The Lion King

Reviewed by Holly Bartges

“I am angry, mean, and vicious and it’s all your fault.” So lives the disgruntled Scar played by Kevin Gray with clawed venom seeped in jealousy over his brother Mufasa, King of The Pridelands played equally by Nathaniel Stampley with dignity, pride and compassion.

Kevin Gray as Scar in Disney’s The Lion King. Photo by Joan Marcus

Elton John and Tim Rice’s over the top awesome Broadway production of The Lion King roared into Denver to play six weeks at the Temple Buell Theatre.

Thank you Denver Center Attractions for the feast of a quality production.

Would it have the same impact the second time around? Would it have the same quality? Or by now has it become “old hat?”

Quite frankly, the production knocked me out.A friend, seeing it for the first time, confided when she tried to describe it to her sons all she could do was stutter. That just about says it all.

The large, talented cast treats this production as though this is the first time anyone has ever seen it. The Lion King opened for the first time in Minneapolis in 1997, and is now in its ninth sold-out year at New York’s Amsterdam Theatre. I hope it never runs out of juice.

Not only because the music and lyrics speak strongly to human nature, not only because of Julie Taymor ingenious out of the box creative costuming, and her far-sighted direction, not only for Garth Fagan’s galloping, precise choreography, not only for the magnificent cast, but for the story plain and simple. The fable born in a far away time in Africa, speaks to humankind’s wisdom and lack of it. Oh, will we ever learn? The United Nations along with those outside their realm of power should sit down as a group, feed on it, mull on it, praise it, and claim it. Oh, what a difference it could make. Oh, what a dreamer I am.

A simple story brought to life concerning a powerful well-loved compassionate King, a jealous brother who thinks he should be King, a child who can’t wait to be King, who blames himself over his father’s death because of deliberate curious disobedience imbedded in most children, who runs away because shame looms larger than truth until fate guides him back to where he rightfully belongs.

mbedded alongside the thunderous powerful music and the startling costumes combining puppetry, masks and deliberate colorful make-up, the Fable becomes larger than life. The artists so adept at their animal counterparts, become one with the giraffes, the deranged hyenas, the lions, the elephants, the gazelles, the warthogs, Pumbaa (Phil Piorini) and the meercat, Timon (Damian Balder). One can only marvel at the actors, but what one sees is the animals, even when Mafusa takes off his mask, the characterization of Mafusa remains.

Gugwana Diamini plays Rafiki with such power and strength there is a wanting to send her to the White House right here right now just as she is. Undoubtedly they would marvel at her costume, her make-up, and her gigantic voice and never hear what she has to say.

Rafiki’s song, “The Circle of Life,” resounds in every molecule of the body.

Zazu, the pelican flies on his own with his trembling sense of humor even though Timothy McGeever breathes life into him right there in front of God and everybody. He’s more fun than a bowl of — well, not monkeys, but well, pelicans. His song “The Morning Report” flies on “destinated” notes with frivolous fun, and slapstick giggles.

The role of young Simba is shared by Cameron Ball and Christian A Phenix Warner with equal talent and developed voices far beyond their years. Likewise, the role of young Nala, Simba’s inseparable friend complements the young cocky lion between Diamond Curvy and Kenisha Simone Harris. Four young actors with string voices, who don’t just give us four young actors with strong voices, they give us two lion cubs bound together in friendship, even though an older Simba (Wallace Smith) admits he can’t marry Nala because “she’s my friend.” The grown up Nala (Ta’Rea Campbell) turns grace and song into a way of life.

Desired rage prompts Scar to start a stampede designed to kill Simba and Mafusa, a staging with lights, shadows, and puppets running full tilt toward the audience that takes the breath away no matter how many times it is seen. A brilliant piece of staging that makes you believe any moment you could be trampled. Thinking he has succeeded and both are dead, Scar and his henchman the hyenas Shenzi (Danielle Greaves), Banzai (Rudy Roberson), and Ed (Robbie Swift) arrogantly take over Prideland while everything under their feet dies.

The intricate set designed by Richard Hudson makes other less creative sets hard to swallow. Hudson raises the bar with his Pride Rock, the elephant burial ground, the lavish Prideland drying up right before your eyes complementing everything said or sung along with the lighting design by Donald Holder speaking its own language without words in visual starkness.

The Lion King deserves all six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, it won along with the Outer Critic Circle Award, the New York Dram Critics Award for Best Musical, The Evening Standard Award for Theatrical Event of the Year, two Oliver Awards, the Theatre World Award, the Astaire Award for Outstanding Choreography, two Drama League Awards, and a Grammy Award for Best Musical show Album.

If I am also stuttering through this review it is because words aren’t big enough to wrap around The Lion King’s experience.

nough can’t be said for the crew, the actors, the production team, the producers, it is theatre at its most entertaining, theatre at its most thought provoking, theatre at the height of imagination, theatre at flamboyant execution. May The Lion King live forever. I am already counting the days for its return. May the Producers never allow it into the hands of second-rate touring production companies.

When small children sit through two and a half hours open-mouthed not a squirm in sight, only magnificence could unfold before their eyes captivating their souls.

Tickets are hard to come by. Just don’t give up. Keep calling, Unexpected cancellations do happen, but it will require pouncing as effectively as Scar pounces on the shadow mouse.