West Orange Student Musical: Roosevelt Middle School To Perform Lion King Jr.

West Orange, NJ – Simba is coming to West Orange.

Roosevelt Middle School will present its run of this year’s spring musical, “The Lion King Jr.” premiering on May 12.

The 27 student cast members and 15 crew members benefited from two visits from Jelani Remy, currently playing Simba in “The Lion King” on Broadway, according to a school news release.

Director Sandra Van Dyke applied for a grant to cover the cost of purchasing the award-winning play. After receiving notification from Music Theater International that Roosevelt was one of the two schools to receive the $1,000 grant, cast and crew began the required training, which included 14, two-hour sessions.

Musical Director Deb Rees is working with students on the score, which features popular songs like “Circle of Life” and “I Just Can’t Wait to be King,” written by Tim Rice and Elton John.

Van Dyke, a long-time director, worked with Cedar Grove resident Jelani Remy 10 years ago in productions of “Ragtime” and “Aladdin Jr.” at the Oskar Schindler Performing Arts Center.

In addition to Van Dyke and Rees, parent Terri Purcell, a Broadway costume designer, is in charge of costuming, Larry Pelham is designing the sets, which includes an extension to the RMS stage, and Chante Seide, a West Orange High School Class of 2015 graduate, is assistant choreographer.

Tickets are available for purchase at www.rms.booktix.com.

Performances will be held in the Roosevelt Middle School auditorium on May 12 and 14 at 7 p.m., and on May 15 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance, $8 for students and $15 at the door.

Roosevelt Middle School is located at 36 Gilbert Place in West Orange. For more information call (973) 669-5373, ext. 33300.

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