The Lion King has crowned its new Simba. Stephenson Ardern-Sodje will return as the King of Pride Rock to Disney’s theatrical spectacular after previously playing the character on its UK & Ireland tour.
Ardern-Sodje (Passing Strange, Hamilton) will take over the role in the Lyceum Theatre show from May 6 to September 28, 2025. Hope Maine, who has also previously played Simba, will then take over until January 25, 2026.
Other new cast members joining on May 6 include Pierre van Heerden as Pumba, who previously played the role on the International Tour, and Sadia McEwen as Shenzi, who is currently playing Sarabi in the London production.
They join current principal cast members George Asprey as Scar, Shaun Escoffery as Mufasa, Thenjiwe Nofemele as Rafiki, Gary Jordan as Zazu, Alan McHale as Timon, Merryl Ansah as Nala, Jorell Coiffic-Kamall as Banzai and Mark Tatham as Ed.
New members of the ensemble cast include Solomon Gordon, Reece McKenzie, Candida Mosoma, Nicholas Nkuna, Andrew Parfitt, Jessica Reeve, Rochelle Sherona.
Using spectacular masks, puppets and costumes, The Lion King tells the story of Simba’s epic adventures as he struggles with the responsibilities of adulthood and becoming king.
Julie Taymor’s stage adaptation opened on Broadway in 1997 and 25 global productions in nine different languages have been created since then (English, Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Spanish, Mandarin and Portuguese).
Performances in London began in 1999 at the Lyceum Theatre, as the Broadway show’s full creative team reunited in 1999 to recreate the show in London. Taymor and Michael Curry created hundreds of masks and puppets.
Scenic design is by British designer Richard Hudson and lighting is by Donald Holder. Costume design is by Taymor, and choreography by Garth Fagan. The book was adapted by Roger Allers, who co-directed the animated feature and Irene Mecchi, who co-wrote the screenplay.
The original score from the animated film was expanded for the stage and now features 15 musical numbers. As well as writing completely new songs, South African composer Lebo M created an evocative blend of African rhythms and chorales, with additional material by Julie Taymor and Mark Mancina.
Elton John and Tim Rice added three new numbers to the five that they wrote for the award-winning score of the animated film. The resulting sound is described as a fusion of Western popular music and the distinctive sounds and rhythms of Africa.
Tickets: www.thelionking.co.uk
Top image: Stephenson Ardern-Sodje. Both images supplied by production