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Regional Reviews: Phoenix The Lion King
Based somewhat on Shakespeare's Hamlet and the biblical tale of Joseph, The Lion King tells the story of young lion cub Simba and his father Mufasa, who is the king of lions and rules over all of the animals as well. Simba's uncle Scar is jealous of the fact that he is no longer next in line to the throne and comes up with a plan to kill off both his brother and Simba so he can become King. Taymor's puppetry and masks allow the actors to portray a wide range of animals, from actors on stilts to become giraffes, to actors in life-size puppet costumes depicting warthogs and hyenas. It takes only a second for your imagination to overcome the simple nature of some of these elements before you easily see, and marvel at, the theatrical wizardry that Taymor has created. She doesn't mask the mechanics of the majority of her creations, instead letting us see the wheels and pulleys that make the humans into animals—how they are created adds to the magic. "The Circle of Life" is one of the most amazing and magical opening numbers in theatre history. The parade of animals as they come to see the newborn baby Simba at Pride Rock, using almost the entire auditorium, makes you feel like you are in the middle of the procession and is truly breathtaking. Having seen the original Broadway production, right before they opened and became a phenomenon, I was still amazed at this sequence and also at the theatrical abilities Taymor exhibited. This touring production also made me realize how the added African elements of music and costume display the balance between the people and animals to show the country, history and inhabitants of the setting of the show. Taymor and set designer Richard Hudson have crafted some beautiful set and prop pieces, from a lovely sunrise to drops that replicate the desert and the sky. Likewise, lighting designer Donald Holder has created brilliant design elements with a rich color palette that easily suggest multiple settings from a beautiful day in the Savanna, to a starry night as well as a harsh, blazing, scorching day. Taymor's costumes are endless, colorful and imaginative, and the mask and puppets she designed with Michael Curry are unlike any you will ever see. Fortunately, the sets, costumes and cast size for the tour are almost on par with what you would see on Broadway, with just a few slight adjustments, mainly the downsizing of the Pride Rock set piece, but none of this detracts at all from the show. This cast is one of the largest you'll see for a national tour and includes some nice work by all. I especially like L. Steven Taylor as Mufasa; he is the right balance of fighter, father and questioning leader and has a rich singing voice which adds a nice layer to his act one solo "They Live in You." Simba, played when he is young by Nathaniel McIntyre and older by Dashaun Young, has many of the same aspects that Taylor brings to Mufasa. I especially like the rambunctious and playful elements McIntyre brings to the part. Patrick R. Brown as Scar could be a little more menacing, though he does a fine job with his act one solo "Be Prepared." On the comical side, Brown Lindiwe Mkhize as Rafiki, the mandrill who serves somewhat as a narrator of the piece; Andrew Gorell as Zazu, the King's advisor; and Ben Lipitz as Pumbaa and Nick Cordileone as Timon, the warthog and meerkat the young Simba befriends, are all perfectly comical and even somewhat touching in their roles. Lindiwe Mkhize has a beautiful, soaring voice that she uses in the various chants that Rafiki sings as well as in the opening number. Likewise, Lipitz and Cordileone have nice voices which they get to use for two of the most well known songs from the show, "Hakuna Matata" and the opening of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight." One of the best of the songs added for the musical, "Shadowlands," gets a fine presentation by Nia Holloway who plays the grown-up Nala. Now, while The Lion King did win the Tony Award for Best Musical, there are a few things that get in the way of it being a perfect show. The score has been supplemented from its film score with the addition of several songs by Elton John and lyricist Tim Rice, who wrote the songs for the film, as well as some from the film's score composer Hans Zimmer, Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin and even Taymor herself, who wrote the lyrics to one of the songs. While the addition of the African chants and rhythms, mainly from Lebo M, adds much to the show, some of the new songs are poor in comparison to the Oscar winning score and songs. In fact, some of these added moments add nothing to the show and in some ways detract from it. The same could be said for a few of the songs that go on just a little too long as well as a few of the characters, Zazu and Rafiki, hamming it up a little too much, mainly to get the children in the audience to laugh. However, these negatives are outweighed by the theatrical magic on hand—The Lion King is a major achievement in the theatre. The tour at the ASU Gammage through November 17th is an excellent example of a Broadway tour done right. The Lion King runs through November 17th at ASU Gammage, 1200 S. Forest Avenue in Tempe. Tickets can be purchased at www.asugammage.com or by calling 480-965-3434. For more information on the tour, visit www.lionking.com. The Lion King Cast (in order of appearance)
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