Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: From the first drum beats of "The Lion King," your senses are assaulted with creative wonders that don't quit until the final bows. As you settle into your seat, you can feast your eyes on the spectacular animal puppets on parade and see mouths circle into "wows" as a humongous elephant ambles down a Benedum Center aisle.
By the time the population of the African savanna has reached the stage for the "Circle of Life" scene, "The Lion King" has cast its magic spell and you may as well just sit back and enjoy the ride.
2 comments:
I am going to have to disagree with the statement that the 'Lion King' continues to "roar with its creativity never going stale." I recently saw the production on Broadway and I was rather disappointed. This was the second time that I had seen the production on Broadway, and the first time I was dazzled. This time, however, I was less than impressed. Although the puppetry and costumes of the show remained as basically the same stunning designs as before, the acting felt stale to me. The sound design felt stale. I couldn't hear much of the show from the 12th row center section. This show is definitely an amazing production, but I feel as though it needs to be slightly revamped and reenergized. Despite this, the show is still the top gross show on Broadway almost every week... Clearly something is being done right!
I have to say every time I see that Lion King, which has been twice so far, or any time I see pictures or clips of it, I see get goose bumps. I have tried for a long time to specify exactly what it is that makes this production so successful. So far I have come up with it being a classic story, having an engaging scene design, interesting choreography, innovative costumes and masks, and usually, stunning performers. I guess when you get a performance that is as long running as the Lion King, a compilation of things are to blame for keeping audiences coming. I hope to see this show again soon.
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