King of the BY Hayley Bridgewater @hayleyree3 ou may recognize his image high above Times Square and on buses, cabs and subways throughout the city. The costume, makeup and headdress give this statuesque man an even more regal appearance. As his childhood buddy, I would argue that his signature grin always gives him away, stripped of the theatrical accouterment. Most people, though, might not make the connection between the face on the billboards and that man next in line, grabbing tea or a bite, running for the train on his daily commute into the city. He is Mufasa, King of Pride Rock, Broadway’s Lion King. He is also western Queens resident L. Steven Taylor, a creator, artist, father, student, teacher and friend. For Taylor, it is always surreal to see his image throughout the city he calls home, but he says that he is grateful for (Concrete) Jungle these reminders of the course life can take. As many performers know, stable show contracts can be hard to come by, the process often taking much longer than a standard hiring courtship. Taylor first auditioned for “The Lion King” casting associates at an open call at Indiana University in 2002. After waiting in line for hours with more than 1,000 hopefuls, he sang (on a very cold voice). He was let go, and he drove back to Indy with friends. Still, he had felt a sense of interest from the casting people. So Taylor auditioned again after moving his wife, Erin, and son, Steven Jr., to Seattle for an unrelated theater job. That audition led to subsequent auditions, and eventually to San Francisco, where he was invited to attend “Lion King University.” “It was an amazing experience,” Taylor said. “We were taught South African history, language, dialects, dance and culture, all culminating in a performance for the creative team.” All of these events occurred over a span of three years, while Taylor was working on other shows. One day, during his lunch break on “Miss Saigon” at a theater in Seattle, he was offered a sixmonth temporary ensemble/ Mufasa understudy track in “The Lion King” on Broadway. “That is when we first moved to Astoria,” Taylor said. “I took the contract; the guy never came back, so I stayed with the show for eight months. After that it was a series of years bouncing between Mufasa Y “We were taught South African history, language, dialects, dance and culture, all culminating in a performance for the creative team.” 22 I BOROMAG.COM I SEPTEMBER 2016 ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
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