Vanguard Theater Company To Present LION KING KIDS At The Theater At SOMS

Vanguard Theater Company will present The Lion King, Kids, for two performances only on January 12 & 13 at the Theater at SOMS, 70 N Ridgewood Road, South Orange, NJ 07079.

The Lion King, Kids, is based on the wildly successful Broadway musical The Lion King and the animated film classic of the same name. Set in Africa, Disney's The Lion King, Kids, is the coming-of-age story of Simba, a lion cub, who must come to terms with the tremendous responsibility of becoming King of the Pride Lands. 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, Kids features classic songs from the 1994 film such as "Circle of Life," "Hakuna Matata" and the Academy Award winning "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," as well as additional songs penned specifically for the Broadway production.

Featuring a cast of 45 students, grades 2 - 7, from the Montclair and SOMA area, The Lion King, Kids is co-directed by Janeece Freeman-Clark, Artistic Director and Co-founder of Vanguard, and her husband Dwayne Clark. Mr. Clark is a veteran of 12 Broadway shows, most recently the Tony Award winning Broadway revival of The Color Purple. Yah'Ya Kamate, an African dance and drumming instructor with Alvin Ailey, and Patrisha Gibson, Hairspray National Tour, co-choreograph. Bonita Hamilton, who plays Shenzi in Broadway's The Lion King, has served as a mentor for the workshop, bringing aspects of the Broadway production to the young participants, particularly the indigenous African languages spoken throughout the musical: Swahili, Zulu, Sotho, Tswana, Congolese and Xhosa, also known as the "click language."

"I believe all education should be centered around excellence, including the arts. Our production team has numerous Broadway and professional credits to their name," says Freeman-Clark. "The instructors, who are all so accomplished at their craft, still feel it is their duty and responsibility to guide our very youngest thespians."

Tickets and more information about The Lion King, Kids, are available through https://vanguardtheataercompany.org and https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-lion-king-experience-tickets-52724983846

Photo credit Gregory Osborne

From left to right: Yah'Ya Kamate, Bonita Hamilton, Dwayne Clark, Janeece Freeman-Clark, Patrisha Gibson, the production team of The Lion King, Kids.