
Tell us one thing that’s given you hope during the pandemic? Stephen on a walk past Little Pie Company with wife, Emily Kempson and their Shih Tzu, Sugar. It turns out we love being trapped in a 1-bed apartment together, who’d have thought it?!

How much I love being with my wife 24/7! We have spent so much of our relationship apart, as we both work in theater, and we thought that worked well for us. What’s the most interesting thing that you’ve learned during the pandemic? We learn songs, sing together and I share lots of Broadway and West End anecdotes. Recently I have become an Online Air BnB experience. I am in awe of the resilience of the Broadway community and the ingenuity which is helping my friends in theater survive this. What did you do for work pre-COVID? What are you doing now? The kindness and sense of connection with our neighbors is something we will never forget.

It was hard to be so far away from home, but the experience ended up making us fall even more in love with our Hell’s Kitchen community. Stephen in his dressing room at The Lion King, ready to go on stage as Scar.ĭid you stay put when the pandemic hit or did you find an escape for some of the time? This is more a major injustice rather than a pet peeve, but we need more support and care for the homeless population in Hell’s Kitchen. What a homecoming.And what’s your Hell’s Kitchen pet peeve? I can’t wait to take to the stage in Dublin having been on tour with this amazing cast. The villainous Scar is a dream role - he is an extremely complex character who audiences love to hate and a joy to bring to life on stage. Brian said, “It is an honour to be stepping into the infamous role of Scar in my beloved hometown of Dublin at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre.

Brian is currently covering the role of Scar in the touring company of The Lion King. Born and raised in Dublin, Gilligan trained at the Royal Irish Academy of Music and has featured in productions such as Romeo & Juliet at Mill Theatre Dublin and Jimmy’s Hall at Abbey Theatre Dublin. Having played in more than 100 cities in 20 countries on every continent except Antarctica, The Lion King's worldwide gross exceeds that of any film, Broadway show or other entertainment title in box office history.īrian Gilligan will play the iconic villain 'Scar'. With an incredible cast of more than 50 actors, singers and dancers, the story of The Lion King roars into life using spectacular masks, puppets, and costumes to tell the story of Simba’s journey from wide-eyed cub to his destined role as King of the Pridelands. Disney's The Lion King returns to Bord Gáís Energy Theatre in September 2023.
