Syndee Winters will make her Broadway debut as royal lioness Nala in Disney’s Tony-winning musical The Lion King on June 1. Winters, who has played the role on tour, will take over for current star Chauntee Schuler. Winters will continue with the production through August 26.
In addition to performing the role of Nala in The Lion King’s North American tour, Winters worked as a New York Knicks City Dancer, performing with Rihanna and Jordin Sparks. She was also the in-house anthem singer for Madison Square Garden.
Based on the popular Disney film, The Lion King first opened on Broadway on November 13, 1997 at the New Amsterdam Theatre, before transferring to the Minskoff Theatre in 2006. Now in its 15th year, the show has spawned 19 productions around the world and has been translated into seven different languages. The Lion King won six Tony Awards in 1998 including Best Musical and Best Direction of a Musical.
Winters joins current cast members Alton Fitzgerald White as Mufasa, Dashaun Young as Simba, Patrick R. Brown as Scar, Tshidi Manye as Rafiki, Jeff Binder as Zazu, Ben Jeffrey as Pumbaa and Fred Berman as Timon.