By Laura Kennelly
Grrrrs and purrs, but mostly purrs! The Lion King has returned to Playhouse Square.
The Lion King, originally a 1994 Walt Disney feature-length cartoon set in the African savanna, is supposed to focus on the coming of age of Simba, a cub whose beloved father Mufasa (a regal and kind L. Steven Taylor) dies during the first act. The adult Simba (an athletic Jelani Remy) eventually regains his father’s throne with the encouragement of friends, especially his spunky lioness girlfriend, Nala (tuneful Nia Holloway). So far, the story sounds typical Disney, right? Like Bambi (whose mother dies early on), little Simba must make his way on his own.
But Bambi never had a relative like Scar, Simba’s evil scheming uncle (played to a campy max by Patrick R. Brown). Scar steals the show with his Elton John gestures and his Frankenfurter prance amidst his greedy hyena henchmen. One wonders why Scar wanted to rule the kingdom anyway when he seems happiest just posing center stage. (But then, since Elton John [and Tim Rice] wrote most of the show’s music–why was I surprised?)
The real reason to see this musical is to enjoy the inventive and clever production itself. Winning six Tony Awards in 1998, the show dazzles with masks and puppet contraption outfits worn by the outstanding ensemble cast. Julie Taymor’s costume designs are marvelous–the cheetahs move with special grace, but even the hyenas are beautiful in their (ugly) way. The production takes advantage of the State Theatres’ aisles and the two drummers (not wearing animal costumes) in opposite balconies add a special touch. Opening night had one lighting glitch, but subsequent shows will likely fix that.
The dialogue is cute, but children might understand what’s going on better if they have seen the film first. It’s definitely a good show to introduce youth to the thrill of live performances. The young people I saw opening night (there were lots of them) seemed enraptured by the show (no fidgets or restless behavior observed).
The Book of Mormon seems funnier now that I’ve seen The Lion King. (Not trying to be cryptic, but because The Book of Mormon satirizes most of The Lion King, I wish I’d seen it first.)
Bottom Line: A light summer treat to share with the children in your life or your own inner child.
Find tickets at the PlayhouseSquare Ticket Office at http://playhousesquare.org. It’s at the State Theatre Tuesday through Friday evenings at 7:30 pm, Saturdays at 1:30 and 7:30 pm and Sundays at 1:00 and 6:30 pm. through Sunday, August 4, 2013.
[Photo: Joan Marcus]
Laura Kennelly is a freelance arts journalist, a member of the Music Critics Association of North America, and an associate editor of BACH, a scholarly journal devoted to J. S. Bach and his circle.
Cleveland, OH 44115