- 2 days ago
Category
đŸ˜¹
FunTranscript
00:00It is 105.1 The Bounce. I am Leisha B. with the all-new Morning Rollout, and I love when
00:05my worlds collide as a Broadway girly.
00:07I love to talk to my fellow Broadway girlies, and I have none other than Martina Sykes on the line
00:13with me.
00:14Good morning. How you doing?
00:15Good morning. Good. How are you? Thanks for having me.
00:18Thank you. I mean, you're a busy woman. You out here doing how many shows a week?
00:23Eight.
00:24Oof. Goodness gracious. I give you guys on Broadway so much respect, because doing eight shows back-to-back, I
00:31can only imagine how much you have to take care of yourself.
00:34So one, I want to ask, how are you feeling at this part of the show? Are you feeling like
00:39you've got it down-packed, or are you feeling like, you know, you're still in your groove?
00:45I guess a little bit of both. Like, I've been in this show since 2017, so it'll be officially nine
00:51years in September.
00:53So I feel like I have it down-packed, and I also feel like I'm in my groove because things
00:58change, you know, with new people, new energy, new takes on the way they perceive the particular characters, and, you
01:06know, changes in scene partners causes you to kind of shift and change.
01:10And, you know, that makes it more fun because you create different nuances every time you get on stage.
01:16And, of course, the audience, like, changes the way that, you know, you may interpret something because they may laugh
01:22at a certain joke that another city didn't laugh at.
01:25So you're like, okay.
01:26So, yeah, I think a little bit of both.
01:28I love that. I mean, the show that I went to was completely sold out, and y'all killed it.
01:33It was a great night.
01:35And you talked about portraying characters and needing to work with different members on the cast depending on who's going
01:44in and who's going out.
01:44And with Lion King being such a well-known movie and a well-known stage production, with your character Zengzi,
01:52how is it being able to play a character that everyone already kind of knows?
01:58But, obviously, as a human, you want to add your own spin to it.
02:02So how are you able to balance the two?
02:06I think the foundation is laid.
02:08Like, Whoopi Goldberg set such a solid foundation of who the character is.
02:13So you don't have to, like, try to imitate her in order for the audience to understand, like, who Shinsley
02:21is or bring back the nostalgia of, like, the hyenas.
02:25But you can kind of play in a world within itself.
02:28So I just think of, like, the, you know, the jokes are already written.
02:33You don't have to play them up.
02:34You don't have to do it up.
02:35Just, like, just live within it and have fun.
02:39That's the one thing about Shinsley is, like, she constantly has fun on stage with her hyena brother.
02:44So we just get to play and discover new things and also adding in, what makes it different is, like,
02:50you're adding in the animal element yourself besides just, like, hearing the voice coming out of an animation.
02:58You are actually in the puppet trying to create the movement of a mixture between the duality of a person
03:06and a hyena.
03:07And so watching, like, National Geographic and, you know, making different animal sounds is, you know, it requires you to
03:17bring your own spin on it.
03:18And then I also think of who is Shinsley foundationally?
03:22Like, she is the leader of the pack.
03:24She is a strong female presence.
03:27She's very smart, very cunning, hilarious.
03:30And she got, like, that cackle that reminds you of, like, your aunties and your mama in the kitchen.
03:34So I get to take a little bit of everybody that I love, Whoopi Goldberg being the foundation.
03:40There's me in there.
03:42I love Jackie.
03:44I love Jack A. Harris.
03:47I love Jennifer Lewis.
03:48So it's, like, you know, bits and pieces of, like, in ways that they inspire me.
03:54And then, of course, I got, like, my mom and my aunt just cackling.
03:57Like, and that's who rounds it out.
04:00Well, that is the perfect, like, hodgepodge of the cackle that you guys do.
04:04Truly the cackles, especially from Ed's character.
04:07Whoever's playing Ed.
04:09Sam Linda.
04:11He's amazing.
04:11He needs a raise.
04:12He's amazing.
04:14Even as Ed, like, Ed doesn't speak as much, obviously, comparatively to the other hyenas.
04:20And the way that he's able to still convey Ed's, like, hilarious nature is amazing.
04:25And I love that you brought up the National Geographic side.
04:28Because I was wondering, with this production, everyone also has to embody the animalistic nature of it.
04:35Was there, like, any prep that you guys were given to, like, become animals, essentially?
04:40Because you guys are holding some heavy machinery and some heavy costumes.
04:44And you also have to, like, get into the animalistic nature of it all.
04:49So, was there a process that they told you to go through?
04:52Or was just the process what you came through watching National Geographic?
04:57No, it was actually built into the rehearsal process.
05:00So, like, the full-body puppetry is, like, a mixture of different cultures.
05:06But in the Balinese, they have, like, a puppetry culture that it takes, like, almost, like, 40 years to master.
05:14But it's, like, full-body.
05:16And usually that's why, like, if you see, like, Timon, he's green because he's representative of grass.
05:23And his puppet is supposed to stand out.
05:25You know, Zazu is blue because he represents the sky and his puppet stands out.
05:30So, you're embodying the entire character.
05:32So, we actually had people that study and practice Balinese puppetry and the movement to come in and to show
05:43us how to create different movements.
05:45So, we did, like, an eight-hour workshop of that.
05:48And then we also what is called mirror time.
05:51So, you get in your puppet and then you watch National Geographic, like, they put on your particular animal.
05:57So, the cheetah does it.
05:59The giraffe does it.
06:00Like, and you get in the mirror and you watch and you try to imitate their movement.
06:05And you have the amazing, incredible puppet supervisors that are there with you, that are watching you, that have been
06:12studying for so long to be able to, like, shift gears and say, hey, try this, do this.
06:19When you do your head, do this.
06:20And this will make the puppet, you know, shift this way.
06:23Or your puppet mouth opens a little bit differently than this puppet.
06:28So, you have to talk more at an angle.
06:30And so, then that's when you're, like, constantly watching the TV, watching yourself, implementing what you learned from the instructors,
06:39from the Balinese puppetry, and then going into it like that.
06:42I'm so glad that you just broke that down because, obviously, as someone who does community theater, I know how
06:48much work it puts on to put on a production like that.
06:52But even Lion King, I think, is just a little bit more, like, work that you have to put in
06:58because, like you said, you're mastering puppetry.
07:00Did you have, like, puppetry background before you got this?
07:04Or was that eight-hour and, like, everything that you're going through in this rehearsal process, like, the piece de
07:09response of what you got?
07:11Yeah.
07:12Nobody comes in with, like, pre-existing puppetry knowledge.
07:16That was one thing that Julie Taymor spoke about, like, putting the show based on dancers to give the puppetry
07:26new life and new interpretation.
07:28Um, so, none of us come in there with any puppetry training or background or not that I know of.
07:36Um, and even if they do, you're used to, like, maybe hand puppets versus, like, the full body is hooked
07:43to your back and to your hips or to your head and you're, you know, it's like an overwhelming, all
07:50-consuming costume.
07:51Um, so, between what we learned in that eight-hour course, but also we're in rehearsals for, like, five weeks.
07:58Right.
07:59And so, four of those weeks are just, like, the movement, the music, and the lines.
08:06But a lot of it is also maybe, like, the second half of the day.
08:10It's, like, with me and the hyenas, we did, like, hyena boot camp.
08:13So, we did, like, basketball drills with just the legs.
08:16So, we would run and learn how to stop on a dime, um, learn how to move together.
08:22Like, we would, you know, based off of, like, me breathing twice, that means go to the right, breathe once
08:28long, that means go to the left.
08:30So, we learned how to feel each other without actually, um, being able to speak.
08:35Because, you know, sometimes we're saying our lines.
08:38Right.
08:38So, we can't just stop on a dime.
08:40And if I say, like, stop on a dime or, like, stop, you know, I have to say the lines.
08:44So, they know based off this, I go, like, and we all look to the right, you know.
08:48Or if one of them, though, we look to the left to, you know, make sure that we look, like,
08:53almost like a, um, a three-headed dog.
08:56They want us to, like, really move in a pack.
08:58So, yeah, that, that just comes with, like, really having those hours in rehearsal.
09:02And we still work in the mirror.
09:04Like, everybody still gets in the mirror and they check how their puppetry looks and they check how their movement
09:10is.
09:10And if there's something new that they can learn, a new laugh or a new sound or, yeah.
09:15So, it's, like, it's just one of those things where you never stop learning in the show and in your
09:21character.
09:22That's so impressive.
09:23Because I was wondering how you guys did it.
09:25Because you guys, like you said, are essentially a three-headed dog.
09:28Like, you guys were moving at the same time.
09:31It may be different, like, inflections or different, like, movement choices.
09:35But you guys are definitely a pack.
09:37And I was wondering how you guys did that.
09:39That's so incredible.
09:40Okay.
09:41So, also, I have a question.
09:43With the fact that you guys are moving different theaters, I am very impressed on how you guys are able
09:49to learn the theaters and, like, come in and out, be in the balconies and everything.
09:55Is there, like, a pre-prepped, like, map that y'all get?
09:59Or are you guys learning once you're in the theater, like, where you guys need to be moving and how
10:03you can get backstage from the lobby?
10:06Oh, we have, so we have, like, an advanced crew that goes out.
10:10So, our, like, stage manager, our PSM, and our resident director and our resident choreographer, like, they usually get, like,
10:18a, probably, like, a map or a breakdown of what the theater looks like.
10:21Like, if somebody goes ahead to say, like, this is how it's set up.
10:24And then they come in before we do.
10:26And they kind of scope out the scene.
10:28They walk down the stairs.
10:29And they're, like, okay, the elephant will come through here.
10:32And the wildebeest will come out of here.
10:35And the bird ladies will come out of here.
10:37And so, they map everything out.
10:38So, by the time we get there, like, at 10 a.m., we have a company meeting.
10:42Then we go into what's called, like, the puppet orientation.
10:47So, they'll get everybody into their different puppets.
10:50And, like, they'll do the Mufasa walk and the Simba walk and show them, like, this is where you're going
10:55to enter.
10:55This is where you're going to exit.
10:57This is where you're going to pop up.
10:58And we have, like, a front of house rehearsal where you show people, like, this is where you're standing in
11:02the aisles.
11:03And this is where you're going to be when you sing this.
11:05And this is where you're going to be when you come in.
11:07And so, we have a full dress rehearsal run through.
11:10And then we have our first show that night.
11:13Y'all are impressive.
11:15Shout out to the advance team for setting you guys up for greatness.
11:19But, like, that was immediately what I was talking to my friends who I met at the show.
11:24We were just so impressed.
11:26We just didn't understand how you guys were able to, like, figure that out.
11:30So, again, shout out to you guys making this look seamless.
11:34With being your character and with being in this show for the amount of years that you've been, what has
11:40been, like, the most rewarding part playing one of the hyenas?
11:43Or is it just one of the most rewarding parts about being in the show?
11:48I think a little bit of both.
11:50Like, I love comedy.
11:52I love being a little bit of what's considered, like, the villain character.
11:57Just because it's, like, I don't know.
12:00It's just a lot of fun.
12:01Yes.
12:01So, I think the most rewarding is, of course, like, your family getting to see you do it.
12:10But also, like, the people that you meet along the way.
12:14Like, yesterday, for instance, a young man that came to the show, I did a talkback at his high school
12:24in 2014 with Motown the Musical.
12:29Wow.
12:30And fast forward to now he's a teacher and he brought his kids to the show.
12:35And then getting to meet them outside in the lobby and, like, being like, I was, I was talking to
12:44him when he was in high school and to watch this journey all throughout the years.
12:48And now to be here and now he's teaching and he's inspiring the next generation.
12:52Like, those are the moments that mean a lot because you can see, like, the work continuing.
12:57You know, like, you're introducing different generations to this story.
13:03And also, like, people who, this is going to be their last time seeing the show.
13:09Like, there was a lady who literally went through 11 more rounds of chemo just so she could see the
13:15Lion King.
13:16And when she, when we met her and we talked to her backstage and she was like, yeah, after Circle
13:23of Life, I turned to my daughter and said, I can go home now.
13:25And when she left, she went into hospice care and passed, like, a week or two later.
13:29But you realize just how real it is for people to be able to escape their real life for those
13:37two and a half hours.
13:38And it brings them joy and it reminds them of a loved one that's passed away that was like Mufasa
13:45or maybe they were more like Simba and they have this, like, coming back home story.
13:51But it means so much to them and being able to meet people that tell you how much the show
13:57meant to them and share those memories is, like, I think probably the best part of being in this show,
14:03in this character and on tour.
14:05I love that. Like, the amount of just influence and power that theater has, like, that's why I will always
14:15be a champion for any level of theater, whether it's high school to community to Broadway, because you never know
14:23how people are feeling when they get there, because it's completely different than what you feel when you leave.
14:29Even if you've seen the movie, even if you've seen the movie, even if you've seen it on Broadway, I
14:32think your cast specifically adds just such a difference.
14:37And even while I was sitting there as a 28-year-old now, I think the last time that I
14:42saw the stage play, I was 19.
14:44So it even hit a little differently for me.
14:46As someone who's growing up now, my mom's getting older, I'm thinking, oh, my God, Mufasa, no, I don't have
14:52time for this.
14:53Or even just the decisions that Simba is making.
14:56I start to understand him a little bit more.
15:00I think as a child, I'm like, Simba, why are you running away?
15:02What are you doing, friend?
15:03And now as an adult, it's like, okay, I can see where he's coming from.
15:07I can understand why Nala is so, okay, where did you go?
15:12Why can't you come back?
15:13You are the king.
15:13I think that different generations, even if they've seen it multiple times, get something different out of it.
15:20So for you being on the show, what's your favorite scene or moment or number, whether it's one of yours
15:26or just one of the parts of the show?
15:30Of course, I love Circle of Life because the hyenas are in the elephant.
15:35It's the three hyenas and one male singer.
15:37And just watching people's face when we come down the aisle and, like, grown people, young people, like, all kinds
15:47of people crying.
15:48Like, it's so moving.
15:52And so, of course, Circle of Life is, like, it just sets the bar.
15:56I love One by One.
15:57I love the top of Act Two.
16:00I love that the song was written about apartheid.
16:06And it's encouraging somebody, like, we're going to overthrow, like, this regime.
16:13Look to me, and I'll give you strength, and we'll get through this one by one.
16:17And it's like a rallying cry, and it's like a unity cry.
16:22And I think it's so beautiful.
16:23And, of course, I love Lioness Chain.
16:25I just think it's just one of the fiercest parts in the show.
16:29So, yeah, those are my three top.
16:32And real close underneath that is They Live In You.
16:37I feel like that could be a praise and worship song.
16:39Come on.
16:40You know, I'll talk about that later.
16:43I just feel like Lion King is very much a gospel show.
16:45Like, you can't tell me it's not.
16:47You can't tell me that it's not so poignant to what's happening in even 26.
16:52And it's so crazy that this was in the late 90s, and we're still dealing with the same, if not
17:00the literal same situations, and just how we're still here decades later.
17:06And the fact that it's still moving and powerful to this day is just incredible.
17:11Like, the team that created Lion King is truly unmatched.
17:14And then for you, because people have seen the movie and people probably have seen bits and pieces of the
17:22play if they have not already gone to see it, why do you think it's so important for people to
17:26come and see it before you guys leave in April?
17:29I think, like you said, no matter what stage you are in your life, you're going to get something out
17:33of it.
17:34You know, whether you are about to head to college for the first time and you feel like Nala.
17:41Like, I want to be home, but I know in order to better myself, I have to leave home.
17:45And that's an uncomfortable feeling, but you know that you need growth.
17:48And so her song about Shadowland reminds me of a lot of students that are, like, going to college for
17:54the first time, but kind of, like, in that in between.
17:57And then you have people that are like Simba that are running away from something, but they know that they
18:03are being called because you're supposed to walk in your purpose, no matter how rocky that road seems.
18:08Or you have fathers that, like you say, when we get older, our parents are aware of their mortality and
18:15they sit and they look at Lion King and they see Simba and they're like, one day my children might
18:20mourn me like this.
18:21And then you have people that are, like, wise and the nurturing motherly figure like Rafiki, who is showing young
18:29people and how to, you know, navigate this thing we call life.
18:34So I think no matter where you are in your journey, you're going to be able to relate to the
18:38story.
18:38You're going to be able to see yourself in a character.
18:42And it's also, it's just like the first five minutes of Lion King is unmatched.
18:46You are never going to see anything like that on a Broadway stage.
18:50I have been to a lot of Broadway shows.
18:53My brother is a Broadway star.
18:56I love him dearly.
18:57I love all the shows he's ever been in.
19:00But that first five minutes of the Lion King, nobody's touching that yet.
19:05I haven't seen it.
19:07Argue with somebody else.
19:08I haven't seen it.
19:10But it's such a beautiful and moving story.
19:13And the songs are timeless.
19:14Your kids are going to have a good time.
19:16I remember one of my castmates, Mark Campbell, said a long time ago, he used to be Scar.
19:21He said, if you love musical theater, you're going to love the Lion King.
19:25If you hate musical theater, you're going to love the Lion King.
19:27So either way, you're going to love the Lion King.
19:30And that's so pointy, because how can you not love the Lion King?
19:33Like, let's be for real.
19:34And last thing, because you brought up Rafiki, and it would be remiss of me to not celebrate that woman.
19:40What is Rafiki's real name?
19:43Zama.
19:44Zama?
19:45Yes.
19:45Oh, my God.
19:47Yes, she's Rafiki.
19:48I sobbed.
19:49She is so good.
19:51I think that every Rafiki has to be like, they have to take on such a heavy, not heavy,
20:01but like they have to take on such a powerful role.
20:03And I can only imagine having to, one, speak multiple languages.
20:07All of you have to speak like five languages in this show.
20:10Yeah.
20:11Having to do that, having to convey that through languages that most people who are watching
20:15this show are not going to be able to necessarily understand, but then to then relay that through
20:21body language and then her comedic timing, like, oh, y'all are so good.
20:27Like, every single one of y'all, even the ensemble.
20:30Yes.
20:31They eat.
20:32They eat.
20:33Y'all are so good.
20:34And I'm so, so excited for other people to see it.
20:38I mean, I threaded and tweeted about it.
20:40And so many people were like, oh, my gosh, I can't wait to go and see the show.
20:43Or I just left and I sobbed.
20:45And I'm like, same girl.
20:46I didn't care.
20:47So I just want to say thank you for using your talents in unbelievable ways and bringing
20:54this amazing show to life.
20:56And I wish you guys nothing but more success on your limited run here.
21:01And as you guys continue on the Broadway tour, is there any last words that you have for
21:05the Detroit audience before you guys leave?
21:08Yes.
21:08First of all, Detroit, y'all have been so alive.
21:11And we appreciate y'all so much.
21:13It is such a joy to see.
21:15First of all, y'all come out stepping, OK?
21:17I've seen the most beautiful outfits in the audience.
21:23Y'all come dressed to the nine.
21:24The cute little matching families.
21:26Like, we see y'all.
21:27Like, we love it.
21:28And you give us so much love.
21:30And we hope that we are giving that love back through our performance.
21:34But just one little thing.
21:36Make sure y'all get there on time.
21:39They close those doors.
21:40And when they close those doors, you're going to miss Circle of Life.
21:42And it is the worst thing when I see little kids and their parents standing outside because
21:47you didn't make it on time.
21:49So I know it's hard to get through that traffic, that parking lot.
21:52You got to pay for parking.
21:54But that's an expensive ticket to miss the first five minutes of the show.
21:58It has to be locked out until they move on with the rest of the show and the scenes.
22:05So make sure you're there on time because we don't want you to miss it.
22:10No, that's a very good point.
22:11I got there at 630 because I wasn't missing nothing.
22:14I would stand in the lobby until I was ready.
22:17Sometimes we're in the lobby and we see people waiting.
22:19We're like, can y'all please let them in?
22:20They're like, y'all are already out here in costume.
22:23We got the puppets set up.
22:25We're like, but please, they need to see it.
22:27But, you know, I understand the reasons why.
22:29Because once all those puppets come out, you know, you would be like trying to interview
22:33your vibe.
22:34But, yeah, just that.
22:36But, I mean, we are so appreciative of the love that we've been shown in this city.
22:40And thank y'all for coming to the stage door and continuing to show us love.
22:44And we feel it and we love it.
22:47Well, thank you, guys, because we're giving you the love that you absolutely deserve.
22:51Y'all are rocked on.
22:52I cannot wait to see what is next for you and the rest of the cast.
22:56Thank you so much, Martina.
22:58Thank you for having me.
Comments