The Lion King Musical : Backstage 

The Lion King: We take you backstage at the hit musical show

Gordon Barr meets the man responsible for the masks and puppets for The Lion King which is coming to the Sunderland Empire

Few musicals have had quite the same buzz – or should that be roar? – about its forthcoming arrival in the North East than The Lion King.

Mamma Mia! for sure, and I do remember Cats having the same impact many moons ago.

Come September 18, the Disney spectacular will be entertaining audiences at Sunderland Empire all the way through to November 1.

There are few musicals which could warrant such a lengthy run these days, but it is apt for The Lion King.

I saw it a few years ago in London and last month caught it again in Liverpool as part of its UK tour.

Again, I was blown away by it, as was the audience at the matinee performance I caught, who were on their feet, clapping and `roaring’ their approval within seconds of the show starting.

Why? Well, if you have not seen the show in the past, I am not going to spoil it for you. Suffice to say make sure you do not arrive late if you have tickets for Sunderland (if you don’t, my advice is you really should buy some!) as you will miss one of the biggest treats of the entire production.

The Lion King is packed with outstanding musical numbers, but it is the puppetry, set design and sheer scale of the show which sets it apart from most. It broke the mould in the puppet world long before War Horse had ever been thought of, and the latter owes a huge debt of gratitude to The Lion King.

It all looks so easy on stage, but it simply wouldn’t work, as with all productions, without the backstage crew and I had the pleasure of a tour behind the scenes to see how it all worked.

On stage, audiences are taken through the story of lion cub Simba, his trials and tribulations and his journey to becoming The Lion King.

But backstage scores of unseen people are responsible for making sure the tale unfolds seamlessly. In fact, taking The Lion King on the road involves more than 100 people, all with their little – and not so little –bits to do.

Perhaps the most integral member of the production crew is Will Pearce, who is head of masks and puppets.

I catch up with him just half an hour before curtain up, and he is unbelievably calm, something which its home even more on seeing the show.

He’s been with The Lion King on various productions for several years now, but his enthusiasm is unabated.

“There’s an unbelievable amount of detail goes into these costumes, wigs and masks,” he says. “Even now it is still quite mind-boggling.

“And each actor, singer and dancer has to get used to them, so they become like a part of their own body.

“It’s very interesting to watch the development and to know you have a crucial role in the overall end result.

“It’s fair to say no two days are the same and there is always something new to be doing. It can be quite manic at times, but there’s organisation in the chaos, at least that’s what I tell myself.”

The Lion King, which is coming to Sunderland Empire. Will Pearce, head of masks and puppets, right

While choreography on stage is paramount, the choreography behind the scenes is equally as important to ensure the smooth running of the show.

But with all things, not everything always goes to plan. “Simba’s backside and back legs fell off on stage in London once,” Will recalls.

“That was a bit scary as he is hardly ever off stage. Everyone finds it hilarious now, but believe me it wasn’t at the time.

“We have breaks and other things goes wrong that the audience would not be aware off, but that was definitely a first.

“But you get through it and have to think on your feet – maybe not the best use of words – and get on with it.”

Having wandered backstage and seen the prep that goes into staging the show, it’s little wonder that The Lion King is set to be the `mane’ event in theatre this autumn in the North East.

The Lion King: All you need to know about its puppets and masks 

Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.

The Lion King: All you need to know about its puppets and masks

Want to learn what it takes to put on such a mammoth show? Here\'s all you need to know

Replay: Breaking news updates from Newcastle and the North East

Sunderland football team need Wish Junior Football support for new kit

The latest traffic, travel, weather, crime and breaking news updates from The Chronicle, covering Newcastle, Gateshead, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Northumberland, Sunderland and Durham for Tuesday, 17 June 2014

Fighters line up for Stadium of Light Summer Rumble

You\'ve turned off story recommendations. Turn them on and we\'ll update the list below with stories we think you\'ll love ( how we do this).

John Fullbright and Sarah Jarosz set for Sage Gateshead gig

B*Witched chat about their free gig in South Shields on Sunday

Browse Chronicle death notices & announcements

Vera star Brenda Blethyn enjoys some sunshine during filming

Former X Factor winner Shayne Ward on headlining South Tyneside Summer Festival

Your memories and pictures from Chase Bar on the Quayside

Buy & sell items including cars and houses, or browse thousands of ads

Find gigs, shows and events in the North East

Live: Breaking news updates from Newcastle and the North East

Bryan Ferry receives honorary degree from Newcastle University

Police are probing attempted child snatch at a Gateshead school

Newcastle city centre bins overflow after public sector strike action

For the latest local news straight to your Twitter, Facebook feed or e-mail inbox.

Is there something happening in your area you would like us to report on?

Tell us about it and, if possible, send us a picture.

The Chronicle is read by more adults than any other regional newspaper on sale in the area. With 170,115 average issue readers, this reach extends to 366,753 weekly readers – that’s over 1/4 of adults in the area!

The average time spent reading the Chronicle is 31 minutes; which shows the length of time that readers are engaging with the editorial and advertising content.

49,199* copies of the Chronicle are sold on average each day as it continues to be an integral part of the region.

*ABC Newcastle Chronicle 100% paid, Mon - Sat, JICREG, 1/10/2012

Audience figures from Omniture, monthly average (Jul - Dec 2012).

More than 1 in 3 ChronicleLive users have clicked through to an online advertisement, demonstrating that our users are responsive and receptive to Internet advertising messages.

ChronicleLive reaches an internet-savvy audience, with 84% of users having purchased products or services online in the past 12 months.

Download our rate cards for all the prices of our print and digital products.

Click here to complete our advertising enquiry form.

Darren was appointed editor of the Chronicle in September 2011, following a six-year spell as editor of the Evening Gazette in Teesside.

He has held a number of senior roles on regional newspapers across England, Scotland and Wales over the last 15 years and is now editor-in-chief of Trinity Mirror North East.