. Your parents always want you to do the best, they were supportive but always thought of me as more of a Doctor or Lawyer. My Dad never got to see me being successful doing the thing I love to do. There are Canadians that do go to Broadway or tour the world, but it is a rare group. To be in Broadway in a hit production and also going around the world with it, the success of that is amazing but it does hit the heartstrings because he is not there. During that Mufasa moment, you do well up. We are onstage doing what we call the ’flashlight moment’ because you see our faces appear. It makes me reflect on that, how I wish he was here to see me successful in the thing he wasn’t quite sure if it would work out with me.”
If you don’t have your tickets, get on that, as many dates in both cities are completely sold out. Gardner explains that The Lion King is not just any musical.
“It is visually stunning. It has one of the best opening numbers I have ever seen. People see this huge elephant walking down the aisle - it is the last thing they would expect to happen. It culminates in this amazing visual moment on stage with all of the animals. We sing in four different South African languages. We have a core group of South Africans that help keep the authenticity of the show, which a lot of people don’t know. It is more than just a show, it is a cultural experience. It is funny and offers a story that appeals, with a lesson. There are so many reasons why people should come.”
