Zama Magudulela had to think for a minute before declaring, “I’m the only one.”
Magudulela is on tour as Rafiki, the mandrill shaman in “The Lion King,” the Disney
musical opening this week at the Providence Performing Arts Center. “Out of all the
Rafikis in the world,” she said in a recent interview, “I’m the first one to do (the show) is
so many languages.”
Magudulela has worked with eight different “Lion King” companies since 2007, and has
performed the show in English, German, Portuguese, Spanish, and French. “It’s a test
for my tongue,” she said with a laugh. “Everything in English has to be translated.”
Her first non-English show was in Germany. “I had to learn the show phonetically. Each
language is a whole new rehearsal process. I had already known the show, but I didn’t
know I could pick up the language so quickly. I picked it up in two weeks.”
A native of South Africa, Magudulela knew at the age of seven that she loved singing,
“but I never thought I wanted to get paid to sing.” While still in school, she learned about
Mbongeni Ngema, a South African playwright, composer, and producer, after seeing
some of his productions. “I thought, one day I would love to work with this person.”
She heard about auditions for one of Ngema’s shows, a musical called “The Zulu.” Not
really knowing anything about it, she auditioned. “It was the right place at the right time.
He took to me instantly.”
Magudulela had just landed a one-year contract to work in marketing, but Ngema
“called me often, saying, ‘I want you to be part of my show.’ I left my job because of his
proposal. I left a one-year contract for his three-week contract.”
From that, “my passion grew. I was the only juicy girl in his production that was dancing.
I danced my ass off.” Juicy is Magudulela’s term for a woman of size. “Dancing was new
to me, and this was my first musical. It changed my life. I never turned back.”
Magudulela first auditioned for “Lion King” while she was working for Ngema. She didn’t
pass her first two attempts, but “the third one was good.”
She spent three years in the ensemble, understudying for Rafiki, before landing the
main role. “My first show was in Australia. We were there for two years, and then we
went to China for three months.” The show in China was performed in English with sub-
titles projected on the stage. “That was disturbing. You’d know this joke was done, but
they would react, laugh, about ten seconds later.”
Magudulela hasn’t been touring consistently since her start. She would work with a
company, then take some time off, then pick up with another company. This is her first
time touring North America.
Magudulela laughs when I ask if she’s ever mixed up all the languages she’s had to
learn. “My first time in France, I had done the show in English and German. A guy
comes and makes me listen to a song in German, and suddenly, my mind goes to
German. I forgot what I had to say in French, so I picked up a little bit of German. That
day, I sang three languages.”
In another show, she panicked while singing “Circle of Life.” “I just froze. I just made up
a language. I avoided looking at anyone, I didn’t make sense whatsoever. The cast
members, they were laughing at me, I didn’t know if I should laugh at myself. Just let me
finish!”
Last year, while in Canada, “I sang ‘He Lives in You’ in French. My head just shifted to
French, but I did it with so much confidence.”
Disney’s “The Lion King” runs through June 7 at the Providence Performing Arts
Center. For tickets and information, call 401.421.ARTS or visit www.ppacri.org.
