If they put all of the costumes from The Lion King on pedestals on stage, lit by a single spotlight, I'd still have given a standing ovation. Nobody goes to The Lion King expecting high theater or musical greatness. No matter how innovative the staging and inspired the costumes, sooner or later you're still going to have to sit through I Just Can't Wait to Be King and Can You Feel the Love Tonight. But that's okay, because I got what I came for-- jaw-dropping costumes and puppets that make the animals of the jungle come alive. The giraffes, leopards, and elephant were astounding, and the hyneas were brilliantly executed. The staging of the wildebeest stampede was quite clever. The additional African music improved the soundtrack. In sum, a fun show. Zazu in particular was brilliant-- both in the costuming of the actor, and in the lifelike verisimilitude he invested in the hornbill puppet he carried. Timon, on the other hand, just didn't work for me.
I have to say, however, that $80 a ticket is just a weeeeeeeeeeee bit steep. The Lion King is a family-friendly show, but over $300 for a family of four strikes me as a tad extravagant.
Can You Feel the Love Tonight? Disney's accountants sure can.
Posted by Peter at December 19, 2004 12:46 AMWe took the kids to see this on Broadway last year and it was *quite* the grand spectacle. Of course, they loved it. $300 is a bundle to drop on a few hours of entertainment but I'm sure it's a memory they'll always treasure.
On the other hand, the bicycle-rickshaw ride my daughter and I took was only $30 and I think we'll both remember that ALOT longer. We were both squealing ... her in delight and me in terror!
Posted by: Stephen Glenn on December 19, 2004 08:56 AMAw, c'mon--if you're gonna praise "The Lion King," you gotta do it Dana Whittaker-style.
Dana: The lights went out, and this woman, with a voice like thunder, this woman, she summons all the animals of the jungle to appear and honor the birth of the new lion king. She summons the animals with her voice. And do you know, do you know what happens next?
Dan: The animals appear?
Dana: The animals appear! Oh, I got goosebumps. It was exactly where I was meant to be at that moment. I gotta go tell everybody. Can I go tell everybody?
Isaac: Go tell everybody.
Dana: (halfway out door) Thank you, Isaac.
Isaac: You're welcome.
Dana: Thank you for the tickets.
Isaac: You're welcome.
Dana: Thank you for everything. Thank you for opening my eyes to possibilities that would have gone heretofore unexplored in a life that while ultimately--
Isaac: Go, go. (Dana runs out)
Dana: (running up to Casey) Casey, listen to what happened to me...I believe in the power of the theatre. Casey. (he turns back) It was really quite something. The music began and I just started to cry. I don't know where it came from. It was like... church. I didn't know we could do that. Did you know we could do that?
Casey: (with a gentle smile) Well, when I forget, something usually reminds me.
Dana: (as he walks away) I didn't know we could do that.
Posted by: Clay on December 19, 2004 10:19 AM