The Lion King

On Thursday night, my brothers (Daniel and Benjamin) and Jonathon and I all went to see The Lion King on Broadway. I was excited to see it because I had heard good things about it, but was also skeptical that it could compare to the other Broadways that I had seen like Les Miserables or Phantom.

The production took place in the Minskoff theatre, which is located in the heart of Times Square. The theatre was made of glass, so before the performance started, we were treated to a spectacular view of the hustle and bustle of the city. Jonathon and I were sitting in our customary seats--the very last row, in the corner. (It has become somewhat of an unwanted tradition). Even with the worst seats in the house, the view was great and we really had no reason to complain.

My skepticism turned out to be completely uncalled for. The production had me completely enthralled from the opening song. I was completely blown away be the costumes, the music, the scenery, and the staging. I cannot accurately describe how the cast was able to make you believe that they were portraying animals, but it worked! During the Circle of Life song, all of the animals gradually came on stage. Cheetahs, lions, antelope, and giraffes walked across the stage looking graceful and believable. A huge elephant even entered the stage via the main aisleway drawing cheers from all of us. It was incredible, and I would highly recommend it to anyone. It was definitely different than the plays that I had previously seen, but no less enjoyable or amazing.

Our view from the Theatre

left--Scar and Young Simba

right--Rafiki with antelope in the background

Nala, the lioness