You're Gonna Hear Him Roar! MTC Will Present the American Premiere of Benjamin Scheuer's The Lion

Benjamin Scheuer is about to be king of the off-Broadway jungle! Manhattan Theatre Club will present the American premiere of The Lion, the new autobiographical musical written and performed by award-winning singer-songwriter Scheuer. Directed by Sean Daniels, the limited engagement for The Lion (formerly titled The Bridge) will begin previews June 10 at New York City Center—Stage II. Opening night is scheduled for June 26.

Scheuer is a New York-based composer, lyricist, producer and musician who's been a writer-in-residence at the Goodspeed Theater, the Weston Playhouse in Vermont, and the Johnny Mercer Songwriting Workshop. He is the winner of the 2013 ASCAP Cole Porter Award for songwriting. Scheuer records and performs with his band Escapist Papers.

A true story of love, loss, family loyalty and the redemptive power of music, Scheuer performed iterations of his one-man musical The Lion at Lincoln Center, St. James Theatre in London and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The creative team for The Lion will include scenic design by Neil Patel, costume design by Jennifer Caprio, lighting design by Ben Stanton and sound design by Leon Rothenberg.

Scheuer's album The Bridge, which features songs from The Lion, is currently available on iTunes. The music video for Scheuer’s song “The Lion” premiered at the 2013 Annecy Film Festival in France, where it won the Special Jury Award for Best Commissioned Film. Check it out below!