Ten-year-old Donovan Bazemore from Upper Chichester just got the Broadway role of a lifetime, writes Christie Ileto for 6abc.

Starting Tuesday, Donovan will make his debut playing Simba from The Lion King.

The Lion King, a Disney classic, is one of the longest-running stage productions.

Donovan has been working to secure the role for two years.

“This is the show that I started acting for,” he said. “The first Broadway show that I saw was The Lion King. I saw when it was eight, and it inspired me to act.”

He will be playing one of two Simbas used in the show. Rehearsals began last month in New York.

Donovan is not new to acting. He performed at the Arden in Philadelphia in Ragtime. He also appeared in Rachel, a new musical about the life of Rachel Carson, author of “Silent Spring,”  in a run at the Quintessence Theater in Philadelphia.

He’s also made an appearance in a couple of television series.

The Lion King opened on Broadway in November 1997. It has had an open-ended run since, excluding the shutdown of Broadway during the pandemic.

Read more at 6abc.com about Donovan Bazemore and his role as Simba in The Lion King on Broadway.

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