Review: Broadway Across Canada's The Lion King a fully immersive experience
Article content
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.
Article content
Article content
The imagination is completely engaged. In an era dominated by endless, exhausting, digital noise, this feels like no less than a miracle.
Article content
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.
Article content
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.
Article content
Article content
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.
Article content
Article content
Article content
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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Ottawa Citizen
40 minutes ago
- Ottawa Citizen
Author Maria Reva's return to Ukraine inspired her to complete novel
In 2023, Maria Reva and her sister were on a train hurtling through a Ukrainian night toward the battle-scarred city of Kherson. They were hoping to reach their grandfather, still there in the midst of carnage. It was crisis time for Reva in more ways than one. The novel she had started to write back in Canada was in jeopardy: what she had originally envisaged as a lighthearted romp satirizing Ukraine's controversial 'romance' tours had been upended by Russian aggression. Article content Article content 'I initially felt I had two choices,' the award-winning Canadian writer says now. 'I could keep writing the novel as though nothing happened in real time. Or I could give up on it.' Article content Ultimately, she didn't give up. That return to Ukraine helped her find a way back in, and her debut novel, Endling, has now been published to international acclaim. Typical is the verdict of revered American novelist Percival Everett: 'I love works that are smarter than I am, and this is one.' He's talking about a daring, genre-bending achievement in which Reva herself becomes a recurring presence in the course of a fast-paced narrative. Article content 'I gave up on it multiple times,' she tells Postmedia from her home on Canada's West Coast. 'I honestly did not envisage any future for it beyond finishing it.' Article content In the midst of this struggle came the need to return to the embattled country of her birth. Reva was seven when she and her family emigrated to Canada in 1997. She had been back many time since — 'but I had a sense of terror when I thought of going to Ukraine this time.' Still, she would adjust to the psychology of a country under siege. Once there, as the sisters moved eastward in the hope of reaching their grandfather, 'the sense of danger became more and more normalized.' Yet danger was definitely present. Article content Article content 'On the train during the night, the conductor asked us to keep the blinds down so that we would not emit any light because trains had become a target for the Russians. The way that my sister and I thought of it was that we were in a closed moving coffin.' Article content The moment came when they could go no further. They would not reach the grandfather they loved. Article content 'It was very difficult accepting limitations on what I was capable of,' Reva says sombrely. 'I think that's why my fiction allows me the fantasy of going where I could not.' So a grandfather figure does play a seminal role in the novel she was able to complete. Article content Reva's lighter side surfaced on late-night television a few weeks ago with her cheerfully discussing the sex life of snails with NBC host Seth Meyers. She might have seemed light-years away from the horrors of Ukraine but in fact she was talking about the very same book, Endling, that had confronted her with so many challenges.
Calgary Herald
43 minutes ago
- Calgary Herald
Author Maria Reva's return to Ukraine inspired her to complete novel
In 2023, Maria Reva and her sister were on a train hurtling through a Ukrainian night toward the battle-scarred city of Kherson. They were hoping to reach their grandfather, still there in the midst of carnage. It was crisis time for Reva in more ways than one. The novel she had started to write back in Canada was in jeopardy: what she had originally envisaged as a lighthearted romp satirizing Ukraine's controversial 'romance' tours had been upended by Russian aggression. Article content Article content 'I initially felt I had two choices,' the award-winning Canadian writer says now. 'I could keep writing the novel as though nothing happened in real time. Or I could give up on it.' Article content Ultimately, she didn't give up. That return to Ukraine helped her find a way back in, and her debut novel, Endling, has now been published to international acclaim. Typical is the verdict of revered American novelist Percival Everett: 'I love works that are smarter than I am, and this is one.' He's talking about a daring, genre-bending achievement in which Reva herself becomes a recurring presence in the course of a fast-paced narrative. Article content 'I gave up on it multiple times,' she tells Postmedia from her home on Canada's West Coast. 'I honestly did not envisage any future for it beyond finishing it.' Article content In the midst of this struggle came the need to return to the embattled country of her birth. Reva was seven when she and her family emigrated to Canada in 1997. She had been back many time since — 'but I had a sense of terror when I thought of going to Ukraine this time.' Still, she would adjust to the psychology of a country under siege. Once there, as the sisters moved eastward in the hope of reaching their grandfather, 'the sense of danger became more and more normalized.' Yet danger was definitely present. Article content Article content 'On the train during the night, the conductor asked us to keep the blinds down so that we would not emit any light because trains had become a target for the Russians. The way that my sister and I thought of it was that we were in a closed moving coffin.' Article content The moment came when they could go no further. They would not reach the grandfather they loved. Article content 'It was very difficult accepting limitations on what I was capable of,' Reva says sombrely. 'I think that's why my fiction allows me the fantasy of going where I could not.' So a grandfather figure does play a seminal role in the novel she was able to complete. Article content Reva's lighter side surfaced on late-night television a few weeks ago with her cheerfully discussing the sex life of snails with NBC host Seth Meyers. She might have seemed light-years away from the horrors of Ukraine but in fact she was talking about the very same book, Endling, that had confronted her with so many challenges.
Edmonton Journal
an hour ago
- Edmonton Journal
What to know before you attend the Weeknd concert this weekend
If you're One of the Girls or a Starboy or just a big fan of The Weeknd, and are going to Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday to see the Canadian music star perform as part of his After Hours Til Dawn tour, the city is giving out some tips to ensure your concert experience will run smoothly. Article content Article content Bags that are clear plastic, vinyl or PVC and don't exceed 12 inches x 12 inches x six inches are allowed. Small clutch bags that aren't clear, and don't exceed 4.5 inches x 6.5 inches are also allowed inside the stadium. Article content Fans without bags can use the express lanes. Exceptions to this policy will be made for all medically necessary items after inspection and approval. Article content A limited bag check for a $20 fee will be available on a first-come first-serve basis. The service is located on the east side of Stadium Road, near the Gate 9 entrance. Article content Where to buy merchandise Article content While there will be several merchandise tables and locations around the stadium, there will be an opportunity to beat the long lineups. Article content Article content Starting at 12 p.m. merchandise will be available for sale on the west side, by Gate 6, and east side by Gate 9. Article content Article content Free transit Article content If you're taking transit to the concert, show your ticket as proof of payment when boarding any ETS bus or LRT, and your concert ticket acts as a transit ticket. It's valid far up to 90 minutes before the concert. Article content Park and Ride is available from several locations including Eaux Claires lot (97 Street and 157 Avenue), NAIT lots (109 Street and 118 Avenue). An ETS shuttle will also run from Churchill Station (100 Street and 102 Avenue) to take concert-goers to and from the event. Article content Parking Article content There is no parking at Commonwealth Stadium and there are parking restrictions in the neighbourhoods around the stadium. Only residents with valid parking passes can park on the streets around the stadium. Article content The Commonwealth LRT parking lot closes at 5 p.m. on Saturday. It's encouraged to consider other forms of transportation to get to the concert.
