Lion King - The
Musical!
This was a special treat arranged
by my friend, Chris, in L.A. He surprised me with tickets to a Saturday
matinee performance of The Lion King at the Pantages Theater.
We had a little time to kill
before the show, so we walked around Hollywood a little, visiting The Chinese
Theater and looking at the stars on the sidewalks. In all my trips to L.A.,
I'd never been there. It's weird to see stars for current celebrities next
to ones for obscure 40's personalities. I wanted a picture of Fred Astaire's
star for Crystal, but we were on the wrong blocks.
After lunch at the Roosevelt
Hotel (whose wait staff gave me new insight on the term obsequious), we
went on down Hollywood Blvd. to the theater. Now this place is a classic.
The interiors are done in a art deco, aztec style full of color and gilt.
From our front row, center mezzanine seats, we could see everything, except
for the orchestra who were in the deepest, most well covered pit I've ever
seen.
 Previously,
I had scoffed at the trend of turning movies into stage musicals, but if
this is the result, I'm all for it. The costumes which turned actors into
animals were amazing. The director (who was also costume designer and one
of the mask and puppet designers) used masks, puppetry, stilts, and colorful
printed fabrics to bring the animal spirits to life. I particularly liked
the lioness costumes and the Zazu puppet and puppeteer.
The set was also well done
in that is evoked the feeling of the African plains without actual pictures
of grass or rocks. Pride Rock itself was an amazing bit of stagecraft -
a circular stairway that rose up from below whenever it was needed. The
jungle where Simba lives with Timon and Pumba was presented as streamers
of green from above and people in plant costumes on stage. One scene had
actors in body suits with green stripes with plumes of green fabric sticking
up from one arm and one leg to portray grasslands. It was surprisingly
effective.
 The
music was wonderful, of course. I enjoyed it in the movie enough to buy
the sound track and additions for the stage show fit in nicely for the
most part. The African choral numbers were incredible (especially the one
right after intermission where the chorus was spread through the entire
theater - on stage, in the aisles, on the balconies - and were all waving
brightly colored silk birds on really long, flexible poles - it was like
being in the air, especially since there were birds above and below us).
The only jarring note was the bizarre rave, techno number in the middle
of Scar's Be Prepared song.
The actors all did a great
job, but my favorites were John Vickery as Scar and Fuschia as Rafiki.
Vickery was as wicked and sarcastic a villain as you could possibly wish
with a wonderfully deep and grating voice. Fushia was both hilarious and
moving as the wise old monkey and shamaness. William Akey as Zazu was both
funny and impressive in his use of the puppet.
I wish I could describe it
better, but really, you should just go see it for yourself if you get the
chance. It is a timeless story told with color, passion, and songs you'll
be humming as you leave the theater.
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