Hi I'm Gawain, A 26-year old self-employed Systems developer. I am also a UK Black Belt mixed martia...
Hi I'm Gawain, A 26-year old self-employed Systems developer. I am also a UK Black Belt mixed martial arts teacher for beginner and advanced Children/Adults, and I am the creator of the ArsenalCommunity.co.uk fansite.
Member since:22.01.2004
Reviews:2
Members who trust:1
Having been very lucky - I received a ticket to see The Lion King as a surprise Christmas Present a couple of years back.
Although it wasn't my favourite Disney title (when will they bring a Toy Story musical to Broadway?) I must admit to being pretty excited to see this, as I hadn't been to the theatre in quite sometime.
Having ditched the car for the night, we (My girlfriend & myself) decided to embrace public transport *gasp* - For those of you who don't know, most of London's stage shows are set in and around the Covent Garden area and are served excellently by the tube & buses. The journey in itself was uneventful which came as a welcome surprise, and the Theatre was within 2 minutes walking distance from the station.
One of the excellent things about Covent Garden is the free street entertainment which at times is very, well, entertaining!
As we'd arrived with plenty of time before the doors opened, we did as any young couple would be advised to do when killing time in London - headed to the nearest pub. However, our leisurely stroll turned to a mad dash as the heavens opened and proceeded to drench us. Nice.
After spending a short(ish) time drying out with the amber nectar for company - we headed to the show, and the night really began.....
Just prior to taking our seats was the first point at which I'd been made aware that we were seated in the very front row - right on top of the orchestra stands, and conveniently right beside the aisle also - undoubtedly the best seats in the house, but they were soon to get even better.
The curtains opened and the show began - commencing with an array of stunningly colourful animals making their way onto the stage via the aisles we were sitting right beside, they formed regimentally on the stage and we knew we were in for a treat.
The music, despite being deafening, added suitably to the opening atmosphere. This was continued throughout with an excellent variation on the original motion picture "score" whilst keeping the African-style theme at the forefront of each track. The singing was without fault and at times made the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. I duly ensured the soundtrack was added to my shopping list the following day (and even today remains in my car for those stressful jams).
The acting was also remarkable. The actors (& actresses) didn't just rein act the characters, but fully brought them to life and made the parts their own - With exception to the boy playing young Simba who occasionally looked to be 'going through the motions', however that was my only criticism of the entire show and on the whole even he was also very good. Emphasis must be given to the actors playing the parts of 'Scar' & 'Rafiki' who were both exceptional!
The stage, settings & costumes were fabulous - there was so much colour and "wow" factor. There were some rather original and also some exceptional methods of recreating some of the visual effects used in the original animation.
I thought the show was simply breathtaking and I wouldn't for a second contemplate visiting for a 2nd time. You'd be hard pressed to find a better surprise gift for that someone special in your life, or anyone who deserves a real treat. I personally believe this show can't help but appeal to both sexes both young and old, even the youngsters will find the show more than enough to hold their interest.
Do yourself a favour and catch this spectacular show before the curtains close for the last time, you won't be disappointed. And if you're lucky enough to get front row or aisles seats - watch out for those cheeky Hyenas ;o)
FYI: Our ticket prices were (I'm told) £32.50
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Great review - Ive not seen this show before - i definitely will now
china_wolf 17.09.2004 11:51
right you are! -Win
Critchyboy 17.09.2004 10:52
Saw this a couple of years ago and thought the opening was totally superb...and then got bored for the rest of it... I thought the show showed all it's tricks in the first 10 minutes and failed to sustain the excitement of seeing all those animals... Would have prefered the opening at the end so that I'd leave the theatre remembering that instead of thinking the whole show failed to live up to the excellent opening 10 minutes. Great review though! C : )
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Advantages: Stunning, ingenious costumes and visuals, classic musical numbers well-performed. Disadvantages: New songs and scenes are noticeably weaker.
Sep 17th, 2004
very helpful by (100%):
