PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Donovan Bazemore has always loved musicals, but he never imagined he could be a part of one until he saw “The Lion King” on Broadway.
“I was like, ‘Whoa, that’s a child on stage!’ ” he recalled on KYW Newsradio’s Jawncast. “I was like, ‘This is what I want to do.’ ”
Just two years later, he got his wish. The 10-year-old from Upper Chichester is now performing as Young Simba in the same Broadway show that sparked his dream.
“It doesn’t feel real,” he said. “I’ve gone from somebody who just plays with Legos all the time … to somebody who is actually in a musical.”
Donovan has music and performance in his DNA — his parents met while doing a show together. His mother, Dawn Bazemore, has performed and choreographed for Philadanco, toured in “The Color Purple,” and now teaches theater and dance at Rowan University.
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“All three of our children just grew up in a house full of music and theater,” she said, “but we never pushed it on any of them.”
When Donovan expressed an interest in performing, though, his mother helped him find a voice teacher and audition for “Ragtime” at the Arden Theatre. It was his first audition ever — and he got the part.
“I was jumping around the house,” Donovan remembered hearing the news. “I ran up the stairs, down the stairs, and back up.”
His contract with “The Lion King” lasts six months, but it could be extended if he doesn’t grow too much. After that, Donovan hopes to act in and even direct movies someday.