Review: Broadway Across Canada's The Lion King a fully immersive experience
Settling into your seats, you'll notice two musicians with large African drum kits on either side of the stage preparing for their roles, a thrilling hint of what's to come. But when Rafiki the mandrill (Mukelisiwe Goba is wise and mysterious in the role) welcomes the future king Simba to the rolling plains of Tanzania as a score of animals (including an elephant) parade down the aisles of the theatre and on to the stage, audience members feel at one with the rocky outcrops and swaying grasses of the Serengeti. Performers on stilts as giraffes are shadows against the red-orange sky; antelope mounted atop multi-wheeled bicycles spring effortlessly across the landscape.
The imagination is completely engaged. In an era dominated by endless, exhausting, digital noise, this feels like no less than a miracle.
Over almost 30 years, the multiple Tony-award-winning Disney story of the lion cub Simba exiled following the death of his father king Mufasa has grown into an integral part of the musical theatre canon. As the third-longest-running and the highest-grossing show on Broadway (pulling in $1.8 billion by 2023), it's fast becoming a tale as old as time.
And for good reason. Soulful, upbeat tunes by Elton John and Tim Rice combine with Julie Taymor's impressively expansive touch as director and costume designer alongside breathtaking choreography by Garth Fagan to marry a simple coming-of-age story with the powerful history, music and landscape of Africa. The result lodges stubbornly in the heart.
The first act of the show reveals the Shakespearean tension between Mufasa (the warmly paternal Darnell Abraham) and his brother, Scar (Peter Hargrave is perfect as the two-faced, scheming villain). The young Simba of this production (Julian Villela in the show I saw Saturday night) plays the open-hearted boy cub with all the boisterous bravado the role requires, falling easily into the murderous plot executed by Scar and his henchmen, a circling hackle of hyenas that terrify and amuse by turns. The African red-billed hornbill Zazu (Drew Hirshfield in a pitch-perfect representation) provides enough levity in the first act to keep the little ones in the audience from feeling too despondent.
But it is the second act in which the humour of The Lion King takes off as Simba fights to assume his rightful throne with the encouragement of his friends. The meerkat Timon (with Canadian-born Robert Creighton behind the puppet) and warthog Pumbaa (Danny Grumich) are hilarious; a robust series of fart jokes delights the family-forward audience. Yet there is room for the brave acts, and the love story between Simba and Nala to unfold.
Part of the genius of The Lion King, which has been in Edmonton once or twice before, is its seemingly effortless ability to construct a living world before your very eyes. The audience feels surrounded by the colour and vibrancy of the savannah as the stage roils with dancers dressed as trees, plants, birds and startlingly large mammals. The soaring cliff that provides so much drama rolls effortlessly on and off the stage; the wildebeest rampage is heart-stopping. Rivers seem both deep and wide.
The technical scaffolding of the show is mind-boggling. Yet the stagecraft never supersedes the humanity of The Lion King. People, well, animals, are always at the centre of the story. There is sadness and squabbles, but also jubilation and jokes. While the show's commercial priorities are never in doubt, it pays homage to its African inspiration. Six indigenous African languages can be heard in the show's spoken words and music, and several cast members were born in Africa.
The Lion King features an ensemble for the ages with more than 50 singers, actors and dancers, plus another three dozen stage professionals within the crew. That doesn't even count the 10 musicians in the orchestra conducted by Karl Shymanovitz. If it takes a village to raise a child, well, perhaps it requires a similarly sized theatrical commitment to bring a musical classic to eternal life on stage.
Words and music by Elton John and Tim Rice and book by Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi
Director: Julie Taymor
Where: Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, 11455 87 Ave.
When: Through July 27
Tickets: From $64 at ticketmaster.ca or by calling 1-855-985-4357. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the box office at the Jubilee Auditorium. Check for applicable hours at jubileeauditorium.com
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