On the eve of The Lion King’s epically-awaited opening in the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff, part of a UK and Ireland tour that began in 2019, this Disney extravaganza’s resident director, Swansea-born Jill Williams, spoke with Ewa Pałka about the nuts, bolts, glam and science of the production.

The show is opening on Fri 8 July – that’s very soon! How are you doing?

We’re just getting everything ready now to move to Cardiff. It’s exciting. 

You are the resident director, working with actors. Could you explain your role in a nutshell?

We learn the show’s blueprint. On a day-to-day basis, I watched the show at least six times a week, and would note the characters and the actors. At the end of the show, or the following day, we talked about notes and how things went. With the show, my role is to keep it all together and tight; to look after all the direction of the actors, mainly the principals.

A part of my job which I love is when we rehearse in the day with all the covers and the people who are the understudies: there are two understudies for every character in the show. That’s probably about 26 roles we have to rehearse. This week, one of the characters in the show did the opening number and then felt poorly – we had to get the cover ready to go on very quickly, she didn’t have much time to think about it. I have to ensure that when she steps onto that stage, she’s as confident in that role as the original actor. That’s a huge part of my job.

That’s a lot of responsibility. 

Yeah. But it’s not arduous – it’s a pleasure. Because the people you’re working with are so ready to learn. They want to be there, and they are so talented. It’s a joy.

“Every time I see The Lion King, the puppets, the costumes, the performance, the performers – let’s not forget them! – are at the top of their game.”

Jill Williams, The Lion King’s resident director

How did you break onto the theatre stage?

My mum put me into dancing lessons from three or four. I did all my dancing qualifications, and after my A-levels, decided to audition for the Welsh College Of Music & Drama in Cardiff. At the time, they offered a degree to teach drama or direct it – there were only seven places and I was very blessed to get one of those. In 1989 I got a teaching job in Bishop Vaughan Catholic School in Swansea, taught there for 10 years, and became head of the department – we were teaching A-level dance and drama, and doing five major productions a year. But I always wanted to have my school.

When I was little, one of my best friends was Catherine Zeta-Jones – we would dance together and have sleepovers together, and then she’d lie in bed and say, “one day I’m going to be a famous actress”. I’d say, “that’s great – one day I’m going to have my school!” It was funny how, you know, what you speak out loud happens? I have a huge faith, and I believe it is listened to when you have a passion for something which drives you.

Anyway, I was the head of the department and was on a great trajectory – but I felt this in my heart: “your dream is still there, go get it…” I’d just had a baby, and wanted to spend time with her during the day. I asked the headmaster for a year of unpaid leave, which he granted me, and decided to open a theatre school. For 21 years, I ran the school; I had 450 students when I felt another calling.

I gifted the theatre school to a former student and my daughter. They ran the school, I handed my CV to people, and then I got a call asking if I would consider being the resident director at Disney! I went to some interviews, and they offered me the job. I think it’s a case of knowing what you believe about yourself inside; being passionate, having a real love of people in life, what you want to achieve and not stopping. Not being ruthless, but being determined to achieve your dreams.

That sounds like something from a movie. You just kept going and believed in what you wanted to do. As for The Lion King – it’s been running for 25 years now. What do you think makes it so popular?

Many things. But I think the story is the show’s star. The story of the little boy [Simba] who thinks he has everything, and suddenly it’s all taken away from him and he has to face life on his own. He then meets up with two crazy guys to foster him, if you like. He listens to his heart and he hears his dad who says, the past is in the past – you’ve got to face the future. I think it’s a real timeless story that children enjoy, and then adults can as well. There are great lines in the show. When Rafiki says, “the past can hurt, but the way I see it, you can either run from it, or you can learn from it” – that’s absolutely true. That always sticks with me.

Another thing about the show is everything aesthetically. It’s an entire piece of art; the lighting blows me away. And every time I see it, the puppets, the costumes, the performance, the performers – let’s not forget them! – are at the top of their game. They are fantastic. I think it’s a story that stands the test of time.

Would you say The Lion King is always the same, or are there any changes throughout the years to freshen it up? 

Obviously, Julie Taymor, the show’s original director, has the blueprint of how it should run. And then Anthony Lyn, the associate director, teaches us all the resident directors worldwide. I think there might be 11 productions with The Lion King. Every actor would bring himself to the role; every Scar would be slightly different because there is room for a director to work with the characters and the actors to develop their interpretations. But there is a definite blueprint that you would see; you would notice if you saw all those productions, there will be slight differences. I think over the years, things have evolved, but it’s very much The Lion King as you know it. 

Of course, every cast and crew brings something new to the show! What would you say is your favourite character, song, or maybe a scene from the show?

I love the apparition, which is in act two. I don’t want to give away too much to anyone who will come and see the show! But this wonderful thing happens where Simba calls out to the ancestors with Rafiki in the hope that Mufasa will come back to Simba. Then they create something on stage, which happens with the music; it just takes your breath away because it’s so magical.

How long did the UK tour take to rehearse before it started? 

We built the show from the ground up in July 2019 – six weeks, six days a week, really long days. We rehearsed, and it was beautifully scored in Bristol. Then COVID happened. Then coming back from COVID, we had three weeks at a studio in London, where we regrouped.

We have some new people joining the show, new cubs. It was about three weeks, and then we were straight into it. But ordinarily, from the ground deck, it would be six weeks.

With so many actors, I imagine the atmosphere backstage being like a big family. 

Since so many are so far away from home – we’ve got South Africans in the show, people from the Philippines, America – they can’t pop home on their day off. The family environment is important. Some call me Mama, which is fine! It’s important for them, and essential for me as well, to feel that sense of belonging.

The Lion King, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay, Fri 8 July-Sat 27 Aug. Tickets: £22.50-£95. Info: here

words EWA PAŁKA