?The Lion King? opens with the ?Circle of Life? scene, in which an impeccable lightshow depicts the rising sun and a herd of curiously crafted African creatures parading down the theater?s aisles during the presentation of the newborn Simba. Here we already see the limitless resources of the Disney Company, which spares no expense in its set design and costuming, though this is no wonder as the ?The Lion King? franchise has earned the company well over $1 billion since the animated film?s 1994 release. But the returns to the audience are unforgettable, as the engrossing tale is recreated and physically realized in a way entirely new to fans of the film.
Perhaps the most admirable trait of the musical lies in its costuming. Except for the cartoonish characters of Timon and Pumbaa, the show uses imaginative and traditional African costume designs to create its characters. This allows the actors to be more representative of their animals, which is a far more successful creative decision than having the actors in animal suits, which normally results in ungainly and unbelievable garb, such as in ?Seussical: The Musical.? These wonderfully ornate costumes in conjunction with a wide array of fancy (and only occasionally childish) sets, create a performance reminiscent of the vibrant, colorful and deeply inspiring African culture.
But it is the actors themselves who must embody the soul of this now-classic tale, and ? with only a few exceptions ? the cast carries the heart of the African savannah on its shoulders without breaking a sweat. Immediately, we see that Geno Segers? Mufasa is the most powerful character present, with a booming voice that causes the hairs on the back of one?s neck to stand on end when his face appears in the sky during Simba?s confrontation with Rafiki.
The show?s young Simba fully embodies the cub?s unruliness in the most animated and adorable of manners, and his bond with Mufasa is the show?s center. Mufasa?s demise during the wildebeest stampede was realized in such a creative and successfully emotional manner that one could not help but watch with a heavy heart, despite its obvious inevitability and some microphone troubles.
Also of particular strength was Gugwana Dlamini?s embodiment of Rafiki. Although the baboon is quite different from the lovable monkey of the film, Rafiki perfectly serves his role in the story as the keeper of the mythological universe?s secrets, while easily becoming a crowd favorite with his bizarre and random antics.
Even Zazu, carried on high like a Muppet-on-a-stick, was everything he needed to be, serving as the production?s occasional voice of self-parody during scenes that perhaps did not lend themselves to a stage production as well as they should have. With remarks like, ?What?s going on? This didn?t happen in the cartoon!? and ? when referencing a patterned curtain that appeared between scenes ? ?This looks like a shower curtain from IKEA!? Zazu kept the performance rolling while others geared up for impeccable dance numbers and other impressive displays.
This colorful menagerie of performances ? from ballet to tango to African folkloric dance ? was so well done that the dances could have succeeded as a production in and of themselves, even without ?The Lion King? story to unite them. Though occasionally dance breaks in such tunes as ?Be Prepared? and ?Can You Feel the Love Tonight?? were unnecessary and disruptive to the songs, they were more often captivating than unwelcome and were always richly constructed.
Disney?s colorful, lively and imaginative live-action rendition of ?The Lion King? easily sets itself in the upper strata of Broadway shows, but this is almost assumed for a Disney production. Perhaps it does not feature the thrills and fires of ?Beauty and the Beast,? but it maintains a heartfelt story so perfectly recreated that the show becomes more than theater ? it wraps the audience up in the Disney magic as well.
?The Lion King? runs through March 2 at The Milwaukee Theatre. Visit Milwaukeetheatre.com for information about tickets and showtimes.
