INTERVIEW: Syndee Winters lives out her childhood dreams in ‘The Lion King’
Photo: The Lion King opens with the iconic singing of “Circle of Life,” which features a cheetah and giraffes. Photo courtesy of Joan Marcus / Provided by Disney PR with permission.
There are many postcard images to cherish in Julie Taymor’s transcendent production of The Lion King on Broadway. Whether it’s the opening song of “Circle of Life” with its all-encompassing march of unique animals or the subtle beauty of showcasing a drought on stage by making a wetland shrivel into a mere puddle, the artistic landscapes of the memorable musical are emblazoned in the memory of audience members.
One moment, for many fans, stands out above all the rest. It comes in the second act and features the singing of the lioness Nala and wise Rafiki. The song is “Shadowland,” and it’s a wondrous display of vocal talents, emotional power and touching poignancy.
For Syndee Winters, who recently rejoined The Lion King family, the moment is a highlight of her performance as Nala and a culmination of a lifelong devotion to this inspiring and influential musical.
Nala, for the uninitiated, is an important figure in the story of the pride lands, where the leader, Mufasa, is killed by his brother, Scar. This act of villainy drives out Simba, the would-be king, and leaves the rest of the pride in dire straits. Eventually, unless Simba returns and reclaims the throne, the animals who rely on this “Circle of Life” will face starvation, drought and continued violence.
For Winters, it wasn’t an easy journey to the Minskoff Theatre stage to portray this pivotal role.
“I initially auditioned for The Lion King in 2008,” Winters said in a recent phone interview. “I was in college. My agent sent me a breakdown that The Lion King was looking for a Nala, and I thought that that was incredible because I’ve wanted to be in The Lion King and play Nala since I was a kid, since I learned about the musical in ’97. And I’ve been a huge fan of the movie since forever. I remember my parents giving me allowance money, and I spent my allowance money on The Lion King sing-a-long tape.”
Winters admitted she was super-obsessed with the show and was determined to make her inclusion in the cast a reality. She auditioned but unfortunately never received a callback.
“I thought, well, that’s OK,” she said. “I guess it just wasn’t meant to be, but I still love the musical. And when I heard ‘Shadowland’ for the first time, I cried, and I just thought, I’m going to sing this song one day. I didn’t really think that I would be singing it as Nala in The Lion King, but dreams do come true. A couple of years had passed, and I finished school. Disney called me back and said they wanted to see me again, and so I tried out again and then made it to a final callback. And they gave me an offer, and that was in 2010. I had just graduated college. It was amazing, and I’ve been with the production and part of the Disney family since then.”
It’s clear after taking in a performance of The Lion King that the performers on stage face many obstacles. They wear elaborate costumes and puppetry mechanisms, and their makeup is beautiful and complex.
“It is a difficult show every night,” Winters said. “It’s a lot of fun, but there’s a lot of work that goes into it. I tip my crown to the men and women in the ensemble and principals in the cast because we have to think about a few things while we’re performing. We have to work on our puppetry as well as making these costumes come to life, as well as telling a good story, and with our show, the ensemble and the costumes pretty much create the set design for the show. And it’s what the audience gets to see, and they do a beautiful job at that. It’s not easy.”
When Winters first started in the show in 2010, she used to keep a journal and would write daily passages as if she were Nala. She conducted this exercise in order to build a background for her character and attempt to flesh her out on stage.
“I would write as Nala and just talk about a couple of things that would happen in Nala’s day,” she said. “Part of her story is that she’s a young woman trying to find herself and her place as well as trying to be a strong presence and help within her family unit, and as a young woman, that’s what we’re all doing to a point. And we see Nala’s story kind of evolve in the musical. We see her go through a traumatic situation between her and Scar, and then having to leave, and then to find help not knowing that she would be finding Simba in this process. She’s going through a lot, and how I was able to connect was just infusing the human experience within that and connecting the emotions within that. She’s a young woman trying to find her way, just as Simba is trying to find his way.”
Winters’ artistic credits run deep. She has recorded her first album, Lessons From a Lady, which is on sale in the Minskoff lobby. She has also portrayed the Leading Player in Pippin on Broadway, Mary Wells in Motown: The Musical and one of the Schuyler Sisters in Hamilton. On TV, audiences saw her in Jesus Christ Superstar Live!
Winters has built a career of connecting with her many fans, and in turn she loves giving back and hearing from the audiences.
“I’m on social media, and I love scrolling to see what audience members think of the show,” she said. “A lot of time we don’t get a chance to connect with them because once the show is over they got to catch their train. By the time I get out of makeup and costumes, people have kind of cleared out, but I get to see what they think on social media. It’s astounding to see how many people for the first time have never seen a Broadway production, but The Lion King is their choice to be the first because it’s definitely something that they can connect with, they are familiar with. If they were ever familiar with the movie, they can say, ‘Yes, I can feel confidently about my first Broadway experience being The Lion King.’ And for the show to be so spectacular, we set the bar pretty high.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Lion King, starring Syndee Winters, is currently playing the Minskoff Theatre in Midtown Manhattan. Click here for more information and tickets.
