Christina Ebenezer shoots the new Lion King theatre campaign, as the show celebrates it’s 25th year.
It's not often that opportunities come along to reinvent the photographic direction for one of the West End's longest running and most iconic theatre productions. Christina photographed The Lion King’s brilliant actors against painted backdrops in character as Mufasa (Shaun Escoffery), Nala (Merryl Ansah), Rafiki (Thenjiwe Thendiva Nofemele), Scar (George Asprey), Simba (Owen Chaponda), and Zazu (Gary Jordan) - capturing the beauty and artistry of the show, with a team that embodies Black excellence.
The actors playing Mufasa and Scar have performed in the production since it’s very first opening night in the West End - over 8000 performances - but despite this, this was the very first time that Scar had featured in any of the play’s campaigns.
"For me as an artist, having seen the various adaptations of The Lion King since childhood, this felt like a full circle moment. The importance of working with Black artists to depict stories that were originally centered around them was key for this project. I got to watch the play, as well as being taken behind the scenes at the Lyceum Theatre to see how the full production runs – meeting the cast and full team that make this production so spectacular."
Christina Ebenezer