I was incredibly excited to find out Christmas day that my aunt and uncle were taking us to see The Lion King! And after seeing the show today, I know that feeling was right.
It had been at least a year or two since I had seen the original Disney animated movie version, and I was excited to be presented with the privilege of seeing it on the stage. I had heard only good things about the production leading up to it, so I had no doubt in my mind that it would be bad. What I didn't realize was that it wasn't just going to be good either, it was AMAZING.
My favorite character has always been Simba, and probably always will be. His fun-loving and charming nature always made me love him, I couldn't help it! Seeing him come to life in this outstanding performance made him stand out even more. In the show, the first act is Simba as a young child. Of course, while the actor looked like a child, he had outstanding vocal chords of a professional adult singer/songwriter. They were strong and powerful and made us all sway in our seats while he sang about waiting to become king. The second act features Simba as a grown-up lion, played by an adult. Through their interpretations of the character, we saw Simba's full character development in a way I never had before. His adult self with strong, assured and confident, portrayed perfectly so that the difference was apparent between his child character and adult character.
Secondly, the costumes. If you have seen this production before then you know exactly how enchanting the animal costumes are throughout the show. For costumes, the effect was referred to as the "double event", where the costume designer wanted the audience to be able to recognize the different animals whilst being able to see the humans behind the costumes, therefore delivering the message that this pertains to humans and humanity as well. All the actors had masks and body paint and props to help portray their animal without their costume actually being the animal. This way, we were better able to appreciate their work and just how the costumes were operated, which is something I was thankful to see as I am always very intrigued by how things work. And since the show can be so intimate at times, with the dancers right in the aisles next to you, you were able to get closer looks at the costumes, and just how much work went into creating each one.
Finally, the scenery and the props. With a combination of lights, fabrics, and layers the stage was able to be transformed into Pride Rock and its surroundings effortlessly. Many of the props were not props at all, but humans, such as the plant dancers. The props they did include were incredibly intricate and detailed, including the masks, which reflected the characteristics of its animal and character. The lighting color changed as the mood of the story changed, making sure you were always in the right mood for the scene. It went from orange at the beginning, to gray in the middle when the kingdom was failing, to red at the end when Simba conquers Scar once and for all. The lighting stimulated your brain when you noticed the change in color, and it helped you predict what scene was going to occur and what kind of emotion they paired with it, whether it was happiness, anger or distress. Finally, they used many different layers on the stage to have the effects of stars in the background, hanging jungle leaves, and a reflection. With these layers of scenery, we felt as if the stage was more than just a backdrop with lights, but an artistic version of the real thing, the real jungle or the real watering hole. Overall, the scenery was filled to the brim with color and culture and sometimes filled to the brim with animals.
I was stunned by the performance and the talent of not only the actors but of the whole costume/set design crew and music producers. It is a show that I would certainly go to see again, and one that I will never get sick of remembering.
Hakuna Matata!
-Lily
It had been at least a year or two since I had seen the original Disney animated movie version, and I was excited to be presented with the privilege of seeing it on the stage. I had heard only good things about the production leading up to it, so I had no doubt in my mind that it would be bad. What I didn't realize was that it wasn't just going to be good either, it was AMAZING.
My favorite character has always been Simba, and probably always will be. His fun-loving and charming nature always made me love him, I couldn't help it! Seeing him come to life in this outstanding performance made him stand out even more. In the show, the first act is Simba as a young child. Of course, while the actor looked like a child, he had outstanding vocal chords of a professional adult singer/songwriter. They were strong and powerful and made us all sway in our seats while he sang about waiting to become king. The second act features Simba as a grown-up lion, played by an adult. Through their interpretations of the character, we saw Simba's full character development in a way I never had before. His adult self with strong, assured and confident, portrayed perfectly so that the difference was apparent between his child character and adult character.
Secondly, the costumes. If you have seen this production before then you know exactly how enchanting the animal costumes are throughout the show. For costumes, the effect was referred to as the "double event", where the costume designer wanted the audience to be able to recognize the different animals whilst being able to see the humans behind the costumes, therefore delivering the message that this pertains to humans and humanity as well. All the actors had masks and body paint and props to help portray their animal without their costume actually being the animal. This way, we were better able to appreciate their work and just how the costumes were operated, which is something I was thankful to see as I am always very intrigued by how things work. And since the show can be so intimate at times, with the dancers right in the aisles next to you, you were able to get closer looks at the costumes, and just how much work went into creating each one.
Finally, the scenery and the props. With a combination of lights, fabrics, and layers the stage was able to be transformed into Pride Rock and its surroundings effortlessly. Many of the props were not props at all, but humans, such as the plant dancers. The props they did include were incredibly intricate and detailed, including the masks, which reflected the characteristics of its animal and character. The lighting color changed as the mood of the story changed, making sure you were always in the right mood for the scene. It went from orange at the beginning, to gray in the middle when the kingdom was failing, to red at the end when Simba conquers Scar once and for all. The lighting stimulated your brain when you noticed the change in color, and it helped you predict what scene was going to occur and what kind of emotion they paired with it, whether it was happiness, anger or distress. Finally, they used many different layers on the stage to have the effects of stars in the background, hanging jungle leaves, and a reflection. With these layers of scenery, we felt as if the stage was more than just a backdrop with lights, but an artistic version of the real thing, the real jungle or the real watering hole. Overall, the scenery was filled to the brim with color and culture and sometimes filled to the brim with animals.
I was stunned by the performance and the talent of not only the actors but of the whole costume/set design crew and music producers. It is a show that I would certainly go to see again, and one that I will never get sick of remembering.
Hakuna Matata!
-Lily