‘He Lives in You’ - Disney’s The Lion King circles back to Belk Theater Aug. 8 – Sept. 8

Nick Cordileone had been helping with auditions for Disney’s The Lion King tour. On the last day of auditions, a member of the creative team said, “Hey, Nick. Show Julie your driver’s license.”

Cordileone has a way of making his license renewal less of a chore. He dresses up in character every time he goes to the DMV. For that particular license, he’d given himself a “streetwise punk” look.   

(Actor Nick Cordileone. Timon in the North American Tour of Disney's The Lion King.)

And Julie Taymor, who adapted The Lion King for the stage, designed the costumes and directed the beloved Broadway musical, said, “That’s exactly what I want for Timon!”

That’s the unorthodox way Cordileone landed the role of a lifetime.

Taymor – a 1991 MacArthur Fellow “genius grant” honoree whom Cordileone called “a creative tsunami” – thought he looked the part of a fast-talking, wise-cracking meerkat prone to stealing ideas from his best friend, Pumbaa – a warthog with a flatulence problem.

Cordileone got the part and has been on the road with the show ever since. That was 15 years ago. His now-grown daughter spent nearly a decade of her childhood traveling with the company. (Naturally, she’s a performer now, too.)

(Nick Cordileone (L) - Photo by Joan Marcus)

Cordileone is an integral part of the third longest-running show in Broadway history – a show that won six Tony Awards and is considered a cultural phenomenon.

You’re undoubtedly familiar with the story: Young Simba is heir to his father’s (Mufasa) kingdom. But Simba’s wicked uncle, Scar, plots to coax both father and son into a wildebeest stampede and usurp the throne. Simba narrowly escapes, but Mufasa is killed.

The adult Simba, now as wise and brave as his late father, returns home with his pals Timon and Pumbaa to take back what’s rightfully his. And to be a benevolent ruler. The father imparted many lessons to his son, but one of the most crucial is: “While others search for what they can take, a true king searches for what he can give.”

Still a crowd pleaser

One thing that keeps the experience fresh is just how warmly received the show is. Night after night, Cordileone meets people who’ve seen it umpteen times – and are still as moved by it as when they first saw it.

“People are still jumping to their feet night after night,” Cordileone said. “The creative team really caught lightning in a bottle.”

(Company of The Lion King on Broadway. Photo. by Matthew Murphy)

Incidentally, that creative team included none other than Sir Elton John and Sir Tim Rice, who wrote the music.

Believe it or not, Cordileone also meets people seeing the show for the first time. “As prolific as it’s been, and given how long it’s been around, you’ll still find people who’ve never encountered the story,” he said. “And you go: Wow, what a gift that we get to introduce them to it.”

(Mukelisiwe Goba as Rafiki in Disney's The Lion King. Photo by Matthew Murphy.) 

The secret to the show’s longevity? Cordileone called it “a combination of the wide appeal of Disney and a timeless story.”

It’s a story he knows by heart – yet never tires of. He even has a favorite moment that strikes him at every performance. “As I’m waiting to come on in Act II, I get to stand in the wings and watch the lionesses singing Shadowland with all this powerful female energy,” he said. “It’s a gorgeous moment.”

He has a favorite song, too: the iconic He Lives in You, which is “when the kings and queens of the past are reinvigorating Simba to take up the mantle left by his father. It’s beautiful, colorful and celebratory.”

Cordileone – who admits to being partial – calls the show “the peak of musical theater.” He advises anyone who hasn’t seen it before to “come prepared to be wowed – and to be introduced to the greatest opening in musical history.”

(Darian-Sanders as Simba in The Lion King North American Tour. Photo by Deen van Meer.)