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By Lana
K. Wilson-Combs | OBSERVER
CORRESPONDENT
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Sacramento native Omari Tau stars
in "The Lion King," which will be at the Sacramento
Community Center through June 28.
Photo courtesy to The Observer.
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TICKET
INFORMATION
The Lion King
Sacramento Community Center Theater
1301 L. Street, Sac.
Now through June. 28.
$21.50 - $77.50
Call (916) 808-5181 |
MORE INFO
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Few stage plays delight and inspire actor Omari Tau as much
as Disney’s “The Lion King.“ The Sacramento,
native has been a member of the national touring stage production
since 2003. And he says although “The Lion King”
requires a lot of physical endurance because of all the large
puppets, dancing and singing — he never gets tired of
the “dazzling show.”
The 35-year-old, multi-talented performer is also excited
about strutting his stuff before his hometown as “The
Lion King” — which is Broadway’s 9th longest
running show in history — roars into the Sacramento
Community Center Theatre now through June 28.
Through a recent phone interview, Tau talked about how he
started in the business, why he enjoys “The Lion King”
so much, his solo music career, and working on a stage adaptation
of the children’s book, “The Gospel Cinderella”
by Bay Area writer Joyce Carol Thomas.
LANA WILSON-COMBS: When did you realize
that you were cut out to do theatre?
OMARI TAU: Really while in high school,
but I was focusing more on music at that time. When I moved
from Sacramento and went to the Performing Arts School in
Dallas, Texas I started to really hone both my music and acting
skills. I also studied music and education performance at
Michigan State University and received my master’s degree
in music performance from the University of Houston.
LWC: Do you consider yourself a natural?
OT: (He laughs.) I don’t know if
that’s for me to say. Maybe someone else can say.
LWC: Is “The Lion King” one
of your favorite plays?
OT: It really is. I love it. I also saw
Billy Elliott and thought it was fantastic too. But performing
as part of “The Lion King” is a great job. If
you’re going to be in a musical, then this is the show
that you want to be in. It has a long life. It also features
a predominately African American cast and it’s just
timeless. Young and old can enjoy it.
LWC: What character do you play in “The
Lion King?”
OT: In this Sacramento production, I’m
in a transitional mode and playing several different characters
in the singing and dancing ensemble. However in the next city
the principle character that I’ll be playing is Banzai,
one of the spotted hyenas.
LWC: Have you also done any Broadway productions?
OT: No, actually I never have.
LWC: Is it the ultimate goal for you to
do Broadway?
OT: Yes and no. Most people assume that
that’s the pinnacle. And that’s true when you
consider that’s where the critics will be and there
are a lot of shows there. Plus, it’s nice to have on
your resume that you’ve done Broadway because to many
people it means a lot to them. There are a lot of great works
out there, on and off Broadway. Most of the musicals on Broadway
are pretty standard. I like work on the outer edges.
LWC: Do you remember the very first musical
you starred in?
OT: Yes. I was in the Boys Club and it
was the play “The Me Nobody Knows.” The show was
out of the 1970s and it was reworked for us.
LWC: Do you come from a musical family?
OT: No, my parents are not in show business.
My mother has a beauty shop in Sacramento. We used to have
a place called “Final Cut” in Oak Park, but she
closed it down and reopened it. In terms of showbiz I guess
I got that gene from somewhere else.
LWC: Is there any chance that you might
write and produce your own stage plays someday?
OT: Very much so. In fact, I’m working
on a few stage pieces most notably an adaptation of Joyce
Carol Thomas’ children’s book “The Gospel
Cinderella.” I’ve been working on that for the
last four years. It’s a big undertaking because I’m
writing and doing the score and lyrics. It’s coming
along.
LWC: What other areas of show business
would you like to branch out into?
OT: When I’m not performing on stage,
I sing at various night clubs. I mix the shows up a bit with
R&B music, gospel and jazz. At some point, I’m hoping
to get into the studio and do some recording. “The Lion
King” keeps me focused and busy but I don’t mind
a bit. It really is a phenomenal production.
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