We All Can’t Wait!
An Analysis of “The Lion King”
By Molly Miller
You are sitting on a soft, velvet seat as crimson curtains open on a very impressive stage. There are a handful of musicians on the side of the stage, playing percussion instruments and on the stage itself is a large, revolving rock. The only thing missing from the stage are actors. You look around, wondering if the play is actually beginning. Just then- a voice rings throughout the theatre "Nants ingonyama bagithi baba!" A shiver runs through you as a figure appears onstage, followed quickly by a light on a figure upon a balcony. This figure has giant horns upon his head and he chants a little more African. By this time your heart is pounding as a giant elephant comes through the audience, followed by a baby elephant and actors dressed as African creatures of every kind! They all walk onto the stage and show off with dances, finally gathering underneath the rock to watch a lion and a lioness, accompanied by a baboon- the first figure on stage- present their newly arrived cub.
For many children (and a few adults too) going to see “The Lion King” on Broadway is something to be dreamt of and begged for. I was one of those children. Well, one of those adults, actually, because I begged my parents for the tickets until at last, for my 18th birthday, my mom said we could go. I waited for the trip with much anticipation and excitement. On the way up to the cities I played my soundtrack and, much to the annoyance of my mom and brother, sang along.
When we arrived at the theatre, everything happened like in a dream and at the first few notes my heart and mind started racing. “I can’t believe I’m here. This is really happening! I’m at The Lion King!” I said to myself over and over again. Feeling proud that my family was able to spend a little extra cash to come see this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I was determined that the show would blow me away!
In all honesty, I was blown away for most of it. The big musical numbers were very good. I almost cried in “Circle of Life”, “I just can’t wait to be king” and “Hakuna Matata” were the most fun I’ve had in a long while, “Can you feel the love tonight” was inspiring, and “be prepared” was a phenomenal picture in red and black smoke! They were done with incredible singing and set and the dancing was spectacular! I think my favorite scene was the stampede sequence. The set was a bunch of raised platforms with a big wheel in the back on which was attached many small puppets of wildebeests. The wheel turned and made it look like the puppets were running. Then, from behind the first raised platform came a number of actors/wildebeests who ran in place. Then on the second platform came in more actors/wildebeests who ran in place next to Simba (who also ran in place) and was quickly surrounded by even more actors/wildebeests. They acted out the whole scene and when Mufassa fell they used a strobe light to add effect.
Despite these musical masterpieces, there were a numerous amount of songs that were met with little excitement at all. “Madness of King Scar” was especially cut short of its potential. Besides cutting at least half of the actual song, the acting was uninterested and rushed. This happened during “One by One” as well, and “Shadowland.” The actors just all of a sudden seemed like they didn’t want to be in the play anymore and they just wanted it over. So they rushed important lines and skipped important ideas. They got the humor really well, and forgot to take joy in the dramatic moments, which left them feeling empty and stupid.
This made me very disappointed. Those songs that were affected were some of my favorites and it didn’t seem fair that they would be diminished like that. Are actors not supposed to swallow that feeling of weariness and act like it is the first time they’ve done the play every time they perform it? It seems to me that getting involved and actually pretending that you are in the story is the only way to make a show like “The Lion King” work. Because everything about “The Lion King” is reliant on the suspension of reality, the actors must be in character every second they are onstage. If the cast had just relaxed and enjoyed being in “The Lion King” as much as I enjoyed watching it, it could have been the best show I’d ever seen!
I do have to give credit to one actress who pulled off her role with delightful spunk. That was Rafiki. I loved Rafiki. She went around, interacting with the audience and talking in African- making jokes that left her, and the audience, laughing profusely. Despite her heavy costume and shortened legs, she hopped around like nobody’s business! She, out of all the cast, seemed the only one who truly enjoyed performing the wonderful story.
The chorus did a good job as well. I could not see them liking the performance all the time- but then, they weren’t onstage the entire time either. In “Circle of Life” the cheetah was my favorite. She strode onto the set with such attitude that I had to smile. Little moments like that made me like the performance, despite the fact that the cast seemed to be having no fun at all.
If I had the opportunity to go again, I would. I can’t tell if that stems from actually liking the play enough, disliking it so much that I want to make sure my point was valid, or just because I like the music so much that the acting only comes second to me. Whatever the reason, I think if I did go again I would want it to be on Broadway instead of the touring group. That way I could compare the acting and, hopefully, be completely blown away! Oh I just can’t wait for another opportunity to see it!
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