Latest news with #JulieTaymor
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Review: Broadway Across Canada's The Lion King a fully immersive experience
To see the 2025 version of The Lion King now on stage at the Jubilee Auditorium is to enjoy a full-mind-and-body, totally 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 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 Review: A brilliant pair of performances shine in Teatro's The Odd Couple REVIEW: Def Leppard, Joan Jett, Queensrÿche a killer kickoff to Rockin' Thunder You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun.
CTV News
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Broadway Across Canada The Lion King
Giraffes strut. Birds swoop. Gazelles leap. The entire Serengeti comes to life as never before. And as the music soars, Pride Rock slowly emerges from the mist. More than 100 million people around the world have experienced the awe-inspiring visual artistry, the unforgettable music, and the uniquely theatrical storytelling of this Broadway spectacular – one of the most breathtaking and beloved productions ever to grace the stage. Winner of six Tony Awards®, including Best Musical, The Lion King brings together one of the most imaginative creative teams on Broadway. Tony Award®-winning director Julie Taymor brings to life a story filled with hope and adventure set against an amazing backdrop of stunning visuals. The Lion King also features the extraordinary work of Tony Award®-winning choreographer Garth Fagan and some of Broadway's most recognizable music, crafted by Tony Award®-winning artists Elton John and Tim Rice. There is simply nothing else like The Lion King. Disney's The Lion King at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre from August 20th to September 14th! For more information click here.
CBC
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
In 1997, Julie Taymor pulled off the 'impossible' with The Lion King musical
Nearly 30 years ago, American theatre director Julie Taymor was approached to adapt The Lion King into a stage musical. At the time, she had never seen the hit Disney movie. "I think they were shocked I hadn't seen it," Taymor tells Q 's Tom Power in an interview. "I was just busy. I was doing lots of things, but when I did see it — they sent me a video — I loved it." Today, The Lion King musical is the highest-grossing production of all time, in theatre or in film, taking over $10 billion US worldwide. But many thought it couldn't be done due to the massive challenge of adapting an epic animated film for the stage. WATCH | Julie Taymor's full interview with Tom Power: After watching the movie, Taymor says there was one particularly challenging scene that convinced her to take on the project. "It was that stampede that was the turning point for me to go, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've got to do this,'" she says. "Because it's so not theatre, because it's impossible." Drawing on her knowledge of puppetry and theatrical traditions from all around the world, Taymor knew she would find a way to pull it off using a combination of different techniques. "You start with a piano roll and all of the wildebeest are painted — teeny-teeny on a back piano roll going down," she explains. "That's the wide long shot. And then in front of that, looking towards the audience, is a big rolling barrel with small, about 12-inch relief sculptures of wildebeest…. In front of that, we had the female dancers each holding two larger masks of the wildebeest heads … and then finally, the closest to the audience, are these eight-foot masks of wildebeest that are used like shields by the male dancers. It looked like hundreds and hundreds of wildebeest. That was fun to figure out." WATCH | Disney's The Lion King: The production features more than 200 puppets, including rod puppets, shadow puppets and full-body puppets. With the more elaborate puppets, the audience can see the performer inside operating them. Taymor calls this approach the "double event." It allows the audience to watch the animal puppet as well as the performer's facial expressions. "What we have is this appreciation of the art of making theatre," Taymore says. "If I'm going to take it from a 2D animated film, we need to do what theatre can do better than film. Better in the sense of being totally enveloping and the idea that you can appreciate the story and the technique simultaneously, that they're both rich experiences." The Lion King musical is playing now at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto. It runs until Aug. 30.
