'Lion King' crowned Delaware actors starring in Broadway show & national tour

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that both the national tour and Broadway run have no slated end date.

Disney's "The Lion King" gets its paws on Delaware actors in both the Broadway and national touring version of the show.

The national tour hits the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia from Wednesday, Aug. 16, through Sunday, Sept. 10.

Nick LaMedica, 34, of Newark (now based in New York) is temporarily on Broadway as the blue bird Zazu. Meanwhile, Jackson Hayes, 11, of Middletown is on the national tour as Young Simba.

LaMedica recently was on tour as Zazu with Jackson, until he was offered an opportunity to bring that role to Broadway after the main actor took a leave of absence. He'll return to the national tour in a few months, he said.

The Cab Calloway alum said the national tour and Broadway versions are similar. The main difference is one is a traveling show that is more accessible for people who can't make it to New York.

"I think they're both excellent. I think it'd be difficult to rank one above the other because they're just full of such great people telling a great story and doing it at such a high level," LaMedica said.

300 'Lion King' shows under his belt

Whether an actor is on Broadway or the national tour, performers average eight shows weekly in "The Lion King." Young kids like Jackson, however, perform four shows a week.

Prior to joining "The Lion King," LaMedica did a few TV appearances on a pair of NBC shows including "Chicago Fire."

"If you blink, you'll miss me in the final season of 'New Amsterdam,'" he continued.

LaMedica joined the national tour in September and has 300 shows under his belt.

He's also juggling a second job as an IT specialist for apparel company Lululemon, a job he does remotely. While it's a lot of work, he said it's no different than a non-theater person who works two jobs.

The Zazu actor must properly rest his body like an athlete to have enough energy for each show.

Child actor talks pressure 'to meet everyone's expectations'

Jackson joined "The Lion King" in March and has done over 50 shows on the national tour. Lori, his mom, has been on the road with him since the beginning.

The rising sixth grader at Cab Calloway said working for Mickey Mouse is serious business.

For example, children are treated like adults. They're expected to arrive at work early and memorize their lines. Sometimes they have to know some of their peers' lines in case someone gets sick.

Jackson splits his role with another actor. There are two actresses who share the role of Young Nala, a character whose lines Jackson also needs to memorize, his mom said.

This group of four actors are called the "Cubs," and they've formed a strong bond, he said.

Although Jackson is doing four shows a week, he must prepare like he's doing eight because his name can be called at a moment's notice to fill in for his peers.

"Out on tour, normally you try to be a different person because you're trying to meet everyone's expectations. But all you have to do is be yourself, and you'll just ease right through it," he said.

Young Simba actor got scared by hyenas

As Young Simba, Jackson said his goal is express bravery and fear. Those are two emotions he felt when he joined the cast.

"For our first table read, the hyenas jumped out of their chairs and started running to us. It was super scary," he said. "I used to get scared. After a while, it made me even more brave."

Jackson's mom said she had to pull Jackson out of his elementary school in order for him to go on tour; otherwise, he'd miss too many school days.

This resulted in her home-schooling Jackson.

His mom said this is possible because she's self-employed as an education consultant. Also, she has a strong partnership with her husband, who is looking out for Jackson's two big brothers in Delaware.

"I have to shout out my husband, who really holds it down while I'm not at home," said Lori, adding she met her husband at Delaware State University. "If we didn't have a strong partnership, it would be more of a hindrance or a burden."

'Lion King' castmates don't know where Delaware is

Jackson said one of his biggest challenges on the road is being away from his dad and brothers.

His mom said her son negotiated his contract to fly home to see his eldest brother graduate from St. Georges in the spring.

Recently, the tour hit Washington, D.C., which made it easier to see friends and family. And when the show arrives in Philly, it'll be even easier to see their loved ones.

It also means Jackson gets to bring his castmates closer to Delaware, a mythical place that some of his peers aren't familiar with.

"Oh, so you live on the West Coast?" Jackson said, explaining the reaction he sometimes gets when he tells his castmates he's from Delaware.

LaMedica said he feels Jackson's pain when he tells folks he's from Delaware.

"Usually, they don't have much to say other than 'Oh, Joe Biden,'" LaMedica explained.

"If you're in the Mid-Atlantic area, some people are like, 'Oh, yeah, like Rohobo Beach.' 'It's ‘Rehoboth,' ... but yeah."

"The Lion King" national tour is at the Kimmel Center (300 S. Broad St., Philadelphia) from Wednesday, Aug. 16, through Sunday, Sept. 10. Additionally, "The Lion King" Broadway show is at Minskoff Theatre (200 W. 45th St., New York) through Sunday, March 10, 2024. For tickets to either production, visit lionking.com.

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If you have an interesting story idea, email lifestyle reporter Andre Lamar at alamar@gannett.com. Consider signing up for his weekly newsletter, DO Delaware, at delawareonline.com/newsletters.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: 'Lion King' features Delaware actors on Broadway, in national tour