You’d be forgiven for expecting the new star of Disney’s The Lion King to sing Haka-una Matata as he takes to the London stage, as Nicholas Afoa used to play rugby for New Zealand.
London’s new Simba was more used to try lines than chorus lines growing up, but when injury forced him to retire from the game, he turned his attention to his other love in life, performing.
Now, having already played Simba on the far side of the world, the rugby star turned musical theatre leading man is currently making his West End debut in the much-loved long running show at the Lyceum Theatre.
Afoa joins a cast that continues to feature Shaun Escoffery and George Asprey as Mufasa and Scar as it tells the story of a lion cub tricked into thinking he has caused the death of his father. Abandoning his tribe for fear of what they will think, he makes new friends, but when his past catches up with him he finds he has responsibilities and must face those he left behind.
There’ll undoubtedly be a scrum to see Afoa on stage, so find out more about the star in the video above before booking your tickets for Disney’s The Lion King through us here.