In a spectacle of gorgeous costuming, superb set design and powerful acting, the Becker Middle School drama department put on a splendid production of Disney’s The Lion King Jr. to appreciative crowds for three performances last Saturday and Sunday.
Under the direction of Greg Lynch, the cast of The Lion King Jr. told the story of the adventures of a young lion (Simba) who is the direct heir to lion king Mufasa, and the exploits of Simba’s uncle (Scar) to usurp Mufasa’s throne.
Young Simba was played by Maddie Johnson, who portrayed the ambitious and impish lion cub perfectly — displaying the exuberance the animal has in its young age and also showing its rebellious nature. Young Nala — played by Grace Tillman — goads young Simba into venturing to a dangerous place and Tillman’s characterization successfully depicts the struggle youths have with bowing to peer pressure or following orders from their elders.
The hyenas in the show — played by Alexis Gunderson, Abbie Halvorson, Wyatt Hiltner, Kelsey House, Sam Jacobson, Ella Nettestad, Larissa Tollefson and Brooklyn Venberg — brought comic relief and their incessant laughter at life’s situations reminds many of the evil truths behind bullying and inducing menace.
Sam Hintermeister was superb as Scar and kept the audience entertained with his perfect timing and relaxed role playing. Connor Schafer was outstanding as Zazu, the cynical and sometime irritable Hornbill bird.
The colors in the production were warm and gave the audience a feel of the pride lands of Africa in subtle ways. The show featured life lessons, overcoming adversity and standing up for one’s friends and family. Greg Lynch and his fellow directors should be bursting with pride of the obvious excellence their cast and crew put forth in last weekend’s middle school play.
Rest of cast: Bella Pettit (adult Simba), Haley Schwintek (adult Nala), Halle Murphy (Rafiki), Greg Rice (Mufasa), Connor Schafer (Zazu), Aria Webster (Timon), Alex Lumley (Pumbaa), Tina Gruber (Sarabi), Bella Watts (Sarafina), Alexis Drehmel (Banzai), Anna Pancoast (Shenzi) and Isaac Boyer (Ed).
The Lionesses were: Brooke Hendrickson, Amelia Kirchner, Emma Kolbinger, Kady Lindbom, Brynn O’Connor, Izzy Swanson, Eliza Tesmer and Cammie Varney.
The rest of the ensemble (antelope, zebras, birds, etc.) were: Michaela Bakken, Riley Boyer, Chelsey Carr, Cole Cook, Raeanna Cota, Annika Davidson, Stevauna Dearing, Aaron Halvorson, Sora Hansen, Avery Hanson, Kylie Hansen, Nicholas Hillyer, Taya Houle, Teagan Huntington, Karalyn Kolstad, Katie Krisko, Rachel Larson, John Lindbom, Ray Lyon, Lexi McKay, Paige Mohs, Bodie Moore, David Myres, Levi Roske, Angelina Scheele, Grace Schendel, Madelyn Schmitz, Marshall Steffens, Katelynn Struffert, Sarah Warren, Ellie Wenner and Monica Zimmerman.
The tech crew included: Hunter Malisueski, Jackson Peterson, Travis Voigt, Levi Tesmer, Logan Hook, Diana Bellefeville, Kayla Nelson, Bailey Klinker, Ellie Christensen, Sarah Schmidt, Austin Kollar and Grace Soderquist.
