Talking The Lion Inside with Gabrielle Friedman

Interviewer: Pat Hayward 31st July 2026

Currently running in London, the children’s musical show, The Lion Inside will be visiting Southampton from 28^th August at Mayflower Studios. Overture’s Pat Hayward caught up with Gabrielle Friedman who plays an important part of the show and she talks about her role in the production.

PH: Gabrielle, can we start by you telling us a little bit about The Lion Inside?

GF: The Lion Inside is based on the book by Rachel Bright and Jim Field, and it is a musical retelling, the story is about mouse and lion. And it’s a bit about trusting that you can be brave and finding courage and also accepting maybe some of the scarier emotions like fear that all of us experience. And it’s just a really lovely show. I’ve heard from friends of my age and families alike that it’s just a really heart warming kind of narrative that a lot of people find themselves relating to.

PH: And what part do you play in the production?

GF: I play Lion as well as various other animals on the Savannah.

PH: How did you actually get involved in the show in the first place?

GF: So this is my second time in the role of Lion. I had done the previous tour last year that was in China and we had another week in Thailand and that was very different and very interesting because the show was captioned. And obviously it’s not as well known as it is in the UK. But plenty of people did know the book and it was really cool to do that and see parts of China. That was very surreal.

PH: Do you notice a different audience reaction in the various countries?

GF: I would say so, only just because with caption performances, you do have that bit more of time and space between a joke. You’re like, gosh, I hope this lands and then three seconds later you might get a laugh. But again, I think it’s just such a beloved book in in the UK and people have really gone logo for it.

PH: What do you think the fundamental differences are when you’re putting together a show aimed at toddlers rather than older people?

GF: For me, I think it’s just about really making sure that the story is told. You have to put that much more effort in when you’re doing theatre for younger audiences to make sure that you’re understood, to make sure that they know who you are, where you’re going, and to really, you know, relate to the emotions and the journey that Mouse goes on in the show. I think with this show that’s quite easy because the the script is just so well written and we’ve got like a really great team, a creative team that also prioritises that and that really makes my job much easier.

PH: You’ve done The Lion Inside before. Have you been involved in any other productions, Gabrielle?

GF: Not with Nicoll Entertainment. This is my first role with them, although I did do the show Gabby’s Dollhouse Live, which is another children’s show and based on the Netflix show. And that’s also got a lot of puppeteering in it. We toured around the UK earlier this year. That was a lot of fun.

PH: So is puppetry part of your scene?

GF: It is now. I think I’ve always loved children’s puppetry shows from growing up with The Muppets. I think I’ve just kind of stumbled into puppetry, but I I have a lot of love and passion for the craft. And I’m very lucky to have been tutored by such wonderful people. I think puppeteers are kind of the wackiest, kindest people I’ve ever met.

PH: How old were you when performance became important and how did that develop?

GF: Oh, gosh, I mean, my mom had put me in dance classes when I was 2 years old, so I’ve kind of been doing this my whole life. Yeah, I did more music when I was younger. I was even a jazz singer for a bit when I was a teenager. And I studied music quite a lot. And it wasn’t until I got to college and I did my undergrad at Cornish College of the Arts that I focused more on music training and specifically theatre training. And that set me up to come over here and I trained at the Royal Academy of Music for a year. And that was wonderful and amazing and it gave me quite a lot of opportunities to do the work that I’m doing today. .

PH: What aspect of performance do you enjoy most? What is the one thing that gives you more, a bigger kick than anything else?

GF: That is such a good question. I think for me it’s just the feeling that you’re reaching out to someone, somewhere. I think some of the best writing moves people to action, whether that’s to change parts of their lives or to view parts of their lives that maybe they hadn’t before. And children’s theatre is quite good at that because there is always a moral or a lesson at the end of it. And I think that is sort of the importance of not only theatre, but just art in general, that we’re impacting people’s lives in some way, whether that’s big or small. Just that I think that theatre has the ability to impact people’s lives, whether that’s in a big way or a small way. And I love knowing that what I do, even if it’s being a silly lion on stage, can still provide that for somebody. .

PH: Do you do you have much of a life outside theatre?

GF: I try to, I really do. I think most of the time if I’m not in a show, I’m doing something that involves theatre, whether that’s front of housework or what have you. Just the times we’re living in, I’m always doing a job concurrent with the job that I have right now. But I’ve been very lucky to work pretty consistently after graduation. So I haven’t had to do much barista jobbing, but I do know how to make a latte.

PH: We’ve all been there. Where is home for you at the moment?

GF: I live in London. I’ve lived here for about 5 years now. My parents are still back in America, they live in Connecticut at the moment. I’ve kind of enjoyed staying here. A lot of the professional connections and friends I’ve made all live in London now, so it’s kept me here. Don’t know for how long, but I have enjoyed living in London this whole time. .

PH: So you’re visiting Southampton with The Lion Inside at the end of August. Have you been to Southampton before?

GF: No, I haven’t. I’ve seen quite a lot of the UK, but Southampton has escaped me. I’m definitely feeling a need to escape London at the moment. It’s just so busy and hot, I guess.

PH: And as you move forward, what are you looking to do next?

GF: Well, panto season is coming up and I would love to put myself in a panto because those are always quite fun. I do love children’s theatre, but I don’t know if it’s something that I will want to do primarily. One of my old teachers used to call it eating the world, and I think I relate to that. I kind of want to do a bit of everything, whether that’s theatre or directing or film and television. All of that really ignites me. And I’m trying to currently run a theatre company with my friend, so we’re trying to put that up as well. So a little bit of everything, I think.

PH: And finally, Gabrielle, with The Lion Inside, what message can you deliver to parents to encourage them to bring their youngsters along to see the show?

GF: I would say with The Lion Inside it’s message is something that everyone can relate to because being scared and overcoming obstacles, I think is something that we face more so in our our adult lives maybe than children. But having those kinds of conversations with your family and with your kids about confronting those big emotions and big feelings is wonderful and important. But also, the show is just a lot of fun. And of course we focus on that, but it’s so goofy and silly and the songs are scarily catchy and I think they will have a great time.

PH: I guess you’ve got a performance this morning.

GF: Yes. We’ve got 2 today, 10:30 and then at 1:30.

PH: Well, I’d better let you go Gabrielle. Really appreciate the time you spent with us this morning. Thank you so much.