"The Lion King" roars
Desire` Aguirre
Issue date: 11/23/09 Section: Entertainment
I admit it. When "The Lion King" first came out on the big screen, I used my children as an excuse to go see it. I enjoyed the music, the animation and the lessons it taught me as a parent and a person. When it came out as a Broadway musical, I didn't think it would be possible to recreate the characters or the scenery in a live performance. I was wrong.
"The Lion King," Broadways ninth longest running show in history, came to the INB in Spokane on Nov. 11 and plays until Dec. 6. The show opened in New York on Nov. 13, 1997, and won six Tony awards in 1998.
The show begins with exotic African wildlife, brought to life through amazing puppetry, parading through the audience. INB had to remove some of the seats to make enough room for the event. The combination of the pageantry and music brought tears of pure joy to my eyes.
Julie Taymor, a director and designer, staged "The Lion King." She worked with Michael Curry, a leading puppeteer, to design the masks, which were constructed from organic material, such as wood and fiber. Because masks lack animation, Taymor decided to make them more like puppets, so that the faces of the performers could be left open for expression. The result, delightfully colorful and dynamic characters that goes beyond the movie. The creations, works of art, colorful and textured, successfully came to life on stage as puppets and in real life size animals that sing and dance.
Richard Hudson worked with Taymor to design the scenery. Pride Rock and the Elephant Graveyard, exact opposites, were the main scenes. Everything moves. In fact, the grass and the plants even dance. The visuals astound and amaze. At one point, a pool of water seemed to shrink and disappear as the land dries up. And in another scene, Mufasa, the original lion king, appears in the stars like a gigantic mask.
Elton John composed the music, which has African rhythms, and Tim Rice wrote the lyrics. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," received an Oscar award. The rich African harmonies are punctuated with two sets of percussion drums set up on both sides of the stage. Although most of the lyrics are in English, Rafiki, the baboon, often sings in a rich South African dialect complete with tongue clicks.
The show never seems to slow down. A young Simba follows his father, prancing in the moving, living grass, tumbling about and playing with Nala, his childhood sweetheart. An older, but not yet wiser, Simba swings in on a rope as the young Simba runs off stage, finishing the song without skipping a beat. The dancing mesmerizes and adds a third dimension to the entire performance.
"The Lion King" will be at the INB until Dec. 6. This is a must see performance and a great show to bring the kids and grandkids to.
"The Lion King," Broadways ninth longest running show in history, came to the INB in Spokane on Nov. 11 and plays until Dec. 6. The show opened in New York on Nov. 13, 1997, and won six Tony awards in 1998.
The show begins with exotic African wildlife, brought to life through amazing puppetry, parading through the audience. INB had to remove some of the seats to make enough room for the event. The combination of the pageantry and music brought tears of pure joy to my eyes.
Julie Taymor, a director and designer, staged "The Lion King." She worked with Michael Curry, a leading puppeteer, to design the masks, which were constructed from organic material, such as wood and fiber. Because masks lack animation, Taymor decided to make them more like puppets, so that the faces of the performers could be left open for expression. The result, delightfully colorful and dynamic characters that goes beyond the movie. The creations, works of art, colorful and textured, successfully came to life on stage as puppets and in real life size animals that sing and dance.
Richard Hudson worked with Taymor to design the scenery. Pride Rock and the Elephant Graveyard, exact opposites, were the main scenes. Everything moves. In fact, the grass and the plants even dance. The visuals astound and amaze. At one point, a pool of water seemed to shrink and disappear as the land dries up. And in another scene, Mufasa, the original lion king, appears in the stars like a gigantic mask.
Elton John composed the music, which has African rhythms, and Tim Rice wrote the lyrics. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," received an Oscar award. The rich African harmonies are punctuated with two sets of percussion drums set up on both sides of the stage. Although most of the lyrics are in English, Rafiki, the baboon, often sings in a rich South African dialect complete with tongue clicks.
The show never seems to slow down. A young Simba follows his father, prancing in the moving, living grass, tumbling about and playing with Nala, his childhood sweetheart. An older, but not yet wiser, Simba swings in on a rope as the young Simba runs off stage, finishing the song without skipping a beat. The dancing mesmerizes and adds a third dimension to the entire performance.
"The Lion King" will be at the INB until Dec. 6. This is a must see performance and a great show to bring the kids and grandkids to.
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alexlobsters
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posted 1/21/10 @ 12:47 AM PST
I must admit, great issues about "The Lion King"...
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