The Lion King Tour Gets a New Mufasa and Simba

The North American tour of The Lion King will welcome two new stars. Beginning September 23, David D'Lancy Wilson will star as Mufasa, and Gilbert Domally will join the company as Simba while the tour is making a stop in Portland, Oregon's Keller Auditorium. They will succeed current leads Darnell Abraham and Erick D. Patrick, respectively, both of whom are taking their final bows September 21.

Wilson comes to the tour after a run as Mufasa in Toronto. He's also been seen in Canadian runs of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Hairspray, along with Trap and The Handmaid's Tale on screen. Domally was most recently in the ensemble of the Disney musical's Broadway bow, and was also an understudy for Simba.

The current touring company also includes Peter Hargrave as Scar, Mukelisiwe Goba as Rafiki, Nick Cordileone as Timon, Nick LaMedica as Zazu, Danny Grumich as Pumbaa, Thembelihle Cele as Nala, Forest VanDyke as Banzai, Martina Sykes as Shenzi, and Sam Linda as Ed, along with standbys Wiliam John Austin and Thom Christopher Warren. Bryce Christian Thompson and Julian Villela share the role of Young Simba, and Jaxyn Damasco and Emmanuella Olaitan share the role of Young Nala.

The company also includes Kayla Rose Aimable, Ellen Akashi, Eric Bean, Jr., Layla Brent, Vernon Brooks III, Shaquelle Charles, Reoagile Choabi, Daniela Cobb, Lyric Danae, Maurice Dawkins, Cedrick Ekra, Camryn Hampton, Valériane Louisy Louis Joseph, Joel Karie, Gabisile Manana, Keyveontae’ Martin, Justin Mensah, Sarita Amani Nash, Nhlanhla Ndlovu, Aaron Nelson, Yuka Notsuka, Sicelo Ntshangase, Sayiga Eugene Peabody, Poseletso Sejosingoe, Eric Shawn, Kevin Ricardo Tate, Jennifer Theriot, Brena K. Thomas, Courtney Thomas, Ben Toomer, Denzel Tsopnang, Brinie Wallace, and Jordan Nicole Willis.

Watch: International Casts of The Lion King Perform Multilingual 'Circle of Life'

Director, costume designer, and mask co-designer Julie Taymor, the first woman to win a Tony for Best Director of a Musical, remains actively involved in the show, launching new productions and maintaining the flagship Broadway production. Composer Lebo M and Tony-winning choreographer Garth Fagan hold their own records: With The Lion King at over 10,800 Main Stem performances, they are the longest-running Black composer and choreographer in Broadway history

The Lion King won six Tony Awards in 1998: Best Musical, Best Scenic Design (Richard Hudson), Best Costume Design (Julie Taymor), Best Lighting Design (Donald Holder), Best Choreography (Garth Fagan), and Best Direction of a Musical. The international hit musical has also earned more than 70 major arts awards, including the 1998 NY Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, the 1999 Grammy for Best Musical Show Album, the 1999 Evening Standard Award for Theatrical Event of the Year, and the 1999 Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Choreography and Best Costume Design. The worldwide gross of The Lion King musical exceeds that of any film, Broadway show, or other entertainment title in box-office history.

The Broadway score features Elton John and Tim Rice’s songs from The Lion King animated film, along with three new songs by the pair. There's also additional musical material by Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor, and Hans Zimmer. It also inspired an album: Rhythm of the Pride Lands, written by Lebo M, Mark Mancina, and Hans Zimmer.

The book was adapted by Roger Allers, who co-directed the animated The Lion King feature, and Irene Mecchi, who co-wrote the film’s screenplay.

Other members of the creative team include Michael Curry (who designed the masks and puppets with Taymor), as well as sound designer Steve Canyon Kennedy, hair and makeup designer Michael Ward, associate director Anthony Lyn, associate choreographer Marey Griffith, music supervisor Clement Ishmael, production supervisor Lisa Dawn Cave, and general manager Thomas Schlenk with casting by ARC's Mark Brandon. Anne Quart serves as executive producer.

The musical is produced by Disney Theatrical Group, under the direction of Andrew Flatt, executive producer Quart, and Thomas Schumacher.

Visit LionKing.com.