Montserratian actor Stedroy Cabey made his West End London debut in The Lion King on Tuesday.
Cabey told Discover Montserrat that he is part of the cast as a male singer and makes several appearances during the musical. There were two performances, the first which was an Open Dress for invited guests, family and friends and the second, open for a ticketed audience.
Still hyped from his first day, the actor said the experience had been “overwhelming in the best way” and he shed a few tears of gratitude to think about a Montserratian boy making his West End debut in an iconic show like The Lion King.
Cabey holds an Masters of Arts in Classical Acting from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. In 2022, he starred in a remake of Arrow’s Hot, Hot, Hot music video and also received critical acclaim for his work as Delroy in the theatre production SUS in October 2022.
He also performed in Montserratian playwright Chadd Cumberbatch’s 1768 back in 2018 at the Montserrat Cultural Centre.
The Lion King stage production is based on the Disney animated film from 1994. The story follows the journey of Simba, a young lion prince who must reclaim his rightful place as king of the Pride Lands after his father Mufasa is killed by his uncle Scar.
The stage performance requires 50 cast members plus an additional 100 people backstage to make each performance happen, according to the production’s website.
Cabey is playing a variety of roles in the ensemble cast. He is on stage in the Circle of Life number as one of the wildebeests, part of the grasslands and as a hyena. Backstage he provides movement for one of the puppets in a scene for Scar and also singing.
There are more than 232 puppets in the show, including rod puppets, shadow puppets and full-sized puppets.
More than 110 million people have experienced the show worldwide.
The London performances are scheduled to run until May, 2024 at the Lyceum Theatre.
Learn more about the production at https://www.thelionking.co.uk/
