Daily Blog Post 392
Last night I dreamt about musical theatre. I dreamt that I was back on stage, rehearsing lines, singing songs, choreographing dances, forgetting lines, forgetting my costume… Lion King is coming in 2019 as a Live Action and all I can think about recently is how fun it was to be among such talented people, sharing the stage together. I still get shivers hearing Rafiki, Mufasa, Simba, Nala, singing their solos. Seeing all the animals come in with all their intricate costumes literally took my breath away.
On stage, I could be anyone I wanted to be. I could be a Prince, a Spider, a little Kid, a Husband, a Monster. I could be Scar. I could put on a mask and makeup and forget who I was before because on stage, I am someone else. I always played ugly characters.
You might think it’s a dangerous thing to always put on these masks and pretend to be something else. Maybe you might sometimes forget who you are. But actually, it’s the opposite. The more time you spend rehearsing to be a character, the more you realize that the best character you can play is yourself. And in fact, in every character I played on stage, I was really just Jeff. I was expressing myself through the most beautiful way with the most beautiful people I knew. Everything comes full circle because the best actors aren’t “acting”; the best actors become their characters. I hope we can all become great actors playing our own roles.
Rehearsing and performing for Lion King was the most stressful months of my life but also the most rewarding. The amazing cast and crew I got to spend almost every day with was absolutely the best way I could have ended my senior year of high school. I love my crew, my two directors who I constantly fought with, my two amazing stage managers I always gave headaches to and I love my fellow talented cast!!! They all really made me look a lot better than I actually am 😅. Thanks for the memories.
Cannot wait for Lion King life action 2019. I’ll be pushing aside the little kids to get in front of the line🤷🏻♂️ #
Blog of Jeff Wang 