TribLIVE: Despite a generation of performances on Broadway and appearances in 98 cities in 16 countries, “The Lion King” still rules.
As it begins a three-week run at the Benedum Center, Downtown, as a nonsubscriber presentation of PNC Broadway Across America — Pittsburgh, the national touring production remains as fresh, lively and beautiful as a young gazelle leaping across the plains of Africa.
6 comments:
Lion King was my first Broadway show. I always thought it was the most artistic and breath-taking performance I have seen to date. The most spectacular thing about it is aesthetic. The blend of modern dance wear with traditional garb is inspiring. The innovative set pieces with lighting brings to life the characters and the story in a way that was never done before and hasn't been done since. But while the aesthetic is something to be admired, the logistics of a show with so many puppetry and costume components the tracking and maintenance of those pieces is intense and crazy. I would love to see the paper work for the moving and tracking of these pieces.
I saw this show a few years ago in Orange County and was blown away by the flawless mixture of humor and majesty. The beauty of the costumes blending into the bodies of the dancers is unbelievable, and breathtaking to see. I just found out today that I will be seeing The Lion King again during winter break this year, and this article has served to heighten my excitement even more. I look forward to see how the show has evolved in the past four years, and also to compare the different ways in which I now view the show. Four years ago, I viewed theater as entertainment, never really a career path or something I would invest myself in as wholeheartedly as I have now done. But seeing the show this time, I'm sure I will notice things and critique things in a way I wasn't able to before, and despite being the same show it will be a whole new experience.
I remember being a small innocent child who didn't know anything about theater and when I saw this show I was completely inspired. The lion king bring magic to the stage (especially after seeing the film. I was blown away by the animals being so real and lively. The scenery is magnificent! I can imagine it will be a while before this show closes on Broadway! It's bringing money in and joyous people out.
Like many others, The Lion King was also my first Broadway show. I don't remember how old I was, but it opened up the whole world of theatre to me. Up until then, I hadn't ever been to a non-school play, much less a musical. I was familiar with the performing arts, but it wasn't the same. I remember thinking the costumes were strange at first, but after a few minutes I became immersed in the story and the world around me melted away. At the same time, though, I fell asleep in the middle of it.
When this first came to Broadway, this was really groundbreaking production as people representing animals in such a spectacle. The costumes were, are still really are, very innovative and the head pieces. The show is really timeless, which is why it has been around and successful for so long. This was not the first show I have ever seen, but I can imagine it being particularly inspiring for the younger audiences. When I saw Audry II in The Little Shop of Horrors, the mechanics of it all made me think that I want to land an impression on someone else in the same way
Even over a decade later, this production still awes me to no end. I remember the first time I saw this in Hollywood when I was about 5 or 6, yes shockingly I still remember, and it immediately enthralled me. Any and everything you can do right for a production was done with the Lion King. It is beautiful, emotional, fierce and graceful. I have almost never felt so captured by a production before, even seeing it almost 10 years later it still manages to ensnare me like the first time.
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