A Night with the Lion King by Paige Eagles

Go see it for an evening of magic. Go see it for an night of fantasy. For whatever reason, I urge you to see The Lion King at Arizona State University’s Gammage Auditorium. Imagine the timeless Disney cartoon that you experienced with your own child or watched as a child mixed with phenomenal music from Grammy and Tony Award winners Time Rice and Elton John - now multiply that to the tenth degree. This show is filled with beautiful dancing, powerful singing, and the most creative and spectacular set, costume and production design by Julie Taymor. Ms. Taymor directed, designed and conceived last year’s hit film, Across the Universe, featuring the songs of the Beatles. Her visual artistry is evident everywhere in the Lion King. Photo from Washington Post By Joan Marcus
Overall, the cast does an excellent job of making you feel part of the story. You become emotionally connected with the performance. If only for a night, you feel a part of the “Circle of Life”. I wondered how could the African Pride land be portrayed on a stage? The performance is not limited to the floors of the stage. The cast utilizes the entire theatre as birds soar through the air, elephants tramp down the aisles and giraffes stretch across the stage. This performance is not limited to a person‘s imagination as it exceeds reality and allows magic to be real.
The Lion King embodied all things African - the scenery, variety of exotic animals, the tribal music and dialect and of course, the unforgettable orange sun. It is refreshing to see a work pay homage to such a continent.
Another great aspect of The Lion King is the two child stars, playing the roles of young Simba and Nala. The duo truly held their own weight and added to the wonder of show.
One of my favorite characters is the sage baboon, Rafiki, played by Phindile Mkhize. This woman stole the show with her powerful voice and natural African spirit, as she is native to South Africa. For Ms. Mkhize, this is her debut in this role for The Lion King’s National Tour. She is a tremendous performer, as she has been in Sarafina 2, Mamma, Maria Maria, and WozaMyFohloza prior to joining this cast. Being an African American woman myself, it is a pleasure to see such a proud performance from a woman like Ms. Mkhize. This is not to take away from the excellence of the rest of the cast, as they were more than superb.
All in all this musical is more than great dancing and soulful singing. It is an experience. If you want to see a show that is a countless times better than a night out at the movie theater, go see The Lion King. If you want to be dazzled and treated to a night of wonder, go see this show. Whatever your reason go, go, go! Contact http://www.asugammage.com for tickets and show times. The Lion King runs from Jan. 2 – Feb. 8, 2009.