A pride of stars: Take A Bow gears up for The Lion King Jr.

DARTMOUTH — The echoes of voices practicing famous songs like “Hakuna Matata,” and “Circle of Life,” could be heard from outside of the Smith Mills Christian Congregational Church on Sunday, March 23.

Take a Bow Youth Theatre is busy getting ready for its 10th show — The Lion King Jr. Each practice is filled with dance numbers, sewing and crafting in order to get everything ready for the stage.

Take A Bow was established by Co-Directors Marianne Oien and Michele Dreher,
and is a youth theatre group for children from around the South Coast in second to eighth grade.

Julian Lazaro of Dartmouth plays Scar — a character he’s always wanted to portray. Although he’s no stranger to theater, having done over five shows, he said the low register of the voice he does for the character has been difficult.

“I just rest my voice right before ‘Be Prepared,’” he said. “The beginning is tough.”

According to fellow cast members like Charlie Long of Dartmouth who plays Simba — Lazaro does his Scar voice quite frequently.

“Before the show we had a group chat where we talked about the roles we wanted,” Long said. “We would hear that accent daily.”

With all the teasing from his friends, and an interesting routine involving Fruit Loops, Lazaro said he genuinely loves theater and performing.

“It’s the only thing I do outside of school,” he said. “Without theater I would be really sad.”

Nina Silva of Dartmouth plays Young Simba, and said that learning all the choreography has been quite difficult. The most challenging song to memorize has been “I Just Can’t Wait to be King,” which is also her favorite to perform.

“I’m really excited for my costume because I haven’t gotten to see the whole thing yet,” she said.

Costumes are handled by Rachel Poisson and Joyce Clough who both credit Amy's Fabric Treasures in Westport for providing the materials for the show. While the base of costumes were purchased in bulk to save money, costume pieces like hooves for zebras are sewed by volunteers.

“I have the most wonderful moms, grandmas and dads that stepped up to the plate like you would not believe,” Clough said. “The Lion King is quite a lot.”

The show involves dozens of different animal shaped headpieces — which the crew found patterns for on Etsy. Parent volunteers have spent the last several weeks painting and crafting everything that comes their way.

Shannon Simoes of Dartmouth, Meg Mandeville of Dartmouth and Geralyn Gherard of Marion all sat together and painted wildebeest masks. With children in the show, they lent a hand during rehearsals.

The trio said it’s rewarding to see their work on stage and to help Take A Bow. Gherard said seeing how happy the kids are when they see the outfits fully formed is one of the best parts.

“The opening day comes and you’re like, ‘God — it all came together,’” she said.

Mia DeRossi of Mattapoisett who plays Nala, Emily Gherard of Marion who plays Rafiki and Eleanor LaBrode of Westport who plays Timon said they can’t wait to do their solos and to finally perform.

DeRossi said sometimes the directions she’s been given have been confusing, but just going with the flow has helped her learn and refine her character.

LaBrode said she likes being able to wear unique costumes, and that Timon has been her favorite to play. The Take A Bow performance will be her third time doing The Lion King.

As for Gherard, she’s excited to hit people with her stick.

The Lion King Jr. will have three performances at Westport Middle-High School. Opening night will be Friday, April 4 at 7 p.m. Two performances will be held Saturday, April 5 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Tickets are available for purchase online at tinyurl.com/takeabowlionking.