The Lion King (musical)
{{Broadway-show|image=
|name=The Lion King|theatre=
Minskoff Theatre|opening=
November 13 1997|tony nominations=11|tony awards=6|author(s)=Music by
Elton John & lyrics by
Tim Rice|director=
Julie Taymor|stars=
Jason RaizeThe Lion King is an award-winning
Broadway stage musical based on
the movie and is directed by
Julie Taymor, featuring actors in animal costumes as well as giant, hollow
puppets. The stage show first opened on
July 31,
1997 in
Minneapolis at the Orpheum Theatre, and was an instant and tremendous success before moving permanently to the
New Amsterdam Theater on
Broadway in
New York City that October. A version later opened in
London, and another in
Toronto, playing there until January 2004. On
June 13,
2006, the
Broadway production moved to the
Minskoff Theatre to make way for the musical version of
Mary Poppins. [
1]
After the success of the Broadway show, the show was produced in the
United Kingdom, and continues to play at the
Lyceum Theatre in London. Julie Taymor led the English production of the show, with
Peter Schneider as the producer.
The show played at the
Capitol Theatre in
Sydney,
Australia from
19 October 2003 until
26 June 2005. The production then ran at the
Regent Theatre in
Melbourne from
28 July 2005 until
4 June 2006.
There are currently two U.S. touring productions. The tour version is very similar to the original Broadway production; however, certain scenic elements which rise out of the stage floor (such as Pride Rock, the stampede, and the grasslands) were converted to less costly configurations for the touring productions.
|
Hamburg, Germany: Lion King Theater |
International productions of the show are now playing in:
*
London,
England*
Hamburg,
Germany*
Tokyo,
Japan*
Scheveningen,
Netherlands*
Shanghai,
ChinaThe musical incorporates several changes and additions to the storyline as compared to the film. The
mandrill Rafiki's gender was changed to a female role, as Taymor believed there was generally no leading female character in the film. Rafiki was portrayed by
Tsidii Le Loka in the original Broadway musical, and by
Josette Bushell-Mingo in the original British version.
Several new scenes are present, including a conversation Mufasa has with Zazu about whether he is raising Simba correctly, and a perilous scene where Timon finds himself nearly drowning in a waterfall while Simba feels powerless to help him. A major narrative addition is the depiction of Nala's departure in the scene "The Madness of King Scar", where the mentally deteriorating villain tries to make Nala his mate. Nala refuses, and later announces her intention to depart the pridelands and find help. She receives the blessings of the lionesses and Rafiki during the new song "Shadowland."
Like its predecessor, the
Beauty and the Beast musical, the Lion King adds more songs to its stage production, including
Morning Report sung by
Zazu the hornbill (a song which was later added to the film for the special edition DVD release). "Shadowland", originally featured on the CD
Rhythm of the Pride Lands with Swahili lyrics, was adapted for the musical with new English lyrics. It is sung by Nala and the Lionesses. "One By One", also from the
Rhythm of the Pride Lands CD, was adapted as the rousing African-styled Entre Act sung by the chorus at the opening of the second act.
|
Actors in gazelle costumes |
Many of the animals portrayed in the production are actors in costume using extra tools to move their costumes. For example, the giraffes are portrayed by actors carefully walking on stilts. For principal characters such as Mufasa and Scar, the costumes feature mechanical headpieces that can be raised and lowered to foster the illusion of a cat "lunging" at another. Other characters, such as the Hyenas, Zazu, Timon and Pumbaa are portrayed by actors in life-sized puppets or costumes. The Timon character is described by Taymor as one of the hardest roles to master, as the movement of the puppet's head and arms puts a strain on the actor's arms, back and neck.
Composer
Lebo M led the original Broadway chorus. The chorus members are usually visible in the production, rather than being hidden in the shadows as with some other musical shows.
A new section of the production, the Lioness Hunt, features a particularly complicated dance sequence for the actresses, and the dance is made even more difficult by the large headpieces worn during the scene.
During the show's run in China, Chinese elements were included in the musical. One of the songs was adapted to a well-known chinese pop song, "Laoshu ai dami" or "Mice Love Rice". The cast even cracked jokes and and attempted conversations with the audience.[
2]
|
CD cover for the Original Broadway Cast production |
Various international cast recordings are available on CD.
Track listing
# Circle of Life# Grasslands Chant# Morning Report# Lioness Hunt# I Just Can't Wait to Be King# Chow Down# They Live in You# Be Prepared# Stampede# Rafiki Mourns# Hakuna Matata# One by One# Madness of King Scar# Shadowland# Lion Sleeps Tonight# Endless Night# Can You Feel the Love Tonight?# He Lives in You (Reprise)# Simba Confronts Scar [Instrumental]# King of Pride Rock/Circle of Life (Reprise)
The show won many awards in 1997. For more information see the section below.
The show is produced by
Disney Theatrical.
Tony awards
|
Simba and Nala meet as adults, with Timon and Pumbaa in the background |
The Lion King was nominated for the following
Tony Awards in
1997:
*It has been rumored that part of a scene was removed from the American version of
The Lion King stage musical. When Mufasa dies, the lionesses cry over his dead body: this is enacted using a Japanese
bunraku puppet mourning technique in which ribbons flow out of the eyes to symbolize tears. To some, this looked like the lionesses were crying toilet paper, causing the audience to laugh at an inappropriate moment. However, although the scene can provoke laughter and confusion, the scene was not actually removed. The story can therefore be dismissed as an
urban legend.
* In an episode of
The Simpsons,
Girls Just Want To Have Sums, The Itchy and Scratchy Musical is a parody of The Lion King Stage musical. You can also see a banner saying The Lion King Musical.
*The Song Endless Night may have been inspired by the line "And make this endless day endless night" from West Side Story in the Song Tonight (Quintet and Chorus)
*
Official Broadway Theatre website*
The Internet Broadway Database entry for "The Lion King"*
The Lion King, Melbourne*
The Lion King at the Minskoff Theater Broadway*
"Disney musical debuts in Shanghai, impressing audience with Chinese elements" by
Xinhua News Agency,
People's Daily Online, July 19, 2006, retrieved October 18, 2006
