The Lion
King
The Lion King's
original Broadway
cast
performs "Circle of Life"
(Credit:
© Joan Marcus)
|
After
performing for two
years in
national tours, Jason Raize found the
role that
would bring him national attention:
adult Simba in the Broadway
production of The Lion King.
Disney Theatrical Productions hired
visionary director Julie Taymor to
stage the hit animated feature about a
lion cub who flees from
home, then grows up to realize that he
must face his past and become
king. Through Taymor's imaginative use
of puppetry,
masks, costumes, and African music, The
Lion
King became one of Broadway's
biggest hits of the 1990s.
"My
dream was to originate a role on
Broadway, anywhere in a new
musical production," Jason said in a Hollywood
Spotlight
chat. "So
taking a property like Lion King,
a
classic
coming
of
age
tale,
and
after
hearing
Julie
give
me
the
pitch
for
the
musical
and
giving
me
her
sketches,
it
was
amazing!
She
thought
of
a
new
way
to
bring
this
story
to
people.
I
felt
like
I
was
working
on
something
big
and
that
I
had
a
lot
to contribute to it. Each actor did
that, they were given so much room to
bring the personalities to the
role they were playing. Very rare
opportunity." |
Jason felt a connection
with Simba from the first time he
saw the movie. Like Simba, Jason
had
lost a parent when he was young.
He also identified with the
character's anxiety and desire for
direction. Even when his contract
with another show nearly prevented
him from auditioning for Simba,
Jason knew that he had to have the
part. He showed up at an open call
knowing he couldn't be turned
away, and ultimately won the role
of his
dreams.
To prepare to play
Simba, Jason watched a variety of
nature shows to observe the animal
kingdom and to study the attitude
of lions. "Animals walk the plains
and savannas without fear," Jason
said in a TalkCity
chat. "That's
something we try to bring to the
stage - that lack of fear of the
world
around us."
Jason and the cast headed to
Minneapolis in summer 1997 for The
Lion King's out-of-town
tryout
at the Orpheum Theatre, an
experience which Jason said helped
to bring
the cast closer together. By then,
The
Lion
King
was building positive buzz
in advance of its New
York
opening.
When the show opened on Broadway
at the newly-renovated Amsterdam
Theatre on November 13, 1997, The
New
York
Times called it "one
of
the most memorable, moving and
original
theatrical extravaganzas in
years." The
Lion
King quickly became the
hottest
ticket in New
York.
(left to right)
John Vickery, Scott
Irby-Ranniar, Jason Raize,
and Samuel E. Wright take
their curtain call
(Source:
Jason's
official website, late
1990s
version)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Julie
Taymor
and
Michael
Curry |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Lebo
M,
Mark
Mancina,
Jay
Rifkin,
Julie
Taymor,
and
Hans
Zimmer |
|
Additional
Music and Lyrics
|
|
| Roger
Allers
and
Irene
Mecchi |
|
|
|
|
|
| Robert
Elhai,
David
Metzger,
and
Bruce
Fowler |
|
|
|
Jason's performance also
received critical praise. The
Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel said, "Jason
Raize
emerges as a matinee idol in his
dashing
portrayal of Simba." The
Columbus Dispatch wrote, "Jason
Raize's
young-adult Simba is pumped with
pride, passion and the hormones of a
teen-age Broadway heartthrob." The
Post
and
Courier
of
Charleston raved,
"As
the adult Simba, Jason Raize was
ideally cast and possesses one of
the most handsome and compelling
faces I've seen on stage in recent
years. I can't compare his stage
presence with that of anyone
other
than, perhaps, James Naughton in Chicago,
or
Peter
Gallagher
in
the
revival
of Guys
and Dolls."
In
fall
1997,
Jason
performed
his
solo "Endless
Night"
on The Rosie O'Donnell
Show,
an
appearance
which
he
told
Hollywood
Spotlight
"single
handedly
made
my
career!"
He
also
appeared
on Good
Morning America singing
"Can
You
Feel
the
Love
Tonight"
with
Heather
Headley, on Live
with Regis and
Kathie Lee singing "Hakuna
Matata" with Max Casella and Tom
Alan Robbins, and again
on Rosie performing
in
a
medley of
"They Live in You" and "He Lives in
You." Jason also
became the cover story
for a January 1998
edition of InTheater
magazine.
|
|
|
The
Lion King
was nominated for eleven Tony
Awards in 1998 and went
home
with six
wins. Nominations are listed below,
with wins in bold.
- Best
Musical:
The Lion King
- Best
Direction of a Musical: Julie
Taymor
- Best
Choreography: Garth Fagan
- Best
Book
of
a
Musical:
Roger
Allers
and
Irene
Mecchi
- Best
Original
Score Written for the Theatre:
Music by Elton John, Tim Rice,
Lebo M,
Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie
Taymor, and Hans Zimmer; Lyrics by
Elton John, Tim Rice, Lebo M, Mark
Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor,
and Hans Zimmer
- Best
Orchestrations:
Robert
Elhai,
David
Metzger,
and
Bruce
Fowler
- Best
Costume
Design: Julie Taymor
- Best
Lighting
Design: Donald Holder
- Best
Scenic
Design: Richard Hudson
- Best
Featured
Actor
in
a
Musical:
Samuel
E.
Wright
- Best
Actress
Featured
Actress
in
a
Musical:
Tsidii
Le
Loka
The original
cast
album, on which Jason performed
in "Endless Night," "Hakuna
Matata," "Can You Feel the Love
Tonight," and "He
Lives in You," won a Grammy Award.
|
Later in
his three-year
run as Simba, Jason performed "Can You Feel the Love
Tonight" on Good
Morning America a second time
and appeared as the cover
story in InTheater again in
1999, this
time
with
Samuel E. Wright. He performed at
numerous events including the opening
of the National Soccer Hall of Fame's
new museum in Oneonta, a Rita
Hayworth Gala to benefit the Alzheimer's
Association, and This is
Your Song: Broadway Sings Elton
John.
Jason's final performance in The
Lion King took place on
August 20, 2000.
In the February
1999 InTheater article,
Jason
explained,
"When
we
were
creating
this
show,
we
developed
our
own
community.
We
had
a
sense
of
almost
being
in a bubble. We couldn't
really explain what we were doing to our
friends--all we were thinking
was that we hoped people would like it.
And the result was this amazing
piece that we are all incredibly blessed
to be a part of." |
Tom Alan Robbins, Jason
Raize, and Max Casella perform "Hakuna
Matata"
(Credit:
© Joan Marcus)
|
Home
Biography
Stage
Music
TV and Film
Goodwill Work
Multimedia
Press
Links
About
This
Site
Site
originally
conceived by Meredith
Lee and Kathleen
Ludewig in January 1998
|
