Disney's THE LION KING, Hit Stage Show Musical.
What's It All About?
Extremely quick run down of the plot...Simba is a lion cub and heir to the 'throne' of Pride Rock. His evil Uncle Scar wants to become King, so hatches a plot to kill Mufusa (Simba's fathers) and frame Simba as the murderer - causing him to exile Pride Rock and live the life of a vagabond Lion in the jungle where he meets the infamous duo, Timon and Pumbaa, who teach him about the simplicities of Life and where Simba learns to face up to his past. As he grows into a young lion, and with help from certain friends, he decides to return and face his past. The plot is basically the same as the Disney animation, except more attention has been paid to Simba's inner struggle, life journey and coming to terms of what he has (supposedly) done to his family.
The Circle Of Life
How Does It Look?
Visually, this show is OUTSTANDING! The colours and shapes on stage will blow your mind, even if the nothing else interests you. Before I saw this show for the first time, I thought, how the blinky blonky are they going to create such scenes as 'the stampede' and even the 'Circle of Life'... In my humble opinion, THE LION KING has THE best opening sequence I have ever seen on any stage, in any theatre. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but I would recommend trying to get seats in the stalls for this, AND DO NOT BE LATE! The puppetry awaiting you, is phenomenal! I was truly moved and humbled by the imagination and vision of the show's creators! Anyhoo...enough of the pretentious transcendental guff...
Baby Simba Is Presented On Pride Rock
How The Lion King Got To Broadway
LION KING, THE: PRIDE ROCK ON BROADWAY
Amazon Price: $26.40 (as of 12/09/2009)
This book is a fascinating look at how the show got to Broadway. Full of amazing photos and behind-the-scenes information.
But, Is The Story Any Good?
People have said that the plot isn't up to much, but don't let the (perhaps) lacking plot ruin the show for you. The stage show does delve more into Simba's 'internal struggle' and his 'journey' as he faces up to his past, considerably more than the film ever did, but Hamlet, this isn't! The plot is simple, so accessable to all, especially for children. There is comedy from the unlikely duo Pumbaa and Timon (who are a warthog and meerkat respectively) and tragedy also.
Young Simba and Uncle Scar
What Are The Costumes Like?
The Costumes and Puppetry were breathtakingly beautiful. They have taken elements from various cultures and theatrical devices, including huge life size puppets, mechanical cog/cam mechanisms, shadow puppets and Japanese bunraku puppets - don't you know! There are moments when the audience is fully involved with the puppetry/action on stage, as 'elements' (gosh, this is so hard trying not to give anything away) come out to the audience. Some actors also have beautifully carved headpieces that can be raised and lowered, aiding the impression that they are cats (you'll see what I mean when you see it, the picture above of Uncle Scar and Young Simba reflects this). Not only are the costumes beautiful but in some cases, the actors help make up the set too. As well as puppetry, we see acrobatics, awesome african and tribal dances, good acting and singing...the list goes on. Listen To The Music
The Lion King (1997 Original Broadway Cast)
Amazon Price: $13.99 (as of 12/09/2009)
This is the soundtrack to the show. I recommend it 100%
What Is The Music Like?
For those of you that aren't familiar with The Lion King, the stage musical has some new songs added in (including music from the sequel animation film, THE LION KING 2), aswell as songs using the instrumental score of the original film, with added lyrics.
The songs are (in order):
1) Circle of Life
2) Grasslands Chant
3) Morning Report
4) Lioness Hunt
5) I Just Can't Wait to Be King
6) Chow Down
7) They Live in You
8) Be Prepared
9) Stampede
10) Rafiki Mourns
11) Hakuna Matata
12) One by One
13) Madness of King Scar
14) Shadowland
15) Lion Sleeps Tonight
16) Endless Night
17) Can You Feel the Love Tonight?
18) He Lives in You (Reprise)
19) Simba Confronts Scar [Instrumental]
20) King of Pride Rock/Circle of Life (Reprise)
Something I especially love about the stage show, is that it stays true to it's African origins. Rafiki (this version, unlike the film, is played by a woman, as an 'earth mother' figure) sometimes talks in African dialect that uses 'clicks' - I saw a documentary where one the actresses who played Rafiki, said it took her almost 1 month to learn 10 lines!!! The african chants, as orchestrated by Lebo M, sound beautiful and evoke a sense of the African landscape. You can see some of the musicians too in the boxes, with their huge African instuments. I know a few schools who have taken their children to see this show to introduce them to other cultures.
Play The Music Yourself
The Lion King - Broadway Selections
Amazon Price: $14.96 (as of 12/09/2009)
This is the piano and vocal selections, to perform the numbers yourself. Perfect for the budding Broadway star.
Who Would The Show Appeal To?
In my experience, the audience was made up of a mixture of children and adults. However, I have seen this show about 7 times now, and on the evening shows, the majority is adults, but the matinees are quite kiddie heavy - as one would expect really. I'm 100% confident that all ages can get something out of this show. To Sum Up:
Thanks for reading :)
© MarcoG 2008
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The Lion King on eBay
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Simba in the Animated Film:
Please paws (haha) here and show me some love :)
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- vanidiana vanidiana Feb 26, 2009 @ 10:05 pm
- I think I'd watch the cartoon instead :). But, nice lens & very informative!
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- elliespark elliespark Jan 9, 2009 @ 8:18 pm
- I absolutely LOVE the Lion King songs - all the Disney songs!!
Exquisite and clear, clean photos and lots of information!! GREAT Lens ;]
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- anthropos anthropos Jan 5, 2009 @ 10:52 pm
- Great job on this lens. 5*'s from me.
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- d-artist d-artist Nov 26, 2008 @ 6:03 pm
- we went to Chicago to see the play "Lion King" it was spectacular! immense talent with so much beauty...we sat close to the front, and the next time want to see it from a balcony....5*
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- AslanBooks AslanBooks Oct 22, 2008 @ 6:34 pm
- Very nice...beautiful pics.
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- Aaron_Howard Aaron_Howard Oct 21, 2008 @ 12:24 pm
- Nicely done - I love your careful placement of 1 Amazon item - doesn't overwhelm individuals looking to buy. Feeds into your lens just right!
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- Angelina_Howard Angelina_Howard Oct 20, 2008 @ 2:04 pm
- This lens is a work of art. Phenomenal job!! 5*.
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- Portable_eBay Portable_eBay Oct 19, 2008 @ 3:45 am
- Wish I could see this show...
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- dc64 dc64 Oct 18, 2008 @ 1:56 pm
- This looks amazing! You've put this all together so well, I really want to see the show.
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- susannaduffy susannaduffy Oct 17, 2008 @ 7:21 am
- Yes it's a wonderful show - please keep up these theatrical offerings
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- pmolinero pmolinero Oct 17, 2008 @ 7:12 am
- A very nice lens and very well presented.
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- dandepp dandepp Oct 17, 2008 @ 6:05 am
- The lion king was a great movie - I may have to take one of my girl friends to see the musical! ;o)
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- lakeerieartists lakeerieartists Oct 16, 2008 @ 6:53 pm
- Great lens! Incredible show!
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- bobzbazzar bobzbazzar Oct 16, 2008 @ 9:46 am
- Very colorful and well set out I like it
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- Stazjia Stazjia Oct 16, 2008 @ 4:45 am
- Wonderful lens with beautiful pictures. Without a doubt, 5*.
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- The_Homeopath The_Homeopath Oct 15, 2008 @ 11:39 pm
- I haven't had the pleasure of seeing this on stage yet, but it's on my list!
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- saraht43 saraht43 Oct 15, 2008 @ 11:12 pm
- Great lens. Love the pictures and presentation.
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- ArtByLinda ArtByLinda Oct 15, 2008 @ 11:05 pm
- Great lens, I love the Lion King!
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- daria369 daria369 Oct 15, 2008 @ 10:47 pm
- That's the only show I've seen on Broadway and enjoyed every moment of it! Great lens, thank you for bringing up some beautiful memories... :)
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- BFuniv.com BFuniv.com Oct 15, 2008 @ 4:41 pm
- Someday ...
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