I’m going to be totally honest right off the top, and say that I was never really interested in seeing this show. I like the movie a lot, and I loved the stage adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, so you’d think I would have been interested in this show, but I think all the hype about the costuming really turned me off. I was also quite disappointed when it won the Tony for Best Musical over Ragtime. However, I finally decided that if I was going to be negative about the show, I should probably see it first. 🙂 So when my mom came out for a visit, I got tickets for us to go.
Circle of Life is a really beautiful, amazing scene. Here the costumes are incredible, and the theatre really comes alive. It lost a bit of its effect for me simply because I had seen performances of this number on TV so many times, but it was still pretty special. However, I felt that it was pretty much the highlight of the show, and nothing else really lived up to it.
I think my major problem with the show in general is that the costumes and everything seem to eclipse what’s actually happening on stage. The actors, in part, but most especially the story, are kind of put on the back burner. The movie has a great story, but I feel it kind of gets lost on stage. For example, the scene in the movie where the young Simba comes across the body of his father makes my eyes water every single time I see it. The same moment on stage didn’t make me feel anything. Yeah, there are some really cool costumes, and some neat effects, but that’s not the most important thing to me when I’m going to the theatre.
There were also a few little problems with the cast, mostly with the children, who were not as strong as they might have been. However, I really enjoyed Ted Atherton as Scar – he was the highlight of the show for me. Just perfectly sarcastic and disinterested, and very funny.
Anyway, it was not a terrible show by any means – I may sound a little harsh, but I guess it’s just in reaction to all of the hype around the show. I mean, it’s been touted as the greatest thing ever put on stage, and I just don’t see that at all. It’s a very good puppet show, in my opinion. But I’m sure most people who were there in the audience with me had a very good time.
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Rafiki |
TSHIDI MANYE |
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Mufasa |
HECTOR JOHNSON |
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Sarabi |
CHRISTINE SAHELY |
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Zazu |
JAY TURVEY |
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Scar |
TED ATHERTON |
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Young Simba |
RAYMOND ABLACK |
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Young Nala |
SCARLETT BURKE |
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Shenzi |
RHONDA ROBERTS |
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Banzai |
JASON LEE JACKSON |
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Ed |
BILL PERRY |
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Timon |
ERIC WOLFE |
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Pumbaa |
DEMO CATES |
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Simba |
MICHAEL CLARKE |
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Nala |
TERESA HOLIERHOEK |
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Ensemble Singers |
SINCÉE J. DANIELS |
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Ensemble Dancers |
SANT’GRIA BELLO |