Four years after it was birthed in Denver, “The Lion King” national tour has completed its circle of life.
Its triumphant return engagement is just as awe-inducing as its first performance in 2002.
Really, what more can be said about “The Lion King?” Well, “timeless” and “unforgettable” now belong atop the list. It not only stands up over time – people stand for it, by the thousands, after every performance. And not just enraptured 13-year-olds – this thing can turn anyone into an enraptured 13-year-old.
What remains most amazing about this exuberant musical is that it ever worked in the first place. After all, it blends such wildly incongruous influences that, on paper, it should clash and crash: Disney populism combined with the singular vision of purist experimental
theater director Julie Taymor? A score that sets gorgeous, percussive African rhythms sung in seven dialects right up against superficial pop tunes by Elton John? Multicultural choreography blending everything from African dance to classic ballet? A dark and disturbing storyline that’s part Shakespearean, part Old Testament and part “Little Shop of Horrors” … for kids?
But together, they create a revolutionary visual spectacle that remains unprecedented in the American theater. “The Lion King” is pure magic from its opening procession of 200 puppets to its final paper sunrise. It’s a celebration of the power of the theater and the potential of human imagination.
We could recount the spectacle … the 25 species of animal puppets, the 12-foot giraffes, the sky full of bird kites, the headdresses containing 3,000 stalks of grass, the 52 wildebeests on wheels that make for a spectacular, 3-D stampede.
We could recount the many examples of Taymor’s theatrical genius that are most remarkable for their utter simplicity … the shadow puppets that toy with our perspective; the streams of ribbon that flow out from tigresses’ eyes to simulate tears. We could recount the multiple remarkable individual performances, ranging from Gugwana Dlamini’s spirit monkey Rafiki to Ta’Rea Campbell’s jaw-dropping rendition of “Shadowlands” as adult Nala.
But what was most indelible in the minds of my youngsters Saturday was how Taymor presents all of her magic openly, making no attempt to hide any of it. Her actors are not wearing stuffed animal costumes. They are marionettes attached to the puppets they bring to life with sticks and their own limbs. So kids get to see their familiar Disney friends as they know them, such as the hornbill bird Zazu and the meerkat Timor, but also, fully, the actors (Timothy McGeever and Damian Baldet) operating them.
Some puppets require as many as four humans to manipulate. Others, such as Mufasa, are played by an actor with only a lion mask perched high above his fully visible face. This allows audiences to focus on either of the animal’s two faces. The effect is to give each character a human and animal duality that personalizes them in ways never before imagined.
One can only hope Disney has not only profited from “The Lion King” but learned from it. Next summer, Denver will be the first city in the world to stage Disney’s first stage adaptation of “The Little Mermaid.”
Here’s hoping the Disney creative team honors the tradition Taymor started with “The Lion King” and uses this next challenge as an opportunity to create more stage magic like we’ve never seen before.
The Lion King” | **** RATING
MUSICAL|National touring production presented by Disney and Denver Center Attractions|Buell Theatre at the Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis streets|THROUGH NOV. 12|8 p.m. Monday-Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday|2 hours, 40 minutes|$20-$75|303-893-4100, 866-464-2626, all King Soopers or denvercenter.org; 800-641-1222 outside Denver
