Nants ingonyama bagithi baba.
Ahh, it's Rafiki's chant in the opening scene of The Lion King.
Rafiki is the sage advisor to King Mufasa and his heir, Simba. Similarly, Keith Bennett is the Rafiki behind the scenes of the Disney musical. The Baltimore native is the resident director of the Broadway tour.
“We just had five new artists to come into the show,” Bennett says. “If I see there's something on stage that needs some attention, then you sit down, [and] talk to the artist about it.”
After more than 40 years in show business, he's taking his final bow, here in Baltimore.
“I love Baltimore,” he says. “Why would I not? I grew up here, you know. I can see that it's had some issues. But it's my city I grew up here. I played in the alleys, played in the parks here in Baltimore. I'm always honored to come back here.”
He grew up in Walbrook Junction and says West Baltimore is where his love of the stage began at an early age.
“When I was growing up in Baltimore, the arts permeated all throughout the neighborhood,” he says. “Arts in the community was a big deal back in the ‘70s and early ‘80s.”
He's traveled the world with The Lion King since starring as one of the hyenas in the 2017 tour when it was last here.
“Coming back to Baltimore a second time, I see that as a blessing,” he says. “And I also see that as longevity. And more than anything, I’m coming back in a different position. I'm coming back as one of the leaders.”
When the curtain closes Sunday, it will be bittersweet for Bennett. While he's signing off from a storied career, he's looking forward to spending more time with family.
“May she rest in peace, my aunt Kelberta Frazier, my cousin Adrian Johnson, they drove me to my first audition,” he says. “There's a lot of people in this city I owe a debt of gratitude.”
The Lion King runs through Sunday at the Hippodrome Theater.
