I trained as a singer and actor, and currently teach singing as a specialist teacher at primary scho...
I trained as a singer and actor, and currently teach singing as a specialist teacher at primary school level, as well as for Stagecoach Theatre Arts. I'm also doing up a flat that I bought with my Fiancee in March and pontificating at my leisure...
Member since:17.02.2003
Reviews:35
Members who trust:11
It's the circle of life. It's the wheel of fortune. From a little cartoon, a stage show grows. It fends for itself in the wild until it has established its own feeing ground. It thrives until it gets eaten by another, even bigger, more glitzy musical...
Well, perhaps I'm taking the analogy a little far.
As I'm sure anyone who reads this will know, The Lion King is the Disney Cartoon turned into a musical. One of Disney's more heartfelt stories, it is probably the most effective stage musical transformation ever seen.
This is mostly due to the ideas of Julie Taymor who deisgned the very open masks and costumes for the show, and ensured that it had a strong african influence. This is a total contrast to the traditional diney approach of pretty masks which obscure the actor and which remain fairly expressionless.
Elements of the show are truly spectacular - especially the watering hole where all the animals gather. Elephants walk down the aisles, birds fly from all levels of the theatre, gazelles and such run onto the stage.
The show is very heartfelt and is one of the rare disney cartoons where characters actually die during the course of the action.
-------- Story --------
You don't know the story?
Simba,
young lion and heir to the throne is finding his place in the world. His Uncle Scar has ambitions of royalty however. He tricks Simba (and his childhood companion Naala) into investigating the Elephant's graveyard where the Hyenas live. He ands Naala escape the trap thanks to some help from Dad and from Zazu their guardian.
A second plan is hatched by Scar however and he invites Simba to meet him to watch the Wildebeeste migration. This is a trap and Simba ends up trapped, directly in the path of the wildebeeste. His father tries to rescue him, but Scar ensures that he falls into the stampede and is killed. Simba is saved, but Scar soon plants in Simba's mind that the death of his father is his fault. Simba runs away.
Simba grows up and befriends a Meercat and Warthog. In the meantime, his tribe are starving to death as Scar has ordered them to overhunt the plains to help feed his Hyena friends. Naala finds out about Scar's trick and sets out to find Simba and persuade him to come back. She does, they fall in love, and Simba and his pals save the day. Order is restored and the CIrcle of Life is properly ordered again with killing only for the neccessity of food.
--------- The Show ---------
As mentioned, it is visually spectacular. The singing on the two occasions I have seen it has been strong. It does rely on having good performers both for the child Simba and Naala and the adult incarnations. Scar has been pleasingly vicious, if a bit understated, and Mufasa has been strong and powerful. The Hyenas make a marvellous comic turn, and Pumbaa and Timon are equally effective. I did find it hard to like Rafiki the soothsaying monkey, but I think that was down to personal taste.
The staging is very effective with cast not only playing animals but parts of the scenery too - the grass is very effective!!. The stampede didn;t work too well, and really you need to have seats in the centre section of the stalls and circle for it to work. Equally the death fall of Mufasa was a bit poor (as was that of Scar) - it could have used a bit more realism and a bit less Disney "don't worry children he's not really hurt". This is one of the areas where you remember that this show was developed for the American cutesy-poo Market rather than us Brits.
------- Tickets -------
Tickets can be tricky to get, and very difficult to pick up spontaneously. However it is easy to get good seats with a weeks notice - unless you want matinee seats or a Saturday night.
Cost wise, the tickets are at the most expensve west end level, but really are very good value for money. I have seen in a number of reviews people moaning about the cost.
You really should bear in mind however that at £40 (shortly to be £42.50), top price tickets are a considerable way off the Broadway top price of $120 - approximately £80. The Lion King is one of the few musicals that never ends up at the Half Price Ticket booth.
It is well worth saving up and paying more to get good seats. If you can, get aisle seats in the front stalls - it is worth it to see the expressions of wonderment as the massive elephants move past.
------------- Getting There -------------
The Lion King is at the Lyceum theatre which is rather well placed for transport. By train, you can enjoy a rather pleasant walk over Waterloo Bridge, cross over the road and walk right a little and you are there.
There is a ticket bundle available too with Le Café du Jardin. It is, however, much cheaper to book directly with Le Café du Jardin after purchasing your tickets rather than using these ticket agency bundle ideas. I took my in-laws and fiancé. We had 3rd row seats at £40 per time (no booking fee as I got them direct from the theatre), and a meal for 5 of us including a glass of wine each came to approximately £110. This is a total of £310 versus the bundle charge which would have been £375. We could have saved money on this too if we chose by having the 2 or 3 course set menu.
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Mar 3rd, 2003
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