Hakuna matata! Native New Zealander Nicholas Afoa, a vet of The Lion King in Australia, is to take on the role of Simba in the West End production in May. The hit tuner is playing at the Lyceum Theatre.
Other new members of the cast joining next month include: Etian Almeida, Jonathan Andre, Janique Charles, Zinhle Dube, Sandile Gontsana, Kwesi Jeffers, Stephanie Lo, Sadia McEwen, Khaya Maseko, Daniel Monteiro, Nosipho Nkonqa, Dominique Planter, Antoine Murray-Straughan, Kayode Salina and Ricardo Walker.
Based on the popular Disney film, The Lion King opened on Broadway on November 13, 1997, and won six 1998 Tony Awards in 1998, including Best Musical. The show has spawned 19 productions worldwide and has been translated into seven different languages. It has been running for 17 years in London.