Disney’s Six Time Tony Award Winning musical, The Lion King is stampeding across the Peace Center stage through September 29th! Tickets are still available. Visit the Peace Center website here to grab yours. Some of the shows have limited availability, so don’t hesitate!
We had the honor of experiencing opening night. The packed out crowd sat mesmerized for two and a half hours as animals of every shape and size sang and danced across the stage. From green grass, to giant giraffes, the costumes were breathtaking!
Photo credit: Matthew MurphyWhatever you do, do NOT miss the opening number! Two minutes into the interactive performance, I was in tears. Not kidding! Actors were so well camouflaged, they became part of the animal, melodiously moving with the rhythm of the music. Tony Award Winning director and designer, Julie Taymor, together with designer Michael Curry, hand painted and sculpted every mask that appears in The Circle of Life opener. Taymor created what she calls “the double event,” which enables the crowd to “see characters as animals and humans at the same time.”
Bravo, Julie! Mission accomplished.
Photo Credit: Deen van Meer Disney’s The Lion King Fun Facts:
- Mufasa, Scar, and Sarabi’s masks each weigh just under one pound! They were made out of the same silicone rubber and carbon fiber used to build airplanes. (This was so fascinating to me – throughout the entire show I could not figure out how they were running around and dancing while wearing the headdresses!)
- Scar and Mufasa both wear two masks – one moves and the other is stationary.
- Every ensemble member plays a hyena.
- There are over 300 costume changes in the show.
- The tour travels with twelve musicians who play over eighty different instruments from all over the world.
- There are five indigenous African languages spoken in the Lion King: Zulu, Xhosa, Sesotho, Setswana, Swahili.
- The Lion King has been performed in nine languages: English, Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Spanish, Mandarin, and Portuguese.
Know Before You Go:
- The running time is 2.5 hours with one fifteen minute intermission. While the show is family-friendly and WILDLY entertaining, very young children might have a tough time sitting for the entire performance.
- I mentioned it above – please, please arrive on time. The opening number is spectacular!
- The cast makes use of the entire auditorium. Keep your eyes peeled and use the restroom before taking your seat.
- Parking garages fill up FAST for this one.
Personal Review:
Disney = excellence. Always. The Lion King is no exception. I told you I teared up during the opening song. Watching the cast from all over the world come together and sing such an iconic song hit me in a way I wasn’t expecting. The whole evening was a beautiful reminder that music and art are universal languages that every human can understand. In that moment, I was immersed in an environment that was bright and blissful. A feeling I would pay for again and again. You should too.
Disney’s The Lion King is a sensational show you do not want to miss!