美国国家公共电台 NPR Not My Job: We Ask The Choreographer Of 'The Lion King' About Lying Kings

Not My Job: We Ask The Choreographer² Of 'The Lion King' About Lying Kings

play pause stop mute unmute max volume 00:0010:08repeat repeat off Update Required To play the media you will need to either update your browser³ to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. PETER SAGAL, HOST: 

And now the game where we like to celebrate someone's lifetime of achievement by asking them to achieve just one more thing. When acclaimed⁴ choreographer Garth Fagan was growing up in Jamaica, he dreamed of a far off place where he could pursue his art and create his company and teach dance to others. And 40 years ago, he first found that paradise when he came to Rochester, N.Y.

(APPLAUSE)

SAGAL: The founder⁵ of the Garth Fagan Dance Company and the choreographer of the Broadway smash "The Lion King" joins us now.

Garth Fagan, welcome to WAIT WAIT... DON'T TELL ME.

(APPLAUSE)

SAGAL: So do I have that right? Growing up in Jamaica, you dreamed of the hills of Rochester?

GARTH FAGAN: No.

(LAUGHTER)

FAGAN: I was on my way to New York City. And...

SAGAL: Yeah. Overshot it a bit (unintelligible).

FAGAN: Yeah. And I fell in love with the city, especially in the springtime.

SAGAL: Yes.

FAGAN: It is not to be believed.

AMY DICKINSON: Beautiful.

(APPLAUSE)

FAGAN: And one eensy-teensy (ph) correction, it was 46 years ago.

SAGAL: Excuse me. So we were reading that you were growing up in Jamaica. Did you know that you were interested in dance? Were you one of those young men who knew that he wanted to dance from an early age?

FAGAN: Yeah. I'd danced with Ivy⁶ Baxter, national company in Jamaica.

SAGAL: Yeah.

FAGAN: And they traveled around the world, wore beautiful clothes, drove fancy cars. And shallow, shallow empty reasons - I was thrilled to do it.

SAGAL: Really?

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: So you weren't interested in dance because of the aesthetic⁷ pleasures of beauty?

FAGAN: No, no, no, no.

SAGAL: You wanted to live that legendary⁸, fast-living, international dancer lifestyle.

FAGAN: Hallelujah.

SAGAL: Yeah.

ADAM FELBER: Right?

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: Did that ultimately work out for you? Did you live a life of luxury and ease?

FAGAN: Oh, luxury, yes. Ease - never when you choreograph¹ human beings.

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: Oh, that's the problem. We were reading that your father was not happy with your choice of a career. Is that the case?

FAGAN: Absolutely not. He's a Oxford⁹ man, Oxford graduate. But he wanted me to be a doctor like him and - you know, something more respectable than dancing. But I have 11 or 12 honorary doctorates¹⁰. So Daddy, I'm doctor, doctor, doctor, doctor.

(APPLAUSE)

SAGAL: Was his attitude, well, that's fine for a hobby, but how are you going to make a living?

(LAUGHTER)

FAGAN: Yes. And in fairness to him, in '73, I didn't know why I was driven to take the company to Jamaica.

SAGAL: Yeah.

FAGAN: And I charged airline tickets and a hotel on his American Express card (laughter).

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: Now wait a minute, this is great. He, who didn't want you to be a dancer, paid for your tour to Jamaica?

FAGAN: Right.

SAGAL: And what did he say when he got that bill?

FAGAN: Well, when he came to the show, he came backstage. And he was sweetness and light - my son, the choreographer. And the dancers said, you said he was so mean - what a lovely man.

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: Aw...

FAGAN: (Laughter) You know, and my brothers and sisters are looking at him, like, we don't know this guy.

(LAUGHTER)

FAGAN: But when I told him, I said, Dad, I have to tell you something. I charged this trip on your account. And I'll pay it back to you in four or five installments¹¹. And that beloved man said you don't owe me a dime¹².

DICKINSON AND POUNDSTONE: (In unison) Aw, wow.

DICKINSON: What a story, wow.

FAGAN: Just beautiful.

DICKINSON AND POUNDSTONE: (In unison) Yeah.

PAULA POUNDSTONE: Boy, I feel like a sucky parent now.

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: So Garth, let's talk about "The Lion King." This is the smash Broadway show running for 20 years now. You choreographed¹³ these amazing sequences with dancers and puppets of animals that they're performing. How in the world did you figure out how, for example, a giraffe should dance?

(LAUGHTER)

FAGAN: Well, happily, when I did "Lion King," I'd been to Africa seven times before.

SAGAL: Yeah.

FAGAN: And I'd been on safaris¹⁴. So I had a really good idea of how they should move. The only problem is, they don't have to do eight shows a week.

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: The giraffe - the actual giraffe?

(LAUGHTER)

FAGAN: Right.

SAGAL: Yeah.

FAGAN: And my dancers had to do eight shows a week. So I had to keep that in mind that it should look like the animal, but there's a human being in there...

SAGAL: Right.

FAGAN: ...Who has muscles that ache and bones that get fractured. And, you know...

FELBER: Jeez...

FAGAN: Yeah. And wives and husbands and lovers and mistresses that go A-W-O-L, you know.

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: You have to be - you have to keep the mistresses in mind.

FAGAN: Oh, absolutely, absolutely.

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: I...

FELBER: You know, I have a friend who've toured with your show, "The Lion King," for many years. And he said that the various dancers and actors in the show develop injuries or pains that are specific to their character. Like, he said, you know, like a Pumba will run into another Pumba on the road and go like...

FAGAN: (Laughter).

FELBER: ...Oh, yeah, what are you doing for that - the small of your back and your left shoulder?

POUNDSTONE: You know, it's a little known fact that gazelles on the Serengeti got together at one point and said to their parents, look, we got seven safaris a week.

(LAUGHTER)

POUNDSTONE: You know, what do you say we use four legs and walk a shorter distance?

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: Well, Garth Fagan, what a pleasure to meet you and talk to you. We have asked you here today to play a game that this time we're calling...

BILL KURTIS: "Lion King" Meet The Lying King.

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: So as we discussed, you helped create "The Lion King," which made us wonder, what would you know about the kings of lying? - that is, really deceitful people. Answer three questions about people who were royally dishonest, and you'll win our prize for one of our listeners, Carl Kasell's voice on their voicemail.

Bill, who is choreographer Garth Fagan playing for?

KURTIS: Audrey Middleton of Rochester, N.Y.

(APPLAUSE)

SAGAL: There you go. You ready to do this?

FAGAN: Yes, sir.

SAGAL: All right, here's your first question. In 2014, French authorities launched a month-long investigation¹⁵ into a kidnapping that was based on a lie. Which of these was it? A, a woman was embarrassed her friends spotted¹⁶ her on a date with a dorky guy, so she said he had kidnapped her; B, a young boy who made up a kidnapping just to get out of going to the dentist; or C, a couple who wanted to visit Paris but couldn't afford the fare so they said they were kidnapped so the police would take them, quote, "home?"

(LAUGHTER)

FAGAN: I think it was the couple who wanted to get kidnapped thrown out of court go to (imitating French accent) Paris.

SAGAL: You know, Paris is worth it. But, in fact, it was the young boy. He really didn't want to go to the dentist. They found him hiding. They said - what? - he said, oh, I was kidnapped. That's why I'm not at the dentist. It took them a month to figure that out.

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: You still have two more chances...

FAGAN: I understand that young man (laughter).

SAGAL: Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: Here's your next question. Every year, England holds the world's biggest liar¹⁷ festival for when people from around the globe are given five minutes to tell the most convincing lie they can. There's only one rule - what? A, the contestants¹⁸ are required to tell the lies while looking into the eyes of their disapproving¹⁹ mothers...

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: ...B, politicians and lawyers are not allowed to enter the competition...

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: ...Because they're, quote, "too skilled at telling lies"; or C, the lies have to be told while the contestants' pants are literally²⁰ on fire?

(LAUGHTER)

FAGAN: B, B.

SAGAL: It is, in fact, B.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL, APPLAUSE)

FAGAN: Yay.

SAGAL: Last question, lies have played an important role in American history, such as, well, in which of these cases? A, in 1860, a lobbyist made up the word Idaho, said it was a Native American word and named a state after it; B, in 1884, the Republican Party created a completely fictional²¹ presidential candidate with the unlikely name of Grover Cleveland...

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: ...Or C, democracy itself is a lie. Am I right sheeple (ph)?

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: A, A, A, A.

FAGAN: My colleagues in the audience insist that it is the first letter of the alphabet, A.

SAGAL: It is, in fact, A.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL, APPLAUSE)

FAGAN: Yay, wow.

SAGAL: Idaho is not a real Native American word. But it sure sounds like one, doesn't it? It was made up by a lobbyist. Bill, how did Garth Fagan do on our quiz?

KURTIS: It's the circle of life, 2 out of 3 - win.

FAGAN AND SAGAL: Yay.

SAGAL: Garth Fagan is a Tony Award-winning choreographer. You can find more information about his dance company at garthfagandance.org. Garth Fagan, thank you so much...

(APPLAUSE)

FAGAN: Thank you, Peter. Thank you.

SAGAL: ...For joining us on WAIT WAIT... DON'T TELL ME (unintelligible).

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "CIRCLE OF LIFE")

LEBO M: (Singing in Zulu).

SAGAL: In just a minute, Bill reveals his smooth, silky legs in our Listener Limerick Challenge game. Call 1-888-WAIT-WAIT to join us on the air. We will be back in a minute with more of WAIT WAIT... DON'T TELL ME, from NPR.

1 choreograph   

v.设计舞蹈动作

参考例句：

• Achim had choreographed the dance in Act II himself.阿希姆自己设计了第2幕的舞蹈动作。
• She has danced,choreographed,lectured and taught all over the world.她在世界各地跳过舞、编过舞、讲过学、也教过书。

2 choreographer   

n.编舞者

参考例句：

• She is a leading professional belly dancer, choreographer, and teacher. 她既是杰出的专业肚皮舞演员，也是舞蹈设计者和老师。 来自辞典例句
• It'stands aside, my choreographer of grace, and blesses each finger and toe. 它站在一旁，我优雅的舞蹈指导，并祝福每个指尖与脚尖。 来自互联网

3 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

4 acclaimed   

adj.受人欢迎的

参考例句：

• They acclaimed him as the best writer of the year. 他们称赞他为当年的最佳作者。
• Confuscius is acclaimed as a great thinker. 孔子被赞誉为伟大的思想家。

5 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

6 ivy   

n.常青藤，常春藤

参考例句：

• Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。
• The wall is covered all over with ivy.墙上爬满了常春藤。

7 aesthetic   

adj.美学的，审美的，有美感

参考例句：

• My aesthetic standards are quite different from his.我的审美标准与他的大不相同。
• The professor advanced a new aesthetic theory.那位教授提出了新的美学理论。

8 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

9 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

10 doctorates   

n.博士学位( doctorate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nearly 1,000 specialized personnel with doctorates have settled in Shenzhen. 现已引进博士学位的专门人才近千名。 来自互联网
• John played the field academically, obtaining doctorates from several universities. 约翰的学术广博，他从几所大学拿到了博士学位。 来自互联网

11 installments   

部分( installment的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The first two installments were pretty close together in 1980. 第一次和节二次提款隔得很近，都是在1980年提的。
• You have an installments sales contract. 你已经订立了一份分期付款的买卖契约了。

12 dime   

n.（指美国、加拿大的钱币）一角

参考例句：

• A dime is a tenth of a dollar.一角银币是十分之一美元。
• The liberty torch is on the back of the dime.自由火炬在一角硬币的反面。

13 choreographed   

v.设计舞蹈动作( choreograph的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• There was some carefully choreographed flag-waving as the President drove by. 总统的车经过时，人们按精心编排的动作挥舞着旗帜。
• Achim had choreographed the dance in Act II himself. 阿希姆自己设计了第2幕的舞蹈动作。 来自辞典例句

14 safaris   

n.游猎，陆路旅行（尤指在东非或中非）( safari的名词复数 )；类似游猎的假日旅行

参考例句：

• I've had too many safaris with rich dentists to listen to any more suicidal ideas. 我已经带过太多有钱牙科医生的狩猎队，我不能再听取任何自杀性建议了。 来自电影对白
• Camel diving safaris are a popular attraction in South Sinai. 骆驼的潜水之旅是南西奈一个受欢迎的景观。 来自互联网

15 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

16 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

17 liar   

n.说谎的人

参考例句：

• I know you for a thief and a liar!我算认识你了，一个又偷又骗的家伙！
• She was wrongly labelled a liar.她被错误地扣上说谎者的帽子。

18 contestants   

n.竞争者，参赛者( contestant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The competition attracted over 500 contestants representing 8 different countries. 这次比赛吸引了代表8个不同国家的500多名参赛者。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency. 两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 disapproving   

adj.不满的，反对的v.不赞成( disapprove的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Mother gave me a disapproving look. 母亲的眼神告诉我她是不赞成的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Her father threw a disapproving glance at her. 她父亲不满地瞥了她一眼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

21 fictional   

adj.小说的，虚构的

参考例句：

• The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
• The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。