by Lia Chang/ wp.me “I have the best job in the world!” says Thom Sesma, who is currently starring as the deliciously evil Scar in Disney’s The LION KING Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay. I caught Thom’s thrilling turn as Scar last year and he is perfectly suited to the villainous role. I was struck by Thom’s resemblance to a Samurai, no doubt a nod to Taymor’s vast body of work with Asian theatrical art forms. It takes a village to transform Thom, who has starred on Broadway in The Times They Are A-Changin’, The Man of La Mancha and La Cage Aux Folles. Disney’s THE LION KING celebrated its first anniversary on the Las Vegas Strip at Mandalay Bay on Saturday, May 15, 2010, and this production is Thom’s LION KING debut. More than 500000 people have seen the world-renowned show in its debut year. Within nine weeks of its Las Vegas opening, Disney’s THE LION KING broke the Mandalay Bay box office record previously held by MAMMA MIA! and then went on to break its own record four more times throughout the year. Las Vegas Magazine said THE LION KING “… transcends cultural boundaries and the limits of the imagination,” while CityLife called it “…flat-out brilliant.” THE LION KING also was recently named the city’s “Best Show” by the staff of the Las Vegas Review-Journal in its annual “Best of Las Vegas” awards. I had a backstage pass to document Thom’s remarkable transformation for my newly created Lia Chang Asian Pacific American Theater Photography Portfolio for the Library of …