‘Veteran’ actors perform in ‘Lion King Jr.’

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This article was published 09/05/2024 (694 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When the curtain rises for tonight’s opening of the Mecca Productions’ kids musical “The Lion King Jr.” in Brandon, there will be a cast of 163 waiting to make their entrances at the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium.

For 17-year-old Seamus Malcolm, this will be his second time doing the play, but first time portraying a villain in all his numerous appearances on stage.

“The first time I did the ‘Lion King’ I was in Grade 5, and I played the character Ed — a henchman,” Malcolm said.

“So, in total for all my life, I’ve done 21 productions, including ‘Romeo and Juliet’ at school. And with Mecca, I’ve done 17 shows,” said Malcolm, who is in Grade 12 at École secondaire Neelin High School.

For the past five months, Malcolm and his cast mates have been rehearsing “The Lion King Jr.” — an all-kids musical, which means participants must be in Grade 12 or younger.

And on opening night, Malcolm said he’s ready to become Scar, the villain and brother of Mufasa, who he kills to take the throne of Pride Lands.

“Scar is power hungry, slimy, cunning and wants to be king,” Malcolm said. “It’s a bit of a departure from a lot of the roles I’ve played in the past. I’ve done a lot of comedic roles, so it’s nice to branch out and put on a mask of a cunning character.”

Along with Scar and Mufasa in “The Lion King Jr.” there is Simba, Mufasa’s surviving son. Simba escapes his wicked uncle and goes on an adventure where he meets a whole cast of characters before returning home as an adult to take back his homeland.

Simba is being playing by Aaron Cox, also a Grade 12 student at Neelin. He laughed when he said he is a Mecca veteran, too — at the ripe old age of 17.

Cox was also in the first production of “Lion King Jr.” when he was in Grade 5. Back then he was in the chorus, in the lion cubs’ ensemble.

“I started doing musicals with the second kids musical that Mecca did, so that would have been eight years ago and actually, this is my 16th show,” said Cox, who is alternating playing Simba and Mufasa every other performance.

“Playing both Mufasa and Simba was a little intimidating at first, but I also found it nice because I was able to draw things from one that I could bring to the other,” said Cox.

“So, it may have been scary at first but ultimately, it ended up being just fine. And I think it really helped both characters come out better for me.”

The first time Mecca had its young actors present “The Lion King Jr.” was in 2017 in front of an audience in the amphitheatre at the Keystone Centre.

Both Malcolm and Cox agreed that the WMCA has a much bigger backstage area and a lot more dressing rooms, while Malcolm added that the auditorium’s stage provides more space for the “high-quality sets.”

“I think honestly the sets are stunning,” Malcolm said. “And the cast is very strong. There were a couple of moments where all the people playing the leads and supporting characters had their moment of, ‘Oh my God, this is amazing.’”

Lisa Vasconcelos founded Mecca theatre company 23 years ago and since then has presented 35 community musicals, 10 all-kids musicals and six community plays.

Vasconcelos said she got emotional when she looked at photos of “Lion King Jr.” from seven years ago and realized how many of the cast members have matured in their acting, including some who were in kindergarten at the time.

“This cast is crazy talented. I can’t wait for people to see ‘The Lion King Jr.,’ it’s unbelievable. The kids are so committed, and they physicalize the animals. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen,” Vasconcelos said.

“And we’ve gone back to more traditional-like sets. Brothers Chris and Cam Tataryn built a Pride Rock and a Scars Cave, and we made a full huge sun that’s kind of like a Venetian blind with pieces of wood.

“And then you put 163 kids on this stage all coming to life as animals — it’s amazing. So, we’re really really proud of this.”

Vasconcelos added that she attributed the high calibre of actors to the high standards set by Mecca’s directors and instructors, including her daughter, Tiana Vasconcelos, who is a trained dancer and certified dance teacher through the Associated Dance Arts for Professional Teachers (ADAPT).

ADAPT techniques are taught by more than 175 dance studios across Canada and around the world, according to the organization’s website.

When Mecca started 23 years ago, there weren’t musical theatre or dance training programs like there are today, Lisa Vasconcelos said.

“So, our kids have a lot of training that they bring to it,” she said. “And yes, these productions are performed by kids, but they hold their own as far as what they do with the quality of their show.”

When asked why he loves the theatre, Cox said it’s exciting for him, but added, from what he’s “heard from other people,” he likes how it makes everybody feel.

“People say that seeing youth doing musicals and music in general is fulfilling, and that gives me hope for the future because you see all these amazing kids putting together something beautiful,” he said.

“And I think that’s something really worthwhile to see and experience.”

Six performances have been scheduled for the “The Lion King Jr.” at WMCA.

The curtain rises for tonight’s and Friday’s show at 7:30 p.m. There are four shows on Saturday, the first one at 10:15 a.m., followed by 1 and 3:30 p.m., with the final performance Saturday evening at 7:30.

Tickets are available at the WMCA box office, or by calling 204-728-9510.

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