Over the years, there have been many musical adaptations of popular movies. But from films that already had music — like “The Little Mermaid” or “Newsies” — to those that did not — like “Mean Girls” or “Heathers” — none of these shows can compare to “The Lion King.”
First taking the stage in 1997, the beloved Disney masterpiece is the third longest-running Broadway musical. The first U.S. tour of the musical launched in 2002 and since then, it has gone on to win 70 major awards, including six Tony Awards — best choreography, lighting design, scenic design, costume design, direction and best musical overall — and a Grammy for “Best Musical Show Album.” Now, twenty-two years since its first trip around the United States, the touring cast is back in Atlanta to perform at the Fox Theatre through late October.
The show opened on Oct. 2, and despite it being a weekday, the theater was still packed with people. Those who had already seen the show were eager to see it again, and some were seeing it for the first time. Parents were bringing their children for their first ever musical, and couples held hands as they found their seats for date night.
When seeing “The Lion King,” it does not matter that audiences are sitting in a Georgia theater rather than a New York one because they are still in for a breathtaking Broadway experience. The two-and-a-half-hour show features all the songs from the 1994 film, plus songs solely found within the musical. Many of these additional songs feature more emphasis on African languages.
Throughout the show, a total of six Indigenous African languages are spoken and sung: Swahili, Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho, Tswana and Congolese. In addition, musicians playing various traditional instruments can be seen on both sides of the stage. The incorporation of musical and linguistic elements of African culture adds a richness and beauty to the original content of the story and sometimes even strengthens the impact of certain emotional scenes, as most in the audience cannot understand what is being said but can still hear enough raw emotion in the words and harmonies to give them chills. Songs like “Shadowland” and “He Lives In You (Reprise)” deliver particularly moving scenes that were not in the original movie, and they add something to the story that audience members do not even realize is missing until it has been filled.
One of the things that “The Lion King” is arguably most known for is the show’s costuming. From layered, patterned earth-toned textiles to the elaborate headdresses, the costumes are created to give actors Darnell Abraham (Mufasa), Jennifer Theriot (Sarabi), Peter Hargrave (Scar), Erick D. Patrick (Simba) and Thembelihle Cele (Nala) the ability to bring the leading lions to life.
The brilliance of the costumes is not just limited to the main group of actors, however. Other performers during the show represent multiple communities of the planet, from the animals to even the various plants. When the costumes were being designed before the show opened in the late 90s, substantial effort was put into researching natural (or natural-looking) materials and tribal styles and patterns to give each and every costume the feel of coming from the grasslands of Africa. It is very easy to see how much care was put into the costume design in order to not simply recreate the animated characters but also carry the cultural representation throughout every element of the show.
The rest of the pridelands are brought to the stage through the use of 232 puppets of varying kinds. These puppets are engineered to show not only the animal they are meant to be but also the actors that maneuver them. Being able to see both the animal and the actor allows viewers to see the beauty in the costume design as well as the grace and skillful artistry of the actor.
The puppets range from being movable via poles to being fully worn by the ensemble. From fourteen foot giraffe costumes that require stilts, to twenty-five pound wearable zebras and an elephant that requires four actors to maneuver, each animal has incredible detailing, regardless of if they are onstage for one song or five.
Seeing “The Lion King” live is truly an immersive experience, with actors coming down the aisles at several parts throughout the show, pop cultural references peppered into the script and several characters (namely Rafiki) even talking directly to the crowd. People laughed, cried, held their breaths in anticipation and, of course, finished the night with an exuberant standing ovation.
At the heart of every musical, however, is its cast. Through them, the characters become real, subtly evolving to each specific actor, the same, yet different — but always awe-inspiring. The traveling cast of “The Lion King” is jam-packed with talent from the leading actors to the ensemble and understudies.
Perfect for all ages, this unforgettable show is considered to be the most successful musical worldwide and before the opening song ends, audiences will be able to explain why. “The Lion King” will be running at the Fox Theatre until Oct. 20 and tickets can be found at https://lionking.com/tour/.