The Rage Monthly: Had you seen the production before you were starring in it?
Brent Harris: No, I had never seen it before I auditioned. After I got
offered the part, I decided I should go see the show in New York to see if it was something I wanted to do. After seeing it, I was blown away and I had to accept the offer and be in this incredible production.
Rage: Please describe Scar and what you enjoy most about playing this part.
BH: Scar is the brother of the Lion King, Mufasa; he wants the throne
for himself and has to deal with the obstacles of not only his brother but also his nephew, Simba, the heir to the throne. Everyone seems to immediately describe Scar as the “villain” or the “bad guy” and of course that is true. But as an actor playing it I can’t approach it that way. I have to understand the character’s motivations and on some level consider them reasonable. That said, it is pretty enjoyable to be able to get away with doing all the naughty business
onstage...stuff you couldn’t get away with in everyday life. It can actually function as a kind of therapy, being able to express all these negative emotions onstage, the kind of things we all feel from time to time, but would never actually do.
Brent Harris as “Scar” in The Lion King Photography by Joan Marcus
Rage: What do you consider one of your favorite musical moments in The Lion
King?
BH: My favorite scene in the play is “Be Prepared.” I haven’t done a lot
of musicals in my career, but here I get to sing and act in a great musical number supported by an amazing orchestra and surrounded by 20 dancing, singing hyenas! Very exciting.
Rage: Please share a bit of background on your career so far in the theatre.
BH: In my career I have done a lot of Shakespeare and classical
theatre. I didn’t see much live theatre as a young child. But when I did I always
The Lion King
Orange County Performing Arts Center May 26-June 13
www.ocpac.org
found it amazingly exciting—almost otherworldly. There weren’t a lot of live cultural events going on where I grew up, so I found myself watching a lot of Masterpiece Theatre on TV, getting my drama fix that way. When I got to high school I was dying to get up on the stage but didn’t really know why. I still don’t! I have only taken two acting courses in my life—both in college. But I was lucky to get paying work in a summer Shakespeare festival while still a student. I learned a lot about acting and putting a character together quickly from doing four shows in summer rep.
Rage: Movement is such a crucial part of The Lion King, what was the process like
for you in getting your movement just right?
BH: It was very difficult and slow to become familiar and comfort-
able with my costume and puppet. I rehearsed a lot watching myself manipulate it in front of a mirror. Part of making it all work is knowing and remembering how it looks from out in the audience as opposed to how it feels inside the costume.
Rage: Describe the magic of The Lion King.
BH: The story has a wonderfully universal appeal. It is about facing
and accepting your life and finding joy in how it connects with all the other aspects of the natural world. I also think part of its great visual and emotional appeal is the way each performer in the show blends the human and the puppet. Part of the wonder of seeing The Lion King is the uncanny ability to follow simultaneously how the human actor and the animal puppet are engaging in the story. It is a unique and ingenious way to deepen the impact of this very moving story.
MAY 2010 | RAGE monthly 19
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