The Lion King Musical

When the lights are completely off and there is a little light from above that shines onto the stage and a women comes out dressed in a colorful costume, face painted in numerous colors, and is carrying a cane that resembles a wooden stick, this creature is Rafiki. Please sit back and enjoy because the show is about to begin and you are about to witness the best musical in the world, The Lion King.

The Lion King originates from a movie. It was written by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton. Six years later the movie was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The movie focuses on a young cub Simba and his relationship with his father Mufasa. Mufasa is the king of Pride Rock and is morphing his son into becoming the next up and coming king. However Mufasa’s brother Scar is not happy with the birth of Simba or the idea of him one day being king of Pride Rock. Plotting the death of his brother Mufasa and nephew Simba, Scar plans to take over Pride Rock and rule it with the hyenas. Scar is successful with killing his brother but Simba survives. He is raised by a meerkat name Timon and a warthog Pumbaa. Later in the movie Simba returns to Pride Rock and avenges his father’s death, killing Scar, and becomes Pride Rock‘s rightful king.

At the end of the movie, the theme The Lion King gives is one day everyone must grow up. In the movie, Mufasa spent his last days installing wisdom and values into his young cub’s head. He wanted to make sure that one day after he’s long gone, he can leave the kingdom to Simba knowing that Simba would be able to take care his tribe and protect his family.

The Lion King the Musical is based on this movie. The characters and plot is all the same. However Julie Taymor and the producers of Lion King the Musical presented the characters and the setting of Pride Rock, so creatively, you’ll actually sit there amazed at how graphic the stage is. The cast are designed to imitate the local animals of the jungle, such as giraffes, wildebeest, hyenas, and of course lions. Being different and instead dressing the actors in tons of fur, she used craved mask created in Africa to show what type of animal they are. One of the main characters Simba wore a huge mask over top of his head that looked like a lion face. The character’s body was covered in clothes that fit perfectly for the African theme. To me it was very simple, not too much, yet amazing and you could actually tell which animal they were playing. Plus the way the actors and dancers used their body help as well.

Another key fact in the creativity of the musical is the music. The music was written by Elton John and Tim Rice. The famous songs from the movie like “The Circle of Life”, “Hakuna Matata”, and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” was featured in the show. The actors sung the songs so perfectly, I couldn’t resist myself, I had to sing along. The way the stage transformed to fit the mood of the song was great. Bright lights, the props that were used to resemble the sun, the exotic trees, and the lake were all used to give the aura of a celebrating jungle.

Growing up watching the Lion King: The Movie, I was ecstatic when I received two tickets from my aunt to see it on Broadway for a birthday present. It was my first time watching a musical on Broadway, or even seeing a show. I watched the show with awe and it set the standard for me whenever I go to a musical.

The Lion King played a major role in my younger years growing up. I watched it non- stop as a child. The songs and the characters are made to never get old. It’s really one of those shows/films that can be passed on from generation to generation.