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KANSAS CITY SHOWTIMES
THE LION KING TOUR DATES
May 22-Jun 1 Kansas City, MO: Music Hall
Jun 4-Jul 3 Dallas, TX Music Hall at Fair Park Jul 9-Jul 27 Edmonton, AB: Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium Jul 30-Aug 17 Calgary, AB: Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium Aug 20-Sep 14 Vancouver, BC: Queen Elizabeth Theatre Sep 17-Sep 28 Portland, OR: Keller Auditorium Oct 3-Oct 19 Chicago, IL: Cadillac Palace Theatre Oct 23-Nov 16 Denver, CO: Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre Nov 19-Nov 30 Las Vegas, NV: The Smith Center Dec 4-Jan 4 Seattle, WA: Paramount Theatre Jan 7-Jan 25 Sacramento, CA: SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center Jan 28-Feb 15 Spokane, WA: First Interstate Center for the Arts Feb 18-Mar 7 Boise, ID: Velma V. Morrison Center for the Performing Arts Mar 12-Apr 5 Detroit, MI: Detroit Opera House Apr 8-Apr 26 Grand Rapids, MI: DeVos Performance Hall Apr 30-May 17 Norfolk, VA: Chrysler Hall May 20-Jun 7 Providence, RI: Providence Performing Arts Center Jun 10-Jul 5 Cincinnati, OH: Aronoff Center Read More
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The ‘King’ has returned!
One of the most successful and celebrated productions in modern Broadway history, makes a tour stop in Kansas City for the week as The Lion King returns for an engagement downtown at The Music Hall through next Sunday, June 1st.
Based on the also-classic 1994 Walt Disney Animation Studios' hit film, the stage version remains directed by Julie Taymor with music by Elton John, lyrics by Tim Rice, with a book by Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi, with additional music / lyrics by Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor, and Hans Zimmer.
The musical had its world premiere in Minneapolis at the Orpheum in July 1997 (still a big point of pride upthere) and moved to Broadway that Fall, eventually becoming the third longest-running show in history, ringing up more than $1.9 billion, making it the highest grossing Broadway production of all time.
The Disney Theatrical Production has earned numerous awards and honors, including six Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Direction of a Musical, which made Taymor the first woman to earn such an honor. The property has also spawned two direct-to-video sequels, several spin-off television series, a recent CGI film remake, five theme park stage shows; and of course, this stage musical, so calling it all a success is a dramatic understatement.
The still-innovative musical features actors in animal costumes as well as giant, hollow puppets, a stirring soundtrack, and exemplary production design, lighting, and costuming – even after almost three decades, it remains a benchmark of staging expertise.
The story still stays heavily weighted from its animated source material -it begins with a sunrise over the introduction of Mufasa (Gerald Ramsey) and Sarabi’s (Maurica Roland) newborn cub, young Simba, presented for all at Pride Rock, as headed by the mystic Rafiki (Mukelisiwe Goba).
Mufasa’s brother, Scar (Peter Hargrave) is missing from the ceremony but soon convinces his nephew Simba to embark on a journey to the dangerous outland of the Elephant Graveyards, His young friend Nala accompanies him, after they elude the watchful eye of the watchful bird, Zazu (Drew Hirshfield) who is loyal to Scar. Hungry hyenas appear and the pair has to be rescued by Mufasa and Zazu.
A stampeding herd in a canyon where Simba had been waiting ensues, and Mufusa must again attempt a rescure, which results in Simba leaving his pride (or family), for ...err, a wrenching lack of pride of the results of the day.
Simba then meets fellow outcasts, the comedic pair of Timon and Pumbaa (Nick Cordileone and Danny Grumich), and as time passes Simba grows up (now played by Erick D. Patrick), unaware that Scar’s hostile takeover has resulted in hunger and disarray in the kingdom. Nala discovers that Simba is still alive, and he is persuaded (with Rafiki’s help) to return and claim his royal birthright and struggles to take up his rightful mantle as the true Lion King.
Still revelatory after two-and-a-half decades, the amazing costumes, colors, and animal puppetry are all on display from the beginning (and to start the second act), as an impressive cast makes its way to the stage from the corners of the balconies and down the main aisles, with building music from the orchestra in the front pit, and complemented by the two percussionists perched above in the right and left theater boxes.
Inspired by Indonesian puppets, the groups of animals controlled by their attached costumed handlers each moved with grace and form, to symbolize all the teeming life of a jungle plain and the costumes both allowed free and unrestrained movement from the lead performers, as well as allowed them to mask behind their character’s identity, while still showing their own human pathos.
The themes of family, parenthood, morality, coming-of-age, and legacy remain strong in the production, with each actor fully aware of their role in this overall visual spectacle, with South African actress Goba’s story-framing Rafiki character perhaps projecting in the most energetic and effective way, vocally.
The young actors portraying a playful and innocent Simba and Nala, soon give way to their mature and wiser older counterparts and the timeless conflicts of brother vs. brother and a young son wrestling internally with his own demons and path to redemption, are all dramatically pulled off in the context of the story; with some much needed comic relief provided by Zazu, Timon and Pumbaa, along the way.
Though the musical runs longer than the original film, the pacing is crisp and steady, efficiently moving along the story through the use of clever and precise production cues, graceful set changes, and those Grammy Award-winning songs, most of which are still very familiar.
This ‘King’ is a timeless modern classic and one worth seeing upon its return, whether it’s for the first time (in that case, it’s a ‘must’) or tenth or hundredth. Find your way to Pride Rock this week while you can – The Lion King has returned!
The Lion King plays in Kansas City at The Music Hall through Sunday, June 1 with tickets available here: Disney Presents The Lion King (Touring) Tickets | Event Dates & Schedule | Ticketmaster
(Tour photography by Matthew Murphy / Click on any image to enlarge and see in full)
| john c ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ X / Twitter.com |
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