Play review

On April 24th in Philadelphia P.A at the Kimmel Center I went to see the Lion King.
If you love theatre, you will love the Lion King. As the curtain opens, a procession of
extravagantly-colored animals bound on stage and a powerful African melody starts up,
transporting you from the grayness of Drury Lane to the majesty of the Serengeti plains
I went with my step mother to see the production, with great trepidation, at first I did not
want to attend the performance but I am glad I did and from the moment the action
started I was captivated by the colors and songs and sat gawping, wide-eyed, and
excitedly tapping my feet to the beat throughout. I was astonished at how interested I was in the play after I argued all day with my parents that I did not want to go.
Many critics thought it would be impossible to recreate the epic color and crazy
menagerie of the Disney film on stage, but they were wrong. The costumes and puppetry
of the production are outstanding, with masks and headdresses representing the animals
rather than attempting to disguise the actors - which would have resulted in a somewhat
ridiculous, cartoon effect.
Simba (the lion prince), Mufasa (his father, the king) and Scar (the villain) have lion
masks above their heads and giraffe actors gracefully negotiate the stage on stilts, but
the most ingenious creations are the hyenas - their rear legs belong to the actors, who
control the mechanical front legs and head.
At all times you are clearly aware humans are controlling the costumes, but that does not
detract at all, in fact it gives the production a far more natural feel. Zazu (the king's aide)
is actually a man holding a bird puppet above his head. It sounds slightly silly, but it
works...honest! The actors are helped by the choreography, which cleverly blends the
movements of the animal into the dancing.
The plot has several familiar themes. Simba, son of the king of lions, is forced into exile
by his evil uncle Scar after the death of his father, Mufasa. Scar, having got his nephew
out of the way, seizes power with the help of a hyena army. Simba goes through a rite of
passage in the wilderness before returning to claim his rightful throne.
Ultimately a musical lives or dies by its score. The Lion King's is excellent and blends
together Elton John and Tim Rice's classic musical numbers in the western tradition with
rhythmic African beats and haunting melodies. Despite the hype around hits such as
Circle of Life and Can You Feel The Love Tonight, it is the African sounds that really draw
the audience in and give the production its character. They let the cast showcase their
great voices, particularly Alexia Khadime (Nala) and Brown Lindiwe Mkhize (Rafiki).
Mkhize has one of the finest voices I have ever heard.
As for the acting, the real stars are Cody Ryan Wise, who plays the role of the young
Simba with amazing maturity, and Derek Smith who plays dastardly villain Scar to a tee.
John Plumpis and Ben Lipitz, as Timon and Pumbaa (the meerkat and warthog who
befriend Simba in exile), provide brilliant comedy.
All in all, The Lion King is a great day out and I would recommend it to anyone who
wants to escape into a magical world for a few hours. As far as plays go where they take a Disney film and make it into a play I could honestly say that this was the best play I have seen and I know that any child and adult would love it