"The Lion King" Broadway Version Quiz

Answer: Female

The character of Rafiki in 'The Lion King' movie is a male mandrill however in the stage musical Rafiki was changed to a female character. This was done because the original director of the show, Julie Taymor, wanted there to be a more prominent female character in the stage version than there was in the film.

The role of Rafiki was first played on Broadway by the singer and actress Tsidii Le Loka who was born in the African country of Lesotho.

Answer: New Amsterdam Theatre

'The Lion King' originally opened on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theatre in November 1997. The show remained at the New Amsterdam Theatre until 2006 when it moved to the Minskoff Theatre to allow for the musical version of 'Mary Poppins' to be staged at the New Amsterdam. Following the show's success on Broadway a production of 'The Lion King' opened in London's West End in 1999.

Answer: The Morning Report

The song 'The Morning Report' was originally written for the movie version of 'The Lion King' but was cut before the movie was released in cinemas, although a version of the song was included on the DVD release of the movie. The creators of the musical version decided to include the song which sees Zazu deliver his morning report to Mufasa about what has been going on in the Kingdom.

While Zazu is distracted with his report Mufasa uses Zazu as an aide to teach Simba how to pounce on prey. The song was cut from the Broadway version of the show in 2010 along with other minor changes designed to reduce the length of the show slightly.

Answer: True

Zazu the hornbill and Timon the meerkat are portrayed using puppets in the show unlike other characters, such as the lions, which are portrayed by humans in costume. The puppets are controlled by actors who provide the voice for the characters. In the original Broadway production Zazu was controlled by Geoff Hoyle and Timon by Max Casella.

Answer: Lebo M

More songs were needed for the musical version of the 'Lion King' than appeared in the original movie. The songs for the movie were largely written by Elton John and Tim Rice, with Rice writing the lyrics and John providing the music. Additional music for the movie was composed by the film music composer Hans Zimmer.

Lebo M had worked with Hans Zimmer and was one of the people chosen to write songs for the musical. Lebo M was born in the Soweto area of Johannesburg in South Africa in 1964 and started his career performing music in night clubs.

Answer: False

The adult lions in the show have lion face headpieces as part of their costumes. The headpieces are designed so that the lion's head sits above the actor's face leaving their face clear for the audience to see. In the first half the characters Simba and Nala are young lions and are portrayed by children wearing costumes without headpieces.

In the second half when Simba and Nala are adults the adult actors playing them do have headpieces as part of their costume.

Answer: Hakuna Matata

'Hakuna Matata' is the final song of Act 1 and is sung by the characters Timon, Pumbaa, Young Simba and Adult Simba along with members of the Ensemble. The song starts after Timon and Pumbaa find an exhausted Simba all alone and they take him under their wing and sing the song to celebrate their chilled out way of being. During the song Simba changes from a lion cub to an adult with the character of Young Simba making way for Adult Simba.

Answer: Nala and the Lionesses

The song 'Shadowland' is one of the new songs that were written specifically for the musical version of 'The Lion King'. The music was composed by Lebo M and Hans Zimmer while Mark Mancina and Lebo M wrote the lyrics.

'Shadowland' is a song from Act 2 of the musical and is sung by Nala accompanied by the female lions. The song comes after Nala has rejected Scar and is her farewell to her homeland after she has decided she cannot stay any longer in the barren mess that Scar has created.

Answer: He Lives in You

'He Lives in You' is a song written by Lebo M, Mark Mancina and Jay Rifkin. It originally appeared on the 1995 album 'Rhythm of the Pride Lands' featuring music by Lebo M and others inspired by 'The Lion King' movie. The song is about how the spirit of past kings and ancestors continues in those living, in particular how Mufasa lives on in Simba.

The song was included in 'The Lion King' musical and is sung twice in the show. A shorter version called 'They Live in You' is sung by Mufasa to Young Simba in Act 1 while the full version comes in Act 2 when Mufasa appears to Simba and Simba realises he must return home and save the Pride Lands.

The song was later used during the opening sequence of the movie sequel to 'The Lion King' titled 'Simba's Pride' during which Simba and Nala present their daughter at Pride Rock.

Answer: John Vickery

In the original Broadway cast for 'The Lion King' musical the role of Scar was played by the American actor John Vickery. Vickery played the role until 1999 when he switched from the Broadway production to the production being staged in Los Angeles. Alongside his stage work Vickery has also appeared in the TV shows, 'Babylon 5' and 'Star Trek'.