The History of King Lear
The History of King Lear is an adaptation by Nahum Tate of William Shakespeare's "King Lear". It first appeared in 1681, some seventy-five years after Shakespeare's version, and is believed to have replaced Shakespeare's version on the English stage in whole or in part until 1838.
Shadowland (The Lion King)
Nala contributes to two duets to the animated film: "I Just Can't Wait to be King" and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight". Director Julie Taymor consistently found herself drawn to the South African musical influences Lebo brought to the production during rehearsals. Citing the film's lack of prominent female roles, the director longed to expand Nala's role into that of a more complex, three dimensional female character for the stage musical and felt that "Shadowland" would help develop her into a stronger heroine. Will Albrittonat of the University of South Florida's "The Oracle" agreed that the song contributes to strengthening Nala's character, providing her with a more significant role. Taymor explained, "When you talk about lions, the females do all of it ... So I threw out a lot of the soft stuff in the film and made Nala very strong", giving the character "one of the best songs in the show, 'Shadowland,' which is about being a refugee," a subject matter that the director felt continues to be "very topical". Additionally, Taymor cited the song as a "perfect" example of music that "has a narrative force of its own", via which "Nala's feelings are transmitted". Calling the ballad "extraordinary", Taymor identified "Shadowland" as one of her favorite songs in the musical, after "Circle of Life", and continues to get emotional when she hears it. In addition to originating the role of Nala, Trinidadian-American singer and actress Heather Headley recorded "Shadowland" for "".