Clubhouse strikes gold with another viral event. The audio-only app was the host of the most innovative musical play on the Internet.
On Saturday (Dec. 25), “The Lion King” musical debuted live on Clubhouse. Between the manatee and the nighttime show, users on the app were able to experience a live rendition of the beloved musical complete with a 40-member cast, live instrumentation, a choir and beautifully orchestrated PTR (“pull to refresh”) imagery that matched up with every scene in the show. Director and executive producer Noelle Chesnut Whitmore concocted the idea for the show while in a Clubhouse room with Bomani X, whose picture is the current icon for the app.
”What started as a random conversation on Clubhouse has scaled to something much greater,” Whitmore said in a press release. “We have so many talented people contributing their time and energy to this performance. Our goal is just to spread some joy to people through these events. I never imagined this would get such a huge response.”
The response was huge indeed. The Clubhouse room for “The Lion King” musical was packed to capacity so much so that some users couldn’t get in. Social media, in general, was full of amazing feedback on the show, and the hashtag #TheLionKingCH was trending throughout the day on Twitter.
Award-winning actor Myles Grier voices Simba along with Mir Harris who portrays Nala. Other featured entertainers include actress and producer Gina Belafonte, Dr. Victor, Minh Do, Brandon Rainey, Tunde Sho, Dai Thompson, Felicia Brathwaite, Aja Monet, Shannon Yang, and many more.
This is the first edition of “The Lion King” musical on Clubhouse, but Whitmore aims to expand her collective’s digital footprint on the app. It’s one of several events hosted on the app to go viral. A handful of celebrities have hopped on Clubhouse in recent months and made headlines for their controversial conversations.