“The Lion King” reviewed by Mark Reinecke

*****The story of The Lion King holds indelible life lessons. At its core, it’s a story about moral values. It’s about living our lives in a purposeful, meaningful way. Essentially, this is a powerful tale about facing the realities of responsibility, and what happens when responsibility is placed in the hands of those with bad intentions. It is also a wonderful, coming-of-age story and the essential mentoring role of a father in a patriarchal society.
The Lion King is so much more than a toe-tapper. It is a magical and spiritual spectacle that will transport you to the exotic world of the Serengeti, where you will meet life-sized birds and beasts of all stripes.
The story, familiar to millions, is based on the animated 1994 film where much of the music and plot originated. Rafiki, the shaman baboon ((Mukelisiwe Goba), opens the story as she hoists the newborn Simba in the air, giving Mufasa (David D’Lancy Wilson), the king of the pridelands, his only son. Mufasa’s evil brother, Scar (Peter Hargrave), covets the throne and eventually succeeds in trapping Mufasa in a stampede, killing him. Scar tells the impressionable young Simba (Bryce Christian Thompson or Julian Villela) that it was his carelessness that caused his father’s death. Disgraced, Simba runs away, leaving Scar free to declare himself king. While away, Simba befriends a meercat named Timon (Robert Creighton) and a warthog named Poomba (Danny Grumich) who teach him the lessons of Hakuna Matata (“let worries pass you”).
In Act 2, Simba (Gilbert Domally) is now grown. He accidentally meets up with his childhood playmate, a lioness named Nala (Young Nala played by Jaxyn Damasco or Emmanuella Olaitan). And after many years apart, they quickly “feel the love” for each other. Nala (Thembelihle Cele) tells Simba of the dire conditions back home and of Scar’s treachery inflicted on the pridelands. Rafiki coaxes Simba to return home to the pridelands by manifesting the ghost of Mufusa, Simba’s father. Together Simba and Nala return to the pridelands to defeat Scar. Ultimately, Simba claims his rightful place as lion king to end the show.
The actors, singers, and dancers are what you would expect from a production of this caliber: Excellent, fluid and dramatic performances throughout. The puppeteers, especially, make these exotic African creatures come alive and perhaps – this is a stretch – give us a better appreciation of and need to steward the natural world. It’s inspiring from start to finish.
The flashes of brilliance and the pure, unmitigated joy come less from this story than from this exquisite and profound production under the direction of Julie Taymor. This theatrical experience could have been austere and barren had it consisted of only the words and music. The truly talented production team intervened to give this show flesh and color. The scenery (Richard Hudson, Scenic Design) with incredible sets and gorgeous print curtains and lighting (Donald Holder, Lighting Design) were simply stunning, effective, and often minimal in style to mirror the vast expanse of the African savannah and to awe the audience.

I sat close to the stage, and saw faces elaborately painted (Michael Ward, Hair & Makeup Design) to ground the actors solidly in a place and in their characters. The faces brought to mind the beauty of an African-inspired portrait of Picasso or perhaps one of Modigliani’s elongated sculptural masks. The sound (Steve Canyon Kennedy, Sound Design) and choreography (Marey Griffith, Assoc. Choreographer) brought us deep inside a scene and elicited responses and emotions from places inside that I never knew existed. And there is a live orchestra (Conductor – Karl Shymanovitz) and two sets of drums in the balconies who beautifully interpret Elton John’s music and Tim Rice’s lyrics with additional music and lyrics by Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin Julie Taymor, and Hans Zimmer.

Tony award-winning Director Julie Taymor almost single-handedly made this production into the “world’s #1 musical.” Visually, you will never see anything like this. With whimsical and intelligent direction (Taymor), attention to detail, vibrant costumes (Taymor), mask and puppet designs (Taymor and Michael Curry), her vision and thumbprint elevate this show to a magical masterpiece as she blurs the lines between real and imagined, puppet and animal.

There is a surplus of beauty in this two-and-a-half-hour production. As I took it all in, much of a child-like wonder remained in my heart and mind on my journey home. Go see for yourself whether Broadway’s highest grossing production truly lives up to the title, “World’s #1 Musical.”

Disney Theatrical Group and Broadway in Chicago
Present
The Lion King
Cadillac Palace Theatre
151 W. Randolph
Chicago, IL

Performance Dates & Times:
Through October 19

Saturdays 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm
Sundays 1:00 pm and 6:30 pm
Wednesdays 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm
Thursdays 7:00 pm
Fridays 7:00 pm
Tuesday, Oct 7 at 7:00 pm

2 hours and 30 minutes including an intermission
Suitable for ages 6 and up

Tickets:
Starting at $64 for matinees and $86 for evening shows
www.broadwayinchicago.com

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