A King is Born! Jeremy Noel on the Joy of The Lion King, Going on as Simba and Writing His Own Music
(Photo by Emilio Madrid for Broadway.com)
“I remember being in my high school career day class, saying, ‘I'm going to be on Broadway. I'm going to do a tour,” recalls Jeremy Noel. “My teacher was like, ‘Well, could you be more specific about what you might want to do?’ And I was like, ‘Honestly, I would love to be Simba in The Lion King.'"
As it happens, this is exactly what Noel accomplished. The Pennsylvania native currently understudies for Simba in The Lion King on Broadway, where he also performs in the ensemble. Noel was first launched into the animal kingdom in 2022, when he was cast in the national tour of the show shortly after graduating from Ithaca College. Noel’s interest in the performing arts started at a young age. “I didn't start with musical theater, I started playing instruments. I played violin, I played piano, I played percussion, drumset. I was a very shy kid, so being in an ensemble with instruments was my comfortable spot." Noel caught the theater bug in middle school after watching his brother’s high school production of Peter Pan. “It was the first musical I'd ever seen. I hadn't really known much about Broadway at this point. The feeling that I felt being in the audience and seeing my brother do that, I was like, 'I think I want to try this.'"
For his ensemble track in The Lion King, Noel begins the show as an elephant, ushering audiences into Pride Rock through the iconic opening number “The Circle of Life.” This has proved itself to be somewhat serendipitous. “The first time I saw [The Lion King] was when I joined the show and they got me tickets to see it on tour in Nashville, Tennessee. At that point, I didn't fully know what I was going to be doing scene by scene,” explains Noel. “During ‘Circle of Life,’ an elephant comes down into the audience and I actually got to sit on that side of the aisle. Funny enough, the first thing that I did on the tour was the elephant and I do it on Broadway too.”
In August of 2025, Noel made his Broadway debut at the Minskoff Theatre. Thinking back to his first performance, Noel says, “Everybody in the cast was being so supportive of me. I was smiling the entire time. I really, really appeciated how I had shoulders to lean on.” When it comes to The Lion King’s backstage culture, “Everybody is really joyous, and maybe it's because of the show," he continues. "This show brings people together, of all ages, of all nationalities—people are coming across the world just to see this show. That energy that they give us, we give them as well, and it starts backstage. I'm just happy that this company really does that and supports each other.”
Indeed, the spirit of camaraderie is alive and well among The Lion King cast, with Noel developing a bond with L. Steven Taylor, who plays Mufasa. “I remember hearing his voice the first time and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that voice. My goodness,’” Noel says. “I was like, ‘I can't wait until that moment where I get to be Simba and I hear your voice, because it is so empowering. It is so strong and it's so grounded.’” When Noel did go on as Simba, the moment was just as powerful as he'd anticipated. “It is such a fatherly voice. It is such a comforting voice. That's the thing I always tell him.”
When Noel performs the role of Simba, he shares a dressing room with Taylor. “We share a love for macarons so we have a bit of that sweet tooth together. Anything I need, anything that I might be feeling, he is always there to support, always there to basically be a Mufasa to me. It’s a really great experience sharing the space with him.”
Noel has also received support from Mduduzi Madela, a South African performer who has been with the show for over a decade. “He told me one day, ‘When you come into a space, come into that space with full energy, the energy of being you.’ I thought that was really special because that applies to life and it also goes into the show as well. We all play different parts, but there's a you that you have to bring into the role and not be somebody else. So with whatever energy you have to the fullness of your ability, just being you within that role. It makes the performance so much more authentic and so much more believable.”
Making music continues to be a priority for Noel, who released his debut single, “Don’t Let Go” last September. "I always knew that I wanted to write my own music," he says. "I finally hit a place while I was on tour where it felt like I actually had something that I wanted to say." He credits his fiancée Samantha Barriento, who he met on tour and is currently a swing in The Lion King’s Broadway company, for much of this inspiration. “Sometimes at intermission I'll have an idea, I'll have something in my head and I'm like, ‘I need to go record this’ or ‘I need to go write this down.’ Maybe it's because I work with her. It's very easy when your muse is literally right there.”
The Lion King was Noel’s first professional job in the theater industry and has been a constant in his life for several years. Reflecting on his relationship with the show, Noel says, “No matter where I went in the United States, the reaction was the same, because it is such a beloved piece of art. It holds a special part in a lot of people's hearts. No matter the age of the person, when that elephant comes down the aisle and ‘Circle of Life’ starts, the faces of the people in the audience brings me to tears, honestly. With all the technology and things that we have these days, just seeing a puppet come down the aisle is enough to make somebody feel so joyful, so happy. Being able to witness that every day is truly special.”
The Broadway Show's new Five Inside series highlights the individuals who help bring Broadway's long-running shows to life, both onstage and off.
GET TO KNOW THE LION KING FAMILY
The Star: L. Steven Taylor | The Debut: Jeremy Noel | The Long-Runner: Lindiwe Dlamini | The Creative Engine: Musical Director Cherie Rosen | The Backstage MVP: Production Stage Manager Antonia Gianino
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