With more than 90 million audience members worldwide, Disney’s “The Lion King” is launching its 20th anniversary tour.

The 2017-18 North American tour of Disney’s “The Lion King” premieres at the Landmark Theatre Thursday, Oct. 26 at 7:30 p.m. The Landmark Theatre will host 20 performances of “The Lion King,” including an American Sign Language performance on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are available online.

Ben Lipitz, the actor playing Pumbaa, has performed more than 5,000 shows between the Broadway and touring productions of “The Lion King” as the iconic warthog.

Lipitz said one technique he uses to keep his performance fresh after 12 years as Pumbaa is focusing on the nuances of the performance.

“I rededicated myself to being as specific as possible with the puppet work, the singing and the dancing, and making it as articulated as I can,” Lipitz said. “I come to the stage every night as if it’s the last time, and that keeps it vibrant and focused as much as possible.”

Lipitz wears the heaviest performer puppet in the show, weighing in at just less than 50 pounds.

“Making it look like (the puppet) is as light as a feather and that I’m light on my feet while singing and dancing is the biggest challenge,” Lipitz said. “That’s also one of the biggest rewards.”

The tour cast features a mixture of returning company members, members from other productions worldwide and people brand new to “The Lion King.” The cast rehearsed for 4 and a half weeks in New York City before setting up the show in Syracuse.

“Everyone thinks that Broadway touring is glamorous, but it’s a lot of preparation and it’s a lot of work,” Lipitz said. “It’s also incredibly exciting. I’ve seen every part of the country imaginable.”

Puppets, set pieces and other technical and design elements of “The Lion King” travel across the country in up to 15 trucks. More than 100 cast and crew members travel with the production from venue to venue, with about 24 local crew members hired in each city to help with wardrobe, props, scenery and production load-in.

Matt Shiner, the production stage manager, said the most drastic changes in each city are the traffic patterns backstage.

“Just as carefully as everything is choreographed onstage, it’s actually the offstage traffic patterns and choreography that become vitally important to keep the show running,” Shiner said.

Shiner works with three secondary stage managers that are “inherently problem solvers.” Their responsibilities as stage management professionals include writing technical cues for the performance, running rehearsals and troubleshooting issues during performances.

Being on the road can be challenging for Lipitz, Shiner and other crew and cast members, especially when it comes to being away from family.

“(My kids) understand how important this show is and how it inspires so many people, that they’re okay with limited time with dad,” Lipitz said. “We know that we’re all contributing to something bigger than ourselves.”

November marks the 20th anniversary of “The Lion King,” the third longest-running Broadway show.

“Julie Taymor’s rendition of the piece lifts the animate feature off the screen and gives it depth and life and humanity,” Shiner said. “ I really hope that it continues to run and entertain audiences, especially as we roll out this new tour that has new lighting and sound. We really invest the time and energy into hoping we can keep doing this for a very long time.”

Published on October 18, 2017 at 8:55 pm

Contact Haley: hrober03@syr.edu