Michelle Scalpone had a better view of what was going on backstage than on the stage when she saw the touring production of βBeauty and the Beastβ at Tucson Music Hall when she was 13.
But that view ignited in her a passion that has become a career that is bringing her back to her hometown of Tucson this week with one of Broadwayβs biggest and most enduring musicals.
Scalpone, a Tucson native and 2006 graduate of Sahuaro High School, is an assistant stage manager on Disneyβs βThe Lion King,β which Broadway In Tucson is bringing to Centennial Hall from Sept. 14 to Sept. 25.
βIt is almost a timeless story. Itβs the story about family. Itβs the story about love,β said the 34-year-old, who has called New York City home for the past dozen years. βIt is music that my generation, we grew up with and itβs so familiar. And then you get the spectacle of a giant elephant coming through the audience. When do you get that seeing βHamilton?ββ
Scalpone remembers seeing those gigantic animal puppets parading down the aisles of Tucson Music Hall when she saw her first βLion Kingβ back in 2006, the only time it has played Tucson. The show ran here for six weeks.
βI still remember the giraffes coming down. We were right behind the conductor and I remember the elephants coming down the aisle and I saw the giraffes,β she recalled.
Scalpone, who majored in theater production with an emphasis in stage management at the University of Arizona and interned at Juilliard, landed her first production job as a teen working backstage with The Gaslight Theatre. She also did an internship with Arizona Theatre Company and worked with Tucsonβs Live Theatre Workshop.
βI got as much theatrical experience I could out of Tucson,β she said. βI love the theater and I love what I do. I never stopped.β
Scalpone, whose resume includes dozens of shows on and off Broadway and touring productions, was hired by βThe Lion Kingβ 10 days before the pandemic shut down theaters in March 2020. She sat on the sidelines for 18 months before theaters reopened about a year ago and has been on the road with the production since.
βItβs a special musical to see and to be a part of,β she said during a phone call from the showβs stop in San Diego last week. βItβs Broadway legacy and classic Disney fun.β
Because she is a Tucson native, Scalpone will be the cast and crewβs official Old Pueblo tour guide during the showβs nearly two-week run here. In addition to showing them the UA campus, she said she will take them to North Fourth Avenue, which she said represents a big part of Tucson, and will introduce them to Eegeeβs and Tucsonβs plethora of Mexican food.
βI need real tortillas and cheese crisps in my life,β she said with a laugh. βI complain about Tex-Mex all the time when weβre on the road. βItβs not real Mexican food!β I love Mamaβs Pizza. Itβs better than any pizza in New York that Iβve ever had.β
βLion Kingβ fun facts
The North American touring version of Disneyβs βThe Lion Kingβ is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Hereβs some crazy numbers that tell the story of the show:
9,000 performances over 227 engagements in 93 cities before 21 million theatergoers
155,890 miles driven between engagements, which amounts to enough miles to circle the Earth just over six times.
48 babies were born to cast members while they were on the road.
The words βHakuna Matataβ have been said over 223,000 times.