Nicholls women to vacate Southland win
February 28, 2012
Raymond Joseph Plaisance Sr.
February 29, 2012
Maurica Roland just can’t wait for “The Lion King” to arrive in New Orleans.
The Louisiana State University music graduate appears in the ensemble and is an understudy for the lionesses Nala, Shenzi and Sarabi in the touring Disney production slated to run March 14 through April 15.
Like most moments in Roland’s musical career, learning she’d landed the role couldn’t have been more perfectly scripted.
The Pensacola, Fla., native recalls slowly slipping the sheet music for her singing audition back in the rack as she spoke with a Disney casting director. “I was literally picking music for the audition when he called,” Roland said.
Just weeks earlier, the national tour of “Hairspray” ended in Portland, Ore., bringing the singer’s role as a Dynamite to a close. Roland put her apartment contents in storage, filed for unemployment and moved in with her aunt.
“I had $500 to my name and no idea what was next,” she said.
The notion of hitting New York City’s hard theatrical circuit was intimidating. Roland is the first to admit she doesn’t have the temperament for it, and her initial “Lion King” tryout reinforced that. Roland describes the experience as “the worst tryout in my life.”
“I was very, very green. I hadn’t done a lot of auditioning or a whole lot of theatre,” Roland explained. “I really didn’t know about the whole New York fast-paced theatre scene. I felt scared and was surrounded by all these experienced actresses. Let’s just say our conversations were completely different.”
But “The Lion King” tryout wasn’t Roland’s first Disney encounter. After graduating from LSU, she returned to Pensacola and was hired by the same elementary school her mother taught at to teach music. A year later, she signed a six-month contract with Celebrity Cruise Lines to sing.
It was there that a Disney executive heard Roland in action. It led to an audition and singing gig at Walt Disney World’s Epcot theme park as a member of “American Vybe,” an a cappella group.
Some may call Roland’s good luck fate, but she considers it divine intervention.
“Each opportunity introduced me to the next. I am blessed and carried by the prayers of all the people who have loved me and cared for me,” the singer says. “My mother, grandmother, my father, friend and family and everyone who had a part in my career. The fact that these things have happened … I’m very grateful for it. Now I want to make the people proud who gave me the opportunity. I want to give it 110 percent.”
Roland is also delighted her fellow LSU alum, family and Gulf Coast residents have the opportunity to experience “The Lion King.”
Upon the sparse stage, the lead characters and ensemble bring the savannah to life.
“I love that the show relies on the performers,” Roland said. “We have to come to the realization that we are responsible for bringing these animals to life. It is a wonderful spectacle … the costumes and the music are amazing.”
Moments after the curtain opens and the African sun appears, Roland said backstage is controlled madness.
“It’s in those moments, being backstage at the beginning of the show – that’s my favorite time,” she said. “Every time I have a chance to hear the reaction of the audience and see their reaction, it reminds me that I am doing what I am supposed to be doing.”
“The Lion King” is a universal tale with a Disney treatment. A jealous uncle tricks a young cub into believing he’s killed his father. The cub flees into exile, abandoning his identity as the future king. Meanwhile, the uncle temporarily conquers the Pride Lands, ravaging the land in the process. Ultimately, the cub finds his rightful place.
“I love that it is a timeless story and can speak to anybody at any point in their life,” Roland said.
The toil the pride endures rings especially true for the Gulf Coast region, the singer/actress says.
“When I think of everything this region has endured with Hurricane Katrina [and more recent storms], I believe audiences will connect with the honesty in this show,” she said, likening the plight of the pride when the river dries up, leaving its inhabitants destitute and desperate.
Roland said the lyrics from “Shadowland,” one of the memorable tunes from the show, resonate with the post-storm flight.
“The river’s dry
“The ground has broken
‘So I must go
“Now I must go
“And where the journey may lead me
“Let your prayers be my guide
“I cannot stay here, my family
“But I’ll remember my pride.”
“The message of hope and renewal is much like what we’re seeing in New Orleans. Despite hard times, the area is coming back,” she said. “I think New Orleans deserves this show after everything the city’s been through. I feel like this is part of the healing.
“We walk through whatever we have to walk through, but in the end, there’s hope,” Roland said. “My hope it’s a chance for restoration.”
Tickets for Disney’s touring production of “The Lion King” are selling fast. The show opens March 14 at the Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts in New Orleans.
