Disney's The Lion King is making a stop in Salt Lake City during their North American tour.
Nick LaMedica plays the part of Zazu, the African red-billed hornbill. He made his debut in Salt Lake City.
He took Morgan Saxton of FOX13's The Place backstage to the Puppet Shop.
Nick has several understudies, and Zazu has a least one "in case he gets sick" LaMedica joked.
Before every show, LaMedica meets with a makeup artist for 60-75 minutes. He is painted in blue to resemble the sky.
According to a press release, Tony® Award-winning director and designer Julie Taymor, along with designer Michael Curry, hand sculpted and painted every prototype mask that now appears in the iconic “Circle of Life” opening of the show.
Over 750 pounds of silicone rubber were used to make the masks. The puppets took 17,000 hours to sculpt and paint.
With the help of animatronics and the character, the puppet's come to life.
The show takes days of on-site preparation and installation. They strolled into town with nearly 2-dozen semi trucks filled with equipment and costumes; they are considered one of the largest shows on tour.
Buy tickets to the show happening October 6 - October 23.
According to the Eccles Theater website, events are planned at full capacity. All patrons are welcomed and encouraged to wear face coverings while attending a performance.
