Even after 12 years, "The Lion King" remains a timeless marriage of entertainment and artistic genius.
When the Tony-winning musical "The Lion King" first opened in New York in 1997, a collective sigh of astonishment swept through the Great White Way. It was like nothing Broadway had ever seen.
Director/designer Julie Taymor, became the first woman ever to win the coveted 1998 Tony Award for best director of a musical. Plus, the show won five additional Tonys, including one for best musical.
"The Lion King" is making its second stop at the Paramount Theatre. The touring version of the Broadway show may be a tad less technically breathtaking than its Broadway counterpart, but for sheer spectacle in the theater, no show has ever come close.
Millions of folks know the story, something akin to "Hamlet" meets "The Jungle Book." Like the 1994 animated film of "The Lion King," the stage musical tells the tale of a lion cub named Simba, destined to be king--much to the fury of his sinister Uncle Scar. But as the only son of King Mufasa of the Pridelands, Simba faces a journey laden with deceit, self-discovery, peril, true love and ultimately, redemption.
From the moment the burning red African sun rises above the stage, the theatrical magic begins. The opening number, "Circle of Life" engages your heart and holds it spellbound. As Rafiki's (Phindile Mkhize) glorious voice soars through the theater, this Shaman baboon honors the balance of nature on the African savannah. And as the animals respond to her summons, some journey down the theater side-aisles while others enter onstage.
If you're lucky enough to score an aisle seat, you'll have a close-up view of the procession. A lumbering elephant passes by with an actor inside each of its legs, followed by cheetahs operated by puppeteers. A rhino whizzes by, its horns navigating the way, while birds on sticks are swirled in flight by actors. Onstage, a mini-herd of wildebeests joins the throng, as does a herd of antelopes attached to the arms of dancers, leaping zebras--half puppet/half human--and towering giraffes, actually created by actors balanced on four stilts.
These part human/part animal/part puppeteers make their way onstage to Pride Rock, the revolving promontory where Mufasa (Dionne Randolph), the Lion King, and his mate, are introducing their baby cub Simba to the animal kingdom. All this unfolds under the watchful eyes of Zazu, the King's major domo, an audacious dodo bird with all the answers. Like the other birds, he's suspended on a stick while his agile human handler (Tony Freeman) makes him move, fly and speak--even itch himself with his beak.
Richard Hudson's jungle set evokes a pop-up children's book. Geysers and plants spring up from the stage. Flower boxes scoot across the floor. Green patches of swaying grasses double as headpieces, worn by women in swirling diaphanous skirts. And hungry hyenas hang out at the elephant graveyard, a lifeless pile of twisted bones and tusks.
Taymor created dazzling costumes, then teamed up with Michael Curry to design hundreds of amazing masks with remote-controlled parts. Japanese origami birds soar on sticks, and complex puppets blend seamlessly with the human body for an exotic onstage menagerie. In addition, Donald Holder's wonderful lighting design creates Mufasa's ghost, while Garth Fagan's choreography imitates the sinewy movements of African wildlife.
All these elements unfold to a fusion of Western pop music by Sir Elton John and Tim Rice and African rhythmic sounds and chants by South African Lebo M. Some lyrics are even sung in Zulu. You'll hear the five tunes from the popular film, plus several new songs, including "They Live in You" and "Shadowland." And Sir Elton couldn't resist adding a mini-chorus of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight."
As they did in the movie, the mouthy meerkat Timon (Mark Shunock) and the flatulant warthog Pumbaa (Ben Lipitz) provide comic relief--Vaudeville style. The Jack Black and Robin Williams of the jungle set, this pair sings one of the film's hit tunes, "Hakuna Matata"--"No Worries" in jungle slang. Later in the musical, Simba (Andre Jackson) and his lioness-love Nala (Dan'yelle Williamson) declare their love in the show-stopping number, "Can You Feel the Love Tonight."
Mere prose cannot fully describe Taymor's visual masterpiece. You must experience it first hand. One thing is sure. In her magical realm, "The Lion King" still reigns over the kingdom of Broadway.
"The Lion King" runs Tuesday to Sunday through March 15th at the Paramount Theatre, regular tickets $19.50-$75 and premium tickets $115 at Ticketmaster, 205-292-2787 or www.theparamount.com.
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