www.broadwayworld.com: Manye first performed with the show's Toronto company in 2000, and most of her 9,000 performances have been with the Broadway company. Among the 30 productions mounted in The Lion King's 28 years, Manye is the longest-running Rafiki. Manye's last performance will take place on August 31.
5 comments:
This article is so cool! Tshidi’s commitment to The Lion King is legendary. I find this very similar to Thayne Jasperson, who has been in Hamilton on Broadway since it opened. Rafiki is such an iconic role, and the heartbeat of this show comes from this character. Having such a long running Rafiki has meant consistency for years. The opening song, Circle of Life, is absolutely iconic. People who repeatedly saw The Lion King on Broadway got the same experience every time. When most people think of The Lion King, they hear Tshidi’s iconic voice. I have not had the chance to see The Lion King on Broadway yet, but I am disappointed that I will not be able to see Tshidi. I have seen many videos of Tshidi performing various numbers from the Lion King, and I definitely associate The Lion King with her incredible voice.
It is not only insanely impressive that THE LION KING has been running for so long on Broadway, but even more crazy that a cast member has been able to be a part of the show for over 20 years. To be able to have done 9,000 performances of any high level show is a huge feat, but of the same role is even bigger. I always wonder why certain actors will leave their Broadway roles after only a year or two, but it is long overdue for Manye to get the beautiful rest that they so deserve. I was happy to see how honored she was by the cast and audience during her last performance on TikTok and that her legacy has been established among the rank of Broadway legends. I wish her the best of luck in her next chapter in life and hope it is as, if not more, fulfilling for her.
Unfortunately, I never got to see the Lion King or Tshidi Manye but I have heard nothing but wonderful things. The fact that a performer was able to commit to a role for 25 years is absolutely amazing and inspiring. It shows Manye’s commitment to Rafiki and love for the show itself. I did some more research, and Tshidi Manye is an absolutely incredible performer and the hundreds of thousands of people that had the privilege of watching her perform a role that she committed a large portion of her life to should be eternally grateful for that experience. If I could go back and change one thing about the shows I chose to see on Broadway, I would go back and do anything in my power to see Manye perform as Rafiki. I wish I knew about her earlier and didn’t miss such an amazing opportunity but I am glad she is taking this step and wish her all the best in her future endeavors.
Within the first line of the article I was absolutely hooked, “After 9,000 performances as Rafiki in The Lion King, Tshidi Manye is set to depart the Broadway production.” 9,000 performances within 20 years is so wild to me and I am so impressed. On top of that, the Lion King being one of the longest running shows right now, Tshidi Manye definitely deserves praise for that commitment for so many years. I have yet to see the Lion King on Broadway but from the videos I have seen it looks magical. I went to the Museum of Broadway and saw the exhibit of the costumes/ puppets and they looked so insane, I can only imagine what they look like with all the makeup and set pieces. There is definitely a reason it has run for so long and I hope to see it soon or someday before it closes.
Being in the same show for that long is such an impressive feat. As someone who has seen this show I had absolutely no clue that Thayne Johnson has been performing in this production for THAT long. To be so honest Im impressed that the Lion King has been performing for this long continuously in the first place let alone Johnson performing in it for 9,000 performances. 9,000 performances is genuinely insane to think about especially for one person in ONE show. Something interesting mentioned in the article was that the Lion King is being performed in 9 different languages which I thought was interesting as it hadn’t really occurred to me that it would be performed outside of the United States. I also had no clue that this show has run for so long as it has Tony Awards from 1998.
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