✭Matinée Wednesday: Round Two…
When I was nine, in 1994, The Lion King was the coolest! Disney struck gold with this animated treasure. Huge stars like Whoopie Goldberg and Nathan Lane voiced characters and Sir Elton John composed beautiful, memorable songs that we all still know the words to. Four years later, the Broadway adaptation won the 1998 Tony Award for Best Musical…. and that’s the season I saw the show!
Like last week’s entry, the tickets for this show were a Christmas gift. Coincidentally, also like last week’s entry, this show is about a bunch of cats. However, where Cats lacked any plot-line, The Lion King was heavily influenced by William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Pretty heavy stuff to be aimed at kids, no? Not to say that The Lion King is a diluted version of Hamlet, because the drama and conflict is real, the production handles all of that wonderfully.
Telling the story with the aid of vibrant sets, engaging costumes, and the methodical and rhythmic dancing, which transports you to an African plain, it is no surprise that the production won Tony Awards for “Best Scenic Design for a Musical,” “Best Costume Design for a Musical” and “Best Choreography.” Then, of course, there is the music. Songs like “Circle of Life,” “Hakuna Matata,” and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” should certainly provide clarity as to why the production was also nominated for “Best Original Score” (although it did not win).
Unlike the movie, the Broadway production has never had an ensemble cast comprising of big-name stars. In fact, when I saw it, the biggest name they had was Max Casella, AKA, Doogie Howser’s BFF, Vinnie. He was Timon. Obviously. Nevertheless, the show is just entering it’s twelfth season, having grossed $1,166,487… last week alone! …which makes it one of the most successful shows currently running.
[Fun Fact: Unlike most Broadway Shows, Disney’s production of The Lion King did not use ‘Playbill’ to print the show’s programs. At first, they used ‘Stagebill,’ a competitor. However, when Disney moved the production from the New Amsterdam Theatre (which they own) to the Minskoff Theatre (which they do not), they were required to switch to ‘Playbill.’]
