Backstage with Martina Sykes of Disney's 'The Lion King'

When Martina Sykes steps on stage as Shenzi in The Lion King, she’s not just performing — she’s living a dream she almost left behind. The Florida native, who once envisioned a career managing the public images of celebrities and athletes, now brings fierce energy and commanding presence to one of Broadway’s most iconic touring productions, currently roaring into Dallas.

Raised in St. Petersburg, Florida, Sykes comes from a family where music and performance were a way of life. “I'm a pastor's daughter, so I grew up singing, dancing in the church. My family is very musically inclined,” she said. Her early education was equally infused with creativity, attending magnet performing arts programs throughout elementary, middle, and high school. But when it came time to choose a career path, Sykes initially turned her focus away from the stage.

Martina Sykes

 “I majored in public relations at the University of Florida,” she explained. “I wanted to be an image consultant for athletes, celebrities, things of that nature — especially Black athletes and entertainers. Just being able to do damage control when things go wrong…being able to flip the press so that my clients would always be painted in a good light and being able to turn a situation around.”

Then, just weeks before graduation, her brother — himself a Broadway performer — called with some brotherly advice that would change everything. “He thought I was sitting on my gift,” Sykes recalled. “And my brother is not a person of a lot of words. So when he calls and says something’s been on his heart—it’s really been on his heart.” So, with no firm job lined up post-grad and an offer to live rent-free in New York, Sykes decided to take the leap and “walk in her gifting.” Her first break? A Broadway workshop called Rain Dogs. 

Today, she’s commanding stages across the country as Shenzi, the bold and cunning hyena made famous by Whoopi Goldberg in Disney’s 1994 animated classic. For Sykes, stepping into the role is both an honor and an exercise in authenticity.

Photo by Joan Marcus

“I think the character kind of brings life to itself,” she commented. “Whoopi Goldberg made the role iconic. The hyenas were always kind of my favorite growing up — I thought they were hilarious. 

To craft my own version of who Shenzi is by, you know, listening to some of my favorite voices, when I think of who Shenzi is — as a leader, a strong female presence in the show and with her hyena brothers — I think of people that I admire that have that same kind of strong, hilarious, fearlessness like Jackée Harry and Jennifer Lewis, and my mom and my aunts and Whoopi Goldberg, and take all those people and channel them to bring that character to life.”

But while Shenzi may be all sharp edges and comedic timing, performing her for multiple shows a week is a full-body challenge. “The costume is about 20 pounds, and learning how to manipulate the puppet, you find out that you have to use muscles that you normally don't use in your day-to-day,” she laughed. “It's very physically demanding, so you have to come up with warmups and strength and conditioning exercises.”

Despite the rigor, Sykes is still in awe of the production itself. “Being a part of The Lion King is bigger than anything I could have imagined. It’s God-orchestrated,” she admitted. “This show is the standard. 

Being able to be a part of something that’s etched in history with cartoons, with theater, even the parks, the Festival of The Lion King is like the top of the top of performances. To be able to reach that and be a part of it for as long as I have is amazing. It's humbling”

For those attending the Dallas run, Sykes has one key piece of advice: don’t be late. “Get there early. They shut the doors right on time, and I hate seeing people miss the first five minutes because it’s truly breathtaking. You don’t want to miss that.”

Photo by Matthew Murphy

She also believes The Lion King offers more than just spectacle — it offers something meaningful for every stage of life. “There are people in their Simba era, trying to find their way through life — there's something that's pulling at them and they know what they're supposed to be doing and they just kind of feel lost right now,” she elaborated. “You have some people that are in their Mufasa era, trying to teach their children the different stages of life and the ups and the downs, but also reassure them that there's really nothing to be afraid of because I'm with you. And then you have people that are in their Scar era trying to make a name for themselves, but they feel like they're living in somebody's shadow. I think that no matter what stage that you're in, you can relate to someone and you'll be deeply impacted by the show.”

As the lights dim and the drums of The Lion King begin to beat through the theater, audiences can be sure of one thing: Martina Sykes was born to play this role—even if it took a brother’s push to get her there.

Disney’s The Lion King will be at Music Hall at Fair Park in Dallas, Texas through July 3, and tickets are available now at Broadway Dallas.