 A few of Grand Rapids smallest actors are taking audiences to the Pride Lands this weekend. Lakeland news reporter Cheryl Moore has a preview of The Lion King Jr. for This Weeks in Focus. Grab some grub and be prepared to sing along because The Lion King Jr. has made its way to the Rife Center in Grand Rapids. It's a junior version, so it's a shorter version. It's a one hour version of the show, so there's not all the songs, but there's a good number. You'll recognize all the songs. Doing this for about probably three months in the ensemble, it's a little different than the main characters. It's a lot more singing and dancing. It's not like as much facial expression, but it's a lot of work getting all the songs right and all the dance moves as a group. The show is being produced by the Grand Rapids players in collaboration with the Rife Center. There's more than 50 kids a part of the production, playing iconic roles that most will recognize. My favorite part is sincerely when we tried to plan to kill Mufasa. I like the circle of life, and I also like doing be prepared when we go out in the audience. Many of the kids were also working behind the scenes, coming up with ideas to make the show something they could be proud of. We had an idea that the Pride Rock should be Skars Cave as well, but just turn it around. Yeah, it's really been fun going and just showing our creative side. After months of practice, the show is finally opening to the public this weekend. The kids say they're excited to show off their skills. We've definitely improved, that's for sure. We've come a long way, but it's been a lot of fun though. Every other production that we ever see, we have peaks and valleys as we're going. And we're right at that point where we need that audience, and it's so exciting to see those kids gel together and really kick it. Reporting in Grand Rapids with This Week's In Focus, Traum Run, Lakeland News. The Lion King Jr. will run through the weekend at the Rife Center. The Grand Rapids players also have a production of Beauty and the Beast that will debut next month. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.