Being part of a huge production is great.
For the audition, I had to sing one of the Lion King songs, learn a choreographed dance, and do a couple of scenes from the show.
The biggest challenge was keeping up with school and my regular "teen life" AND doing eight shows a week on Broadway at the same time. I'm glad I got to split them with the other actor that played Simba.
I loved going out there onstage every night and giving a fun show to kids and adults. The sets and costumes were amazing! I loved the hyena chase because we got to run up and down a moving set of bones. The audience also loved it and gave us enthusiastic responses. That always makes it better.
Another great thing about theater is that fans will wait backstage after the show. A mom came up to me with her little girl and asked me to take a picture with her. The little girl reached up for me to pick her up, I asked the mom if I could and she said, "yes." When I picked her up she hugged me and said "I want to marry you!" It was really sweet.
Acting onstage is different from film because you get the immediate reaction from your audience. On camera, if you mess up, you can just cut and do another take. Everyone in the cast has made a mistake or two, but we always end up laughing about it afterwards. The show must go on!
"The Lion King"
Based on the 1994 Disney animated film of the same name, "The Lion King" became a Tony and Olivier Award-winning Broadway and West End musical directed by Julie Taymor. The epic conflict between lions worked beautifully in animated film, and bringing it the stage was a challenging endeavor. Producers Peter Schneider and Thomas Schumacher, Walt Disney Chairman Michael Eisner, and Disney Theatrical believed in the power of The Lion King's story, and turned to Taymor to direct. Already a director and designer well known for mythical staging inspired by international theatrical forms, she was excited by the challenge.
Justin made his Broadway debut March 1st of 2006 and continued in that role for 12 months.
