Singaporean helps Lion King animals come alive on stage

Ensuring animals and humans blend together seamlessly in the "circle of life" is Mr Timothy Lucas Tan's latest gig.

He works with warthogs, lions, meerkats and birds daily, but he is not a zookeeper.

They are puppets and masks, and his job is to ensure that every day, they are ready to come alive on stage and wow audiences.

Mr Tan, 47, is the head of the puppetry team of The Lion King, the hit Broadway musical that first came to Singapore in 2011 and is back at the Sands Theatre at Marina Bay Sands till Sept 23.

The stage production is based on the 1994 animated film of the same name, about the journey of lion cub Simba to inherit his father Mufasa's title as king, while struggling against his uncle Scar's evil ambitions.

This year's Singapore run of the show is part of an international tour that started in Manila and will continue in South Korea and Taiwan, to celebrate its 20th anniversary on stage.

It has been seen by more than 90 million people worldwide since its debut in 1997.

One of its special features is the imaginative use of puppetry, which ranges from masks on the actors' heads to puppets that they can wear like a backpack.

There are more than 200 puppets in The Lion King, including rod puppets, shadow puppets and full-sized puppets.

CHALLENGE

Mr Tan, one of four Singaporeans involved in this run, told The New Paper at The Lion King press call last Thursday: "The challenge is to fix the puppets quickly when something happens during the show.

"It is our job to maintain the puppets regularly, but when something breaks during the show, we have to work fast and stay on our feet. The show must always go on."

Mr Tan also works as a props and costume builder at Core Crew Fx, a Singapore-based workshop for props, costumes, puppets and animatronics.

He started getting into prop building when he wanted to make himself a Stormtrooper suit back in 1997.

In 2011, his skills led him to The Lion King company.

He said: "It really has been an eye-opening experience, and I have learnt a lot of new skills. The most important thing is ensuring the actors are comfortable with the puppets and that the audience love what they see."

Australian actor Andre Jewson, 34, who plays the bird adviser Zazu, told TNP: "It takes a while to become comfortable with the puppet. It is easy to start competing with it because it's so vibrant and expressive.

"The trick is to play the character through the puppet, so the puppet and I work as a team."

British actor Antony Lawrence, 28, who plays the villain Scar, said he has to be careful of how the puppet looks when it is on his head and to keep it moving and alive.

He said: "It becomes second nature, like another limb or an extension of me. Without it, I am not Scar."

The puppets and masks give the audience subtle clues about the characters' psyche.

While his father Mufasa has a mask that is symmetrical and perfectly circular, Simba's mask is different to show he still needs to grow.

British actor Jonathan Hume, 36, who plays Simba, said: "He is really still a teenager, with tantrums and angst. He is figuring out his life."

FYI

WHAT: The Lion King

WHERE: Sands Theatre at Marina Bay Sands

WHEN: Now till Sept 23, Tuesdays to Fridays 7.30pm, Saturdays 2pm and 7.30pm, Sundays 1pm and 6pm

TICKETS: $65 to $230 from Sistic (www.sistic.com.sg or 6348-5555) and Marina Bay Sands (www.marinabaysands.com or 6688-8826).