15. The Lion King Musical with Carla Renata

Be prepared (haha) for a great episode all about the first Los Angeles production of "The Lion King" from one of the cast members herself: Carla Renata! You may know Carla as Janet from the NBC sitcom "Superstore," or from her YouTube channel "The Curvy Critic aka Carla Renata," but from 2000 to 2003 she also had the unique experience of playing Shenzi in the long-running hit show "The Lion King" at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre. Jessica and Melanie have a heartfelt, frank, and funny discussion with Carla about auditioning for the production, rehearsing at the El Capitan Theatre, the star-studded opening night, and her favorite moments as part of the original L.A. cast. Jessica also discusses the impact that "The Lion King" had on Broadway and the show's journey to becoming an international sensation, while Melanie shares details about the extensive remodel of the historic Pantages that was done to accommodate the production and bring the theatre back to its former glory.

To listen to Carla's interview with Florence Kasumba, who played Shenzi in Disney's live action film "The Lion King," go to https://youtu.be/A-gIX67lMBw. 
To find out more about Carla's work as The Curvy Film Critic, visit https://thecurvyfilmcritic.com/about-carla-renata/.
Watch the one-hour series finale of NBC's "Superstore" on March 25th at 8PM.
Carla is @TheCurvyCritic on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

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Theme music: “Taste of the French Quarter” by Rob Khurana via Storyblocks.com

SOURCES for this episode:

https://www.broadwayinhollywood.com/visit/hollywoodpantagestheatre/aboutpantagestheatre

https://www.forbes.com/sites/leeseymour/2017/12/18/the-lion-king-is-making-more-money-for-disney-than-star-wars/?sh=3faa0c311ff0

https://losangelestheatres.blogspot.com/2017/02/pantages-theatre-overview.html

https://www.playbill.com

https://thespaces.com/oscar-venues-through-the-ages/12/ 

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/10/how-the-lion-king-became-a-dollar9-billion-broadway-smash