It’s not often that performers look to non-humans for guidance in their acting.
But for those cast in Elgin Theatre Company’s “The Lion King Jr.,” they did just that.
“One of the first rehearsals we had, we had discussions where we made sure they were aware of what kind of animals they were,” producer Catie Early said. “After our first meeting, we asked them to go home and check out some videos and do a little bit of research on whatever animal they were assigned so that they could come back to rehearsal the next day and bring some characteristics of those animals.
“How would an elephant walk? How would lions play together? And what kind of movements do gazelles make when they’re running? All of those things so that they sort of have those animalistic characteristics. And they do incorporate that into the dances and into the acting portion as well.”
Gazelles, giraffes, wildebeests and, of course, lions, are among the many animals that come alive onstage when Children’s Theatre of Elgin presents “The Lion King Jr.,” April 21-23 at The Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin.
The stage musical, based on the 1994 animated Disney movie, follows the young lion cub Simba, who is to take the place of his father, Mufasa, as the King of the Pride Lands. A lot of the songs from the movie, including “Circle of Life,” “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” and “Hakuna Matata” are in the stage production.
“But we also have some of the songs from the Broadway show,” said Early, who lives in Hampshire.
Those include “They Live in You,” “Shadowland” and “Grasslands Chant.”
The Jr. production — a shortened version of the Broadway musical for youth — runs about 75 minutes, Early said. While the students who see the show at one of the weekday performances for school field trips won’t have an intermission, the general-public performances will.
“For our public shows, we do have an intermission, just because it’s nice to have that have a little bit of a break,” she said. “Especially since some of the public shows bring even younger kids.”
The CTE production of “The Lion King” features 98 cast members, with just as many parents working on the show as volunteers.
With nearly 100 cast members, dozens of costumes are needed. Some were created by costume designer Fran Mitchell, while the others were rented or borrowed.
“Another company in the area, they just finished doing ‘The Lion King,’ and we were able to work out an arrangement with them so that we can use their theater costumes,” Early said.Community theater — we’re such a close-knit group.”
Early said that watching the young cast members notice the similarities between the movie and the show, and knowing many of the songs they are performing has “been really cool.”
“I hope that with the audience, we can bring them a deeper understanding of the characters,” Early said. “There’s a little bit more of a backstory of Simba and Mufasa’s relationship. And it’s great for the kids to see other kids performing these roles. I think they might be able to connect with Simba a little more than the cartoon.”
Early, who as child appeared in a CTE production of “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe” and went on to a career in theater, said there is often an energy among the cast members when the audience is full of their peers.
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“Every show is going to be different for a number of reasons,” she said. “But the audience definitely brings their energy in the show. Sometime you’ll hear laughs in a different place (at different performances).”
Children in the audience, she said, are also more likely to participate in what’s happening on stage.
“I think adults, when they come, they have this idea about theater. That you go into the theater and you’re supposed to be quiet,” Early said. “And that’s true, but with kids they’re more likely to laugh out loud.”
During last year’s production of “The Jungle Book,” which Early directed, when the tiger was sneaking up on the boy, Mowgli, some children in the audience started shouting for him to watch out.
“They were so invested in the production that they were worried for Mowgli and they wanted to make sure that he didn’t get caught,” Early said. “It was just so cool to see them so involved and so willing to participate.”
Those interested in seeing “The Lion King Jr.” are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance, she said.
“When I watched ‘The Circle of Life’ at rehearsals, I’m already getting chills,” Early said. “And these kids are working so hard, they’re really going to knock everybody’s socks off.”
Kathy Cichon is a freelance reporter for the Courier-News.
‘The Lion King Jr.’
When: April 21-23
Where: The Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin
Tickets: $12 adults; $10 students and seniors
Information: 847-214-7550 or www.cteelgin.com