'Sawyer , you're going out there a youngster, but you've got to come back a star!'. This, line from 42 nd Street, one of the most famous in any Musical, said to an understudy standing in for an established star, could well be applied to Zodwa Mrasi. Standing in for Thandazile Soni in the role of Rafiki. She gave a star-studded performance mixing powerfully delivered vocals with beautifully judged moments of comedy.
And she had to be in top form to hold her own with Jean-Luc Guizonne's understated commanding Lion King Mufasa, played and sung with great authority, and Bath born, Bristol trained Richard Hurst's villainous Scar. Avoiding the trap of turning the wicked uncle into a pantomime villain, he was sinister and evil, always real, but never too scary for a young audience.
They and the rest of a strong company took full advantage of the musical, dramatic and comedic opportunities that set the tone for the evening from the opening moments as the wonderfully masked and costumed characters made their way through the audience onto the stage. This is one of the most stunning openings to any musical, and not surprisingly had the audience voicing their approval and applauding long before everyone had gathered together on stage.
