More Than Mufasa: L. Steven Taylor’s Journey from Broadway to the Bookshelf

L. Steven Taylor is a writer, Spoken Word Artist and activist who can currently be seen as Mufasa in The Lion King on Broadway. Other Theater credits include: Lion King National Tour, Godspell, A Chorus Line, Miss Saigon, Damn Yankees. TV/Film: Law and Order: SVU, The Good Fight, Blue Bloods, Legacies, NCIS: New Orleans, Person of Interest, Then Came You, FBI: Most Wanted. He is also a Voice Over Artist for, Nickelodeon, NFL, Disney, Audible and video games including Grand Theft Auto. 

He just released Book 1 of his new children's series, Sammy and His Lion, which will teach children how to summon their "inner lion" as a metaphor for finding the courage to deal with topics such as bullying, standing up for others, going to the dentist, fear of differences in people and experiences, as well as how to develop self-confidence and self-awareness.  

He recently sat down with Writer’s Life to share about his journey as a writer, his life on the stage, his new book and what inspires him. Here is what he had to say.

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Tell us a bit about your background and career. 

I grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana and discovered theatre by accident in high school when I was placed in Beginning Choir instead of the Foreign Language course that I had originally enrolled in. There, I was introduced to my, now mentor, Cindy Hartshorn who took me under her wing and cast me in my first musical: Joseph and The Amazing Technicolored Dream Coat!  I was hooked! After graduating, I pursued theatre recreationally, while studying to be a Pre-K teacher, until I was offered a full-time position as an actor at The American Cabaret Theatre. Since then, my career has led me to perform worldwide on stages and in film/television for the past 28 years. That trajectory led me to my current role as Mufasa in The Lion King on Broadway, where I’ve been a company member for twenty years and playing the King, himself, for the past 10 years. 

When did you first know you wanted to be an actor? 

Since the very first time I set foot on stage, although I didn’t truly believe there was a path for me to pursue it professionally. I grew up in an extremely underserved area in Indianapolis. The arts and more specifically, theatre, gave me a way to escape the realities of a, sometimes, harsh world. Acting didn’t begin as a “want” for me - it was more of a “need.” I needed the escape. I needed to be heard. I needed to feel seen, and theatre gave me opportunities to do just that. So, the childhood desires of wanting to play on stage turned into an empowering journey and platform to tell my story and not just hide behind other peoples.  

Do you prefer live theatre or being behind the camera? 

I think both mediums serve very specific purposes for story telling. But there is nothing like the experience you get from cultivating a piece of theatre with a group of people and the thrill of sharing the arc of a story with an audience in real time. There is a community building aspect of live theatre that requires a trust that speaks to the best parts of humanity. Escaping into a world that may or may not resemble one that you are familiar with inspires empathy and taps into the child in all of us, and I really believe that is where we, both audience and actor, are our best selves 

Has writing always been a passion of yours? 

Yes!  I’ve always loved to read, however, the stories that I had access to as a young person, didn’t feel as though they fully represented the nuances of my particular experience. That is what led me to start writing; short stories about places that I’d dream up, poems about the people that I’d encounter or about my struggles and desires, tributes to the people I looked up to. Writing helped me to express these things far better than I was able to articulate them verbally and became an extension of what I felt like I was able to convey theatrically. 

Tell us about your new children’s book, Sammy and His Lion. 

Sammy and His Lion follows the adventures of Sammy - a 6-year-old boy who lives in the big city with his dad and his pet lizard, Spikes.  

When faced with the fear of going to a brand new school, in a new grade and with a new teacher, Sammy’s dad figures it is time to pass down the family’s secret tradition to give Sammy the tools to deal with any challenge that he might face. It’s time to unlock his Lion! 

Through an elaborate ritual, Sammy learns to summon his inner Lion as a metaphor for finding the courage to deal with situations like bullying, standing up for others, going to the dentist, fear of differences in people and experiences, anxiety as well as how to develop self confidence and awareness.  

 What was your impetus for writing your book? 

As I was coming into my twenty-year mark with The Lion King - I wanted to acknowledge the milestone with something that encompassed all of the areas of my life that have contributed to my time so far with this show. The themes of the show - courage, community and justice - have echoed how I’ve tried to live my life. My experiences as a teacher and father have greatly influenced how I’ve tried play the role of Mufasa and my role in the company as a leader. And my love of reading and writing and working with children. it just all made sense to marry these things together in the form of a children’s book, which is something that I’ve always wanted to write. I also wanted to write something that was of a universal experience but told from a Black perspective as representation has not only been a huge part in me pursuing my dreams but an important one for the next generations also.  

What are the messages you want readers to take away from reading your work? 

I truly believe that most people want to do good, but are often reluctant to do what is right because of fear.  

My desire is that this book will reach children at a point in their lives where they are constantly being presented with new experiences and the complex emotions that accompany that newness and learn that they don’t have to shove away their fear in order to be brave. That you can “be scared and brave at the same time.” My desire is that learning to do this through the metaphor of “finding your inner Lion,” and the power of imagination. will set forth foundational tools that turn these brave children into adult leaders who do what is right even when feels scary or difficult.  

Who are some writers or performers who have influenced you along the way? 

Two major writing influences are James Baldwin and Amiri Baraka. 

The way that they have used their individual styles of writing as a means for advocacy have been a blueprint for my own work. Similarly - Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte have served as aspirational models on the marriage of art and activism that I hope to mirror in my own career. 

You yourself are a parent, did that experience help inspire this book? 

For sure. In this book, I see myself as Sammy. As a boy (as is true with most boys) I was not allowed the space to be scared. This book serves as a reclamation of the experiences that I had growing up where the tools that I was given when faced with fear were to simply” don’t cry” and to “be a big boy,” The relationship between Sammy and his dad is one of tenderness and compassion, understanding and empathy - tenets that we don’t often see represented in media between male figures. Tenets that I strive to display in my relationship with my son.  

What are you working on now and what can we expect from you next? 

I’m currently in the process of writing Book Two in the Sammy and His Lion series! This book will focus on how to recognize bullying, give readers tools to deal with bullying and how to find the courage to speak up when the bullying behavior is coming from our friends.  

I can also still be seen eight times a week in the best show on Broadway- The Lion King in New York! 

Where can people find out more about you and your work? 

Find more about Sammy and His Lion visit: www.sammyandhislion.com 

Find me on Instagram and TikTok @lsteventaylor