Young Lion King star shares joy–and challenges–of life on stage in Toronto

While many children dream of belting out beloved Disney classics on stage, it’s a privilege afforded to very few and it takes more than powerful pipes to land a role in a world-renowned stage musical. 

For 11-year-old Oliver Woon, a Mississauga resident who is currently starring as Simba in the Mirvish production of The Lion King in Toronto, his dream became a reality last year and both he and his mother, Eleanor Sim, say the journey has been an exciting one. 

“We’re very lucky,” Sim, whose family came to Canada from Singapore in 2015, tells YourCityWithIN.com after confirming that Woon, whose role as young Simba was announced last summer, plans to perform in the production until its run ends on Aug. 30. 

“Oliver is so excited and joyful every time it’s time to go on stage. He’s still as excited as the first time he went on stage.” 

Woon, one of three actors portraying the young lion cub destined to be king, performs in three shows a week and is on standby for the other performances. Sim says he’s at the Princess of Wales Theatre, where the show is held, about five or six times a week. 

While Sim says Woon has always enjoyed singing and has long been a fan of The Lion King–along with other musical mainstays such as Frozen and Wicked–his path toward a career in the arts became clearer during the pandemic. 

“He was taking singing lessons through COVID and his teacher taught him the song I Just Can’t Wait to be King and it was in his repertoire for music festivals and stuff like that,” Sim says.  

“When we found out about the audition [for The Lion King], he was all over YouTube researching the role and looking at the movements and how other actors played young Simba.” 

While the audition turned out to be transformative for Woon (Sim says there were over 100 other children vying for the role), it wasn’t his first. During the pandemic, Sim says she and her family realized that Woon might have a unique talent for music when he submitted a recording for a virtual concert being held by his preschool and was the only child who was on key. 

After that, he starred in two small productions with the Toronto-based Bravo Academy and participated in local and provincial music festivals before trying out for roles in the Toronto production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat and the London, U.K. production of Matilda. While he didn’t make the cut for Joseph, he received a callback for Matilda and made it to the final round of auditions.

With Woon feeling “distraught” over losing out on the part in Joseph, Sim says they had a family meeting and decided to help him work on his movement. Fortunately, seeing Joseph on stage led to an interesting discovery: several young cast members were enrolled at the same theatre school in Stouffville. After researching online, she signed Woon up for the triple-threat and hip-hop classes at the Harriet Chung Performing Arts School. 

It was through the Stouffville school that Sim and Woon would learn about auditions for The Lion King. 

“There were four rounds,” Sim explains. “First audition was May 11 at the Elgin Theatre and the final audition was June 1 and it was down to six boys and six girls and we found out he got the part on June 3.” 

Sim says hearing the news that the role was his was an emotional experience. 

“There were tears, of course. The journey to get here was not an easy one and it entailed a lot of commitment and sacrifice, not to mention lots and lots of driving,” she says.  

After finding out, Woon’s family decided to break the news to the budding star by packing their car full of balloons–including one very important lion head one–and picking him up from school with the decor coming out through the sunroof. 

“He knew he got the part the moment he saw the balloons,” she says, adding that the reveal was also fun for his classmates and friends. 

“A bunch of kids were there and were asking about the balloons and when he came out, they were cheering for him. His classmates are so excited for him and they missed him when he wasn’t in school for two months for rehearsals.”

Now that the show has been running since November, Sim says Woon and the family continue to enjoy the experience and that she especially appreciates the vastness of the artistic community in Toronto. 

“It’s what he wants to do right now. His ambitions range from a doctor to an ice cream scooper at this favourite ice cream store to animation. It’s a lot of art. I am happy we are here and the environment is so supportive of the arts,” she says. 

“Singapore is more engineering and doctors, more science-based. We’re here to embrace the whole arts scene. Oliver loves language and writing.” 

That said, she’s candid about how life on stage can be overwhelming, especially for a young person who has to juggle school, regular kid life, and a demanding performance schedule.

“I won’t sugarcoat it. It’s tough. On Wednesdays, if he’s on stage for the evening show, we get home close to midnight and by the time he gets in bed, it is past midnight, and he has to get up for school the next day,” she says. 

“Those mornings, it is a real struggle, but we have made it clear that if at any point he cannot handle both the show and school, he has to give up the show.” 

Fortunately, Woon’s school has been accommodating.

“We’re blessed that his school is very understanding and they are very proud of his accomplishments. There’s coordination with his teacher on when he will or will not be around and she tries her best to schedule the more critical stuff when he’s around,” she says. 

“During rehearsals, his principal helped gather teaching materials for us to home-school him. They are very supportive of him. We are grateful for the school community.” 

As for what’s next for Woon, Sim says he’s been approached for an audition for an animated series as a guest star and is also open to pursuing work in film and television. 

Woon himself tells YourCityWithIN.com that being up on stage is an incredibly joyful experience. 

“Every time I go up on stage, I’m so excited, and there’s so much joy. Just the magic of how everyone comes together to put on an amazing show and how the audience is so appreciative after. I am enjoying myself so much. I never want it to end,” he says. 

Ultimately, Sim says that seeing Woon happy makes her happy. 

“It’s been amazing. He is with his people and living his best life,” she tells YourCityWithIN.

“As a parent, it’s all you want for your child. He thrives being on stage. It’s his happy place, telling the story to an appreciative audience. In one word, it’s magical.”