Dashaun Young

Hometown: Buffalo, NY

Currently: Playing the grown version of crown prince Simba in Disney's long-running Broadway smash The Lion King.

Say My Name: For the record, Young's first name is pronounced "DAY-shun." Got it? Good. Ask where it comes from, and he explains, "I think it actually has a French background. But my mom didn't really look into that. She was just being creative." The son of a pastor, Dashaun began developing his talent early, attending the Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts. "If I wasn't in a show or in rehearsal, I was singing at church with my dad," he recalls.

Broadway Bound: As the only person in his family smitten with show tunes, Young kept the cast recordings of Into the Woods and Chicago in heavy rotation much to the chagrin of his father and siblings and participated in shows like Hansel and Gretel and Alice in Wonderland at the local rec center. In ninth grade, he landed his first professional gig, a five-month run in the play Do Not Go Gentle, which required a leave-of-absence from school and a tutor. After moving to California with his mother, he majored in musical theater at California State University in Fullerton, cutting out for New York before completing his third year. All the while, Mom supported him fully. Dad was nervous—emphasis on the "was." "He's into it now," says Young, laughing.

On the Road: Once in Manhattan, Young got his start as a dancer in The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, then snagged an ensemble role in the national tour of Hairspray, one of his favorite shows. "I had a blast," he says of touring. "All these young kids, and they were super-talented, nice and supportive." The road life gave Young the chance to see and do things he didn't have time for in Buffalo. "I got to go snowboarding in Denver," he says. "And I really liked Louisville, Kentucky. We went back there with Lion King, and it's just a cool town, with lots of places that stay open late, which is what we look for." Wandering from state to state with a theatrical company generates public recognition in a way that walking around Manhattan doesn't. "People in other towns are more aware when shows come through, especially with The Lion King," he says, laughing. "You're in a bar in some random town and suddenly 15 or 16 young, fit, black dancers walk in? It's like, 'So…are you guys with The Lion King?'"

I'm OK, You're OK: Transitioning from the world of early-'60s Baltimore to the Pride Lands of Africa was a peculiar experience, to say the least. "We weren't even rehearsing scenes," Young remembers about his first days with The Lion King. "They just make you do these crazy movements, so you're trying to make sense of it and adjust your body to it all." Then Young was handed Simba's famous mask, with instructions to start snapping his head around. Yes, he felt silly at first. "But it was obvious that the less self-conscious I was, the better. You just have to throw everything out the window, and not be afraid of feeling or looking like an idiot." Nowadays, he feels awkward rehearsing without the mask: "I need it to get in character!"

It's Good to Be King: Since the grown-up Simba doesn't appear until the final number of Act One, Young gets to witness "Circle of Life," the show's awe-inspiring opening number, every night. "I watch it from the back of the house, just to get in the right mode and get a feel for the audience," he says. "Watching the kids is great because they go crazy. But once the progression starts, I love watching the adults turn into kids, too." After that, it's time to warm up and stretch. Then Young sits in hair and makeup for 35 to 40 minutes, followed by 15 to 20 minutes more of warming up and stretching. "There's a lot of jumping and leaping and running around onstage," he points out. "You have to maintain your body to prevent injuries."

We Can Be Heroes: Now living in Hell's Kitchen, Young misses touring, but being able to roll out of bed and walk to the Minskoff Theatre in 15 minutes is not without its benefits. During off-hours, he's been reconnecting with his Hairspray friends and "just being a crazy, fun, young person," as he puts it. "Except on Mondays! That's my day to stay inside, do nothing, play with the dog and watch TV." Currently addicted to Netflix Dexter and Weeds are recent picks, Young's also hooked on another vice: playing Guitar Hero on his Nintendo Wii. "I'm not very good at it, though," he confesses, citing his show-tune pedigree as a handicap to rocking out to "Slow Ride" by Foghat. "I'm not really familiar with the songs; they have all these crazy rhythm changes that throw me off and I'm like, 'Whoa, what's going on!?'"