A glimpse of the West End at City Academy

The vibrant spirit of the West End descended upon Bristol as City Academy proudly presented the iconic blockbuster musical, The Lion King.

Transporting audiences to the heart of Africa with stunning costumes and sets, this mesmerising production told the story of young lion prince Simba (a role shared by Year 7 students Jada-Leigh Clarkson and Ruby Malone) who was born in Africa. However, Simba’s birth pushes his uncle Scar down to second in line to the throne.

Scar plots with the hyenas to kill King Mufasa and Prince Simba and claim the crown for himself. When the King is killed, Simba is led to believe by Scar that it was his fault, and the desperate cub flees the kingdom in shame.

City Academy’s production ran across two sell-out shows, with more than 350 people watching this amazing production each night, showing great support from families and the local community.

The journey to bring The Lion King to life began months ago in September, with students giving up their own time to rehearse. In total, 50 students were featured in the cast, ably supported by 12 crew members from Years 7-11.

Rebecca Pearce, Teacher of Drama, said: “This has been the most resilient and resourceful cast I have every worked with. Everything for the Lion King has come together seamlessly, and there is an energy and synergy from our cast that I have not seen before. I have found the whole experience extremely uplifting.

“I also want to thank Rebecca Anderton, our very talented choreographer, and Louise Caplin and Ben Van Wyck, our wonderful musical directors.”