Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: That roar of a distant lion means theater's all-time box office king is on its way, and with "The Lion King" comes a complex menagerie of puppets, big and small and a herd of humans that brings the animal characters to roaring, singing, squawking life.
A rare bird among the puppets is the imperious red-billed hornbill Zazu, which since June has been in the hands of Milwaukee native Andrew Gorzell.
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Having seen the show, as many have, I of course have to agree that the costume and puppetry work is very impressive both in the manufacturing stage and in performance. As I was reading this I was reminded of the costume stagecraft rotation and how we were told about the regimen that every show follows when taking care of its costumes. It doesn't surprise me that there is a whole part of the staff entirely devoted to just double-checking the puppets and masks before each show, which I'm sure is no small feat. I also have to show my respect for the actors, who also become puppeteers through their work. It was only after reading this that I remembered just how fluid and very bird-like the movements of the Zazu puppet were, which must be hard to think about when you as an actor are also trying to perform.
Michael Curry Designs is an amazing custom fabrication shop and the breadth of work that he does is far beyond just costumes and puppets. His shop and design spaces are beautiful out in Oregon and the projects that he has done since are numerous and impressive. It is also great that a physical effect such as the costumes and puppetry for a show has stood the test of time.
I find it truly remarkable that this production has such a strong emphasis on acting. In my personal opinion this is why it has been so very successful. Similar to War Horse, the puppets controlled by powerful and passionate actors has proven to be factors that promise to dazzle audiences and pull them into the world of the play.
The puppet engineer is one of the hardest jobs on tours like this. I worked with the previous puppet engineer for Lion King and his check in and check out of each puppet was ridiculously extensive. And it had to be. Every piece has to be looked at to make sure it's working properly, every wire checked for correct tension. It would have been interesting to hear more about what his process and routine is.
I think its very interesting how in modern theater there is a trend toward projections as well as puppetry in some cases. Projection and media while often a breathtaking and brilliant design element can so easily detach the show from reality and take it into a fantasy trip. Whereas puppetry can often be just as spectacular eg. lion king, warhorse, king kong, etc. it often draws the audience down towards a single person, or movement and creates a very personal experience. I think it is interesting that both these elements can exist and grow in modern theater.
This article presents a point of view on the relationship of puppeteer to puppet which is different from that which I have encountered from other puppeteers. Pittsburgh puppeteer Margo Lovelace traditionally took a greater interest in the use of dancers as puppeteers rather than actors. The justification for this decision, is the ego of the actor and the ego of the puppet can, in some cases clash. A dancer with a focus on movement is in a better position to create a character through the movement of the puppet itself. The Lion King probably looked for actors, particularly in the role of Zaza, because of the non-traditional interaction between the puppeteer and puppet for this specific character in the show. Having seen the show, I think the choice was very effective.
Although I have not seen The Lion King, I have done a lot of research into puppeteering and animatronics from a technical side. It was quite interesting to me to hear about the same types of puppets from an artistic standpoint. Treating the puppets as co-actors instead of props seems like a tremendous way to bring the show to life.
I remember when I saw the show that even though Zazu was the only hand puppet, he really held his own with all of the other animals out there. Even though there was no actor inside of him, he was just as alive as everything else on the stage. I found it really interesting that each day Gorell only had 20 seconds to practice with the puppet. I also found it really interesting that they were constantly maintaining these 200+ animals every day before the performances. The story about the elephant breaking on stage was horrible, and I'm so impressed that the actor playing the elephant was able to take the weight and finish the scene. Puppetry on stage can be dubious with so many things to go wrong, but when it's done well and everything goes according to plan it can really make shows magical.
It's just amazing what goes into taking care of these puppets, especially one like Zazu! Yet at the same time the emphasis is on actors, which I do understand, but training actors to be puppeteers while still acting, that is just amazing! And it is a testament to both the caretakers training abilities as well as the actors abilities to multi-task!
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