HEAR HIM ROAR

posted by James Reel

    In the latest Tucson Weekly, I go to the trouble of previewing a show you probably already know whether you want to see or not:

    Nathaniel Stampley is the king of the jungle, and he is a just and noble king, so he thinks you should be warned about a few things before you visit his realm.
    Stampley's domain is the theatrical version of The Lion King, a story that started out as an animated Disney movie but is now in its ninth year as a live Broadway show. It's also been showing in London for a very long time, and in Hamburg and in Tokyo, and two companies are currently touring it around the United States. One of them—Stampley's—will settle into the Tucson Convention Center Music Hall for a substantial run Aug. 17-Sept. 24.
    Stampley plays Mufasa, the story's initial lion king, who is killed and usurped by his brother, who in turn is brought to justice and replaced by Mufasa's son, the story's ultimate lion king. But right now, it's Stampley who is lounging on his jungle throne. Actually, he's sitting on a hotel bed between shows in Houston, on the phone to tell the Tucson multitudes what they should and should not expect when they come to witness the end of his reign. …
    "It is very different from the film," he says of the live musical. "From the opening number, you realize this is going to be somewhat like the film, but entirely different. We are people on a stage, so we can't exactly re-create the animated film." …
    All well and good, but there's another important point that Stampley wants you to know: He is not James Earl Jones.