Lion King Junior at Kennedy Middle School in Natick

THE LION KING JR. ‘RULES’

Disney’s THE LION KING JR.

Playing at the Kennedy Middle School in Natick

Disney’s The Lion King JR. is playing at Kennedy Middle School in Natick with performances on Friday, March 20th at 7:00 pm, Saturday March 21st at 1:00 pm and 5:30 pm and Sunday March 22nd at 2:00 pm. The 60-minute musical, designed for middle-school aged performers, is based on the Broadway production directed by Julie Taymor and the 1994 Disney film. Kennedy Middle School has the honor of putting up one of the first handful of Junior productions of the Lion King. KMS Theatre is actually using Julie Taymor’s original Broadway “double effect,” where actors use both their human faces and animal masks or puppets to bring out the human and animal qualities in each character.

The 6th, 7th and 8th grade production contains 63 student actors, 8 student crew members, and a handful of returning high school students helping with sets. The production is directed by Kennedy Middle School drama teacher Casey Lane and music directed by music and chorus teacher, Don Griffin. Building such an iconic show has brought together a community of volunteers who have constructed original sets, handcrafted nearly all of the costumes from scratch, and designed props and puppets in the spirit of the Broadway production.

Mr. Lane feels that “This show has such important lessons for our middle school community about the importance of family, forming true friendships, and the great journey for each of us to find our place in the “circle of life.” Working with the students on learning dialogue and lyrics written in both English, and several African languages has brought a greater cultural awareness to our community.” From a musical perspective, Mr. Griffin noted, “The unique thing about the Lion King, Jr. is how much emphasis is placed on the ensemble. Through vocal inflections, various dialects and the use of dynamics, the ensemble plays a pivotal role in conveying the story through the musical numbers.

The Lion King JR. tells the story of the epic adventures of a curious cub named Simba as he struggles to accept the responsibilities of adulthood and his destiny as king. Along the way, the young lion encounters a colorful cast of characters including spunky lioness Nala, charismatic meerkat Timon, and loveable warthog Pumbaa. To claim his rightful place on the throne and save his beloved Pridelands , Simba must find his inner strength and confront his wicked Uncle Scar. The Lion King JR. features classic songs from the 1994 film such as “Hakuna Matata” and the Academy Award®-winning “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” as well as additional songs penned for the Broadway production.

Performances of Disney’s The Lion King JR. are open to the public. Tickets can be purchased at the door and are $7 for Adults and $5 for Children, Seniors and Students. Kennedy Middle School is located at 165 Mill Street, Natick.

For more information about licensing The Lion King JR. or other Disney shows, please visit www.DisneyMusicals.com.

Disney Theatrical Group (DTG) operates under the direction of Thomas Schumacher and is among the world’s most successful commercial theater enterprises, bringing live entertainment events to a global annual audience of more than 19 million people in more than 50 countries. Under the Disney Theatrical Productions banner, the group produces and licenses Broadway musicals around the world, including Beauty and the Beast; The Lion King; Elton John & Tim Rice’s Aida; TARZAN®; Mary Poppins, a co-production with Cameron Mackintosh; The Little Mermaid; Newsies; Peter and the Starcatcher; and Aladdin. Other successful stage musical ventures have included King David in concert, the national tour of On the Record, several touring versions of Disney’s High School Musical, and Der Glöckner Von Notre Dame in Berlin.

Disney Theatrical Group also delivers live shows globally through its license to Feld Entertainment, producer of Disney on Ice and Disney Live! For over 30 years, Disney on Ice and Disney Live! have brought beloved Disney stories and characters annually to over 12 million guests in nearly 50 countries worldwide through productions such as Toy Story 3, Dare to Dream, Rockin’ Ever After, and Disney Junior Live on Tour! Pirate & Princess Adventure. In addition, DTG licenses musical titles for local, school, and community theater productions through Music Theatre International.

Music Theatre International (MTI) www.mtishows.com, is one of the world’s leading dramatic licensing agencies, granting schools as well as amateur and professional theaters from around the world the rights to perform the largest selection of great musicals from Broadway and beyond. MTI works directly with the composers, lyricists, and book writers of these shows to provide official scripts, musical materials, and dynamic theatrical resources to over 60,000 theatrical organizations in the U.S. and in over 60 countries worldwide.

MTI is particularly dedicated to the idea of theater as education and has created special collections for younger performers. The MTI Broadway Junior Collection® includes JR. titles, 60-minute musicals for performance by middle school children; and KIDS titles, 30-minute musicals for performance by elementary school children. MTI School Editions™ are musicals that have been annotated for performance by high school students, and the Theatre For Young Audiences (TYA) Collection are 70-minute musicals designed for adults to perform for children.