Thinking about the future: Nala (Ava Brennan) and Simba (Jonathan Andrew Hume). Photo Credit Johan Persson
Despite most of my nieces and nephews, along with their parents, having made their merry way to see The Lion King over the years, I had yet to take the plunge. Far from being a sign of avoidance, other shows have competed for and captured my interest with greater success.
But when faced with an invitation to celebrate the West End’s best selling stage production’s 16th birthday, I had no choice but to say yes – and I’m glad I did.
After wading through a sizeable and excitable crowd of children, teenagers and adults of all ages hovering outside Lyceum Theatre to collect my tickets, the security staff and booking office team look stressed. They confirm that this sight, as if One Direction is in town, is a daily ritual.
Inside the theatre bristles with energy, like waiting for a new and much anticipated show. When the music starts, to my left I spy a beautifully crafted life size elephant strolling down the aisle while overhead, a man and a woman sing sweetly in Swahili backed by driving percussion. I have to accept that this isn’t going to be your standard musical fare.
The now over familiar storyline feels paper thin (young lion cub Simba (Geoffrey Berrisford) wants to be a strong king like his father Mufasa (Shaun Escoffery), but is left bereft when his father is murdered by his jealous brother Scar (George Asprey) who frames Simba, who in grief decides to exile himself for years thinking that he did, in fact, kill his father, only to return to claim his birthright).
The ensemble cast showcase themselves as a variety of animals with great elegance. Photo Credit Johan Persson
In any other production, this simple clichéd storyline would be a turn-off. With The Lion King, the story is transformed into one of the most visually arresting, sumptuous, innovative and imaginative pieces of staging I’ve seen in many a year. It draws out your inner child and sweeps you along on a mental journey where you question what you are seeing. How did they get what looks like a 30 foot high 3D face of a talking lion, which seems like a hologram but isn’t, onto the stage?
The superb level of puppetry (the stalking cheetah has to be seen), dance (from ballet to traditional Zulu dance) and staging (how the cast avoid falling down the many gaps which appear on the moving stage is a mystery) is all down to Julie Taymor. As a movement coach, she is a genius as the actors have to work with attached props while moving like the animals they represent.
The charming and funny Brown Lindiwe Mkhize as Rafiki. Photo Credit Johan Persson
It’s clear why Taymor is the first woman to ever win a Tony Award for best director of a musical (although it is also disturbing it took so long for a woman to win in this category). Her innovation and ability to bring many creative skills to the production, including classic myths through ritualised puppetry, mask and movement, would soften the most hardened critic’s heart.
Some of the performances are exquisite, particularly Zazu (Howard Gossington), Rafiki (the charming and funny Brown Lindiwe Mkhize) and the adult Nala (Ava Brennan). The adult Simba (Jonathan Andrew Hume), though extremely handsome and physically dexterous, is a bit too Disney and shouty for me. And while many of the songs are charming and warm, nothing lingered in my mind.
It’s also inspiring to see so many different black artists from here and African countries, with many performing in their native tongue, on a West End stage.
Despite being 16 years old, there is a freshness and vibrancy to the production. If, like me, you were one of the few who had yet to see The Lion King, it has to be seen to be believed.
By Joy Francis
Date: The Lion King plays Tuesday to Saturday at 7.30pm with matinee performances on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at 2.30pm. There is no performance on a Monday evening.
Venue: Lyceum Theatre, 21 Wellington Street, London WC2E 7RQ
Booking: 0844 871 3000 |Tickets are currently on sale until March 2016 for individual bookings and July 2016 for group bookings.
Website: www.thelionking.co.uk