‘The Lion King’ musical wows in OKC return
Almost 20 years after its Broadway coronation, “The Lion King” continues to reign supreme.
From grade-schoolers to graybeards, the sold-out Oklahoma City audience at the May 11 Civic Center Music Hall performance was enthralled from the moment Rafiki the baboon (the buoyant Buyi Zama) called out “Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba” (roughly translated from Zulu as “There comes a lion”) to set the “Circle of Life” in motion.
Since the national tour is making just its second Oklahoma City stop, with shows continuing through May 28, many ticketholders, like my 6-year-old daughter Brenna, are seeing the third-longest running musical in Broadway history for the first time. But even if you’ve seen it before, as I had, “The Lion King” loses none of its majesty with repeat viewings. From the towering giraffes striding toward Pride Rock to the enormous elephant bounding down the aisle toward the stage, the stunning opening number sweeps viewers away to the Serengeti.
But thesix-time Tonywinning blockbusterstill boasts plenty of visual thrills even after Rafiki dramatically hefts the lovable lion cub puppet to close the “Circle.” Under the visionary direction and costume design of Julie Taymor, who won Tonys for both, the show uses elaborate puppets, masks, stilts, headpieces, kites and costumes to bring to life a menagerie of African creatures.
Even the grass springs brilliantly to life in the Mouse House’s unparalleled spectacle, the flora singing and swirling around the handsomely crafted fauna.
The adaptation remains faithful to Disney’s adored 1994 animated film with its Shakespearean plot and its Academy Award-honored music, while making the stage version more authentically reflect the setting. To go with the five songs included from the film, cinematic songwriters Elton John and Tim Rice composed additional music for the stage, which was augmented with African-inspired melodies created by Lebo M., Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin and Hans Zimmer, who earned an Oscar for scoring the movie.
Six indigenous African languages are sung and spoken during the musical, and Tony-winning choreographer Garth Fagan drew inspiration from African wildlife when he devised the show’s innovative choreography. “The Lioness Dance,” in which lovely and lethal huntresses bring down an antelope, is an especially impressive feat given the nimble grace the performers were able to achieve even in headpieces and capes.
The puppets, masks and costumes are clearly inspired by African folk art, and beyond their sheer ingenuity, the now-iconic designs by Taymor and puppet master Michael Curry represent the bold risk that has helped “The Lion King” achieve its long reign.
The musical shows the audience its strings —quite literally in the case of the oversize cheetah puppet.
The production revels in theater magic: frisky shadow play depicts a mouse creeping into a dark cave, a piano roll cunningly creates the harrowing wildebeest stampede, and the inventive, gorgeous puppets are clearly shown for what they are. Drew Hirshfield, pluckily portraying the fussy hornbill Zazu, even uproariously plays up his separation from his feathered hand puppet during the bouncy number “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King.”
Letting the audience see
Disney’s ‘The Lion King’
7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays through May 28. There will be no evening performance May 28.
Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N Walker
www.okcbroadway. com or 297-2264 the magic only seemed to boost its potency, creating an even more immersive experience, one that wasn’t bound to the stage. My daughter jumped when hyenas came yipping and dashing between the seats during the military march “Be Prepared,” and marveled at the bird kites soaring above her at the start of the second act.
The multitasking cast did their part to make the magic work, singing, dancing, acting and operating puppets with admirable dexterity. Gerald Ramsey regally brought both warmth and gravitas to the role of King Mufasa, while Mark Campbell was deliciously duplicitous as the king’s sinister brother, Scar.
Nick Cordileone and Ben Lipitz formed a captivating comedic duo as Timon, the meerkat, and Pumbaa, the warthog, their timing matched only by their easy vocal prowess on the entertaining tunes “Hakuna Matata” and “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”
Despite only making his debut at the tail end of the first act, Dashaun Young quickly proved himself worth of the kingly role of Simba, his mighty voice shining as brightly as the striking simulated stars on the lament “Endless Night.” He and Nia Holloway, playing his lioness love interest Nala, boasted keen romantic chemistry on the Oscar-winning ballad “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” but it was Holloway who provided the night’s musical highlight with the beautifully understated ode “Shadowland.”
Naturally, the performance wasn’t perfect; part of the charm of live performance is its imperfections. A few moments when the singing, dancing and puppeteering performers were muffled by the prodigious pack of musicians are mere quibbles in the grand scheme of things.
And shows just don’t get much grander than “The Lion King.”