South African stars roar in London

The curtains lifted and the sun rose on the stage of London’s Lyceum Theatre as the iconic opening lines of the Circle of Life in Disney’s The Lion King “Nansi ingonyama bakithi baba” reverberated through the theatre.

The thundering voice of Thenjiwe Nofemele, a South African actress who plays Rafiki, commanded silence and attention from the 2000 people seated in the cool theatre on a Sunday afternoon. The stage began to transform as performers convincingly dressed as animals glided across the platform. Each in their embellished costumes, face paint and movement mimicking the eagerness and curiosity of the wild.

A 4m-long and 3m-wide elephant carefully carried by four actors walked down the orchestra aisle, followed by giraffes carried on stilts and other antelope galloping onto the stage. A spectacle. 

The character details, the design of the stage, the choreography and the theme music carried the essence of the iconic opening scene where animals gathered around Pride Rock to welcome the young king’s birth. 

As the Zulu chant translates: “Here comes a lion, father”. Rafiki held baby Simba to the sky and the unmistakable thud that brought the theatre to complete darkness and brought the scene to a close. It was silent. Shivers tingled across my body and eyes welled with tears. The audience roared in applause in anticipation of the magnificent treat we were about to experience. 

The Lion King was released in 1994 and has become a favourite of adults and children across the globe. The production was directed by Julie Taymor and has been running at the Lyceum Theatre in London for 26 years.

The production recently won the best musical production in the Black British Theatre Awards and boasts a crew of over 150 people, which includes the main actors, performers and puppeteers as well as the backstage crew that brings it together. 

The magic lies in the story-telling, but the dressing brings the story to life, with over 350 costumes in the show, including 22 hand-beaded corsets, each consisting of thousands of individually sewn beads, as well as 232 puppets in the show, including rod, shadow and full-sized puppets. 

The story is set in the African Savannah and five African languages are spoken or sung in the show: Sesotho, Kiswahili, isiZulu, Setswana and isiXhosa, but it was a surprise for me, a South African visiting London, to hear Rafiki utter the words “Haibo” during a scene. I had to prop my head up to make sure I was correct in hearing a South African term in a foreign country – let alone a big stage production. It was later confirmed when the same character said “sanibonani” in another scene. It felt comforting and warm to hear my country’s language being represented and shown to the rest of the world. 

Having grown up watching The Lion King, the story, dialogue and scenes were so familiar to me that I unconsciously started mouthing the words and singing along to the songs. I watched the production with more intent as I sought more South Africanness. It was exquisite in the way the stage transformed scene after scene – from the colour and vibrant duet between young Simba and Nala in I Just Can’t Wait to be King, to the chilling moment Scar drops Mufasa to his death as drums throbbed and as Simba transitions from cub to lion with his two new companions, Timon and Pumbaa. 

It was not just a visual or auditory treat, but an emotional experience and to have South Africans playing key characters was notable given the variety of stage shows produced in London, including classics such as Moulin Rouge and Hamilton.

“With The Lion King, it’s very specific. South Africans need to be in the show because it’s rooted in our culture and heritage. It’s not just the London company – productions all over the world need that South African sound, because much of the singing is in our languages. That authenticity is vital,” said Nofemele. 

“You don’t see this in many other shows, but because South Africans are so integral to The Lion King, it’s important that the sound remains authentically South African. While many performers have been fortunate enough to branch out into principal roles, the foundation was always about that distinctive South African vocal quality.

“It ensures the show sounds authentic and is properly represented, which is why there is such a strong South African presence in the production.”

There are 15 South African crew members in the production, this includes members of the ensemble and actors playing main characters in the story. Simba is played by Hope Maine, originally from Matlosana in the North West, Pumbaa is played by Pierre Van Heerdan from Cape Town, Ed is played by Mark Tatham from Johannesburg and Nofemele originally from Bloemfontein takes the role as Rafiki. 

Nofemele joined The Lion King production when it was still in South Africa – fresh out of high school. She landed a spot on the team due to her raw acting talent and a stroke of luck after initially auditioning for a role in Soul City. She covered the roles of the hyenas, Ed and Shenzi, before getting her role as Rafiki. She traveled to Germany and then to London. She has been part of the production for nearly 20 years. 

“It really is a dream come true. For me, having been in the show for so long and seeing the changes that have happened over the years, it’s especially meaningful. Back in the day, we would only play certain characters – for example, Rafiki would be South African and depending on where you were in the world, people from that region would be cast as the main characters,” Nofemele told the Mail & Guardian. 

“Now, it’s so beautiful to see my people – like Mark playing Ed and me playing Shenzi in Germany. It’s wonderful to see that we finally have a seat at the table, that we are now seen as good enough to play roles not just to represent South Africans in the show, but to represent the actual characters themselves. That’s another dream I didn’t even realise we had.

“There were times when you’d sit there thinking, ‘I could play this character,’ but those opportunities were never given. To see that change over the years is such a beautiful thing to witness. It makes me proud that we are considered good enough to play these roles.”

“I’m speaking about abroad because, when we left South Africa back then, funding was limited and our industry wasn’t taken seriously. Coming out here, we are respected, we are taken care of and we are now playing bigger roles. You only wish that it could be the same in South Africa,” she added. 

Tatham obtained his degree in dramatic arts from the University of the Witwatersrand and had short stints in local productions, including at Joburg Theatre. He auditioned for The Lion King in South Africa and had been cast in the international tour of the production launching in the Philippines in 2018. He was cast as Ed, while also covering Timon and Zazu.

He performed mostly across Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan and Hong Kong, with shorter stints in New Zealand and Abu Dhabi toward the end.

“Near the end of the tour I thought I’d still like to be overseas where theatre is a bigger deal,” he told the M&G. 

“I got a call from the casting director from Disney saying they would like me to come play Ed in London… I have been here for three years but my whole journey has been eight years in total, five on the international tour and three years here in London.” 

Being a part of The Lion King production in London was also a far-fetched dream for Tatham but it’s also a testament to the potential of South Africa’s artists. 

“It shows how much talent there is in South Africa that isn’t really being seen or recognised. We have a depth of talent that is truly world class. I’m not just saying that because we’re South Africans. I’m saying that because it is true.”

The production runs for eight days a week with double shows Wednesday and Saturday and nine times out of 10, the theatre is packed to capacity. “Every night, all year round, sometimes a lot of times, twice in a day, it’s pretty sold out and for good reason,” said Nofemele. 

“It’s such an important show. It’s such an important story to be told. And it’s not just for children, it’s for everyday life. It’s for different experiences, even within our own lives. 

“I found it heals me in so many ways, as I’ve gone through a lot within my almost 20 years in the show. I lost my dad when I was doing the show. I’ve become a mother…and there are certain things within the show that I take personally in my own experiences and I know they’ve helped shape or comfort or restore whatever was lacking at the time.”

“That says a lot about what kind of a show we are in,” she added. 

During the climactic scene where fire rages as Simba fights Scar to reclaim Pride Rock, The auditorium was still. The story was obvious, but the depiction was heart-throbbing and once again demanded silence and concentration.  

The fall of Scar mirrored the death of Mufasa and the rise of Simba in the closing scene had come full-circle. The emotions resurfaced as Nofemele’s voice, as Rafiki, echoed through the theatre once more. A powerful, South African note that closed off this masterpiece. 

The journalist’s trip to London was self-funded.