Whether it’s Disney’s animated blockbuster or the world-renowned stage musical, everyone is familiar with the story and characters of The Lion King, as well as Elton John’s soundtrack with such memorable songs as ‘Circle of Life’, and ‘Can You feel the Love tonight’. The success story is such that 15 years later the stage musical is still running on both Broadway and the West End, and boasts being the highest grossing Broadway show of all time. AND IT’S COMING TO DUBLIN!
Being a lover of musicals, I’ve tried to get tickets whenever I’m in London but it’s always sold out, which is a testament to its success and popularity. So when the tour comes to the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre you can expect to find me begging, borrowing or stealing (albeit unlikely) a ticket from whatever source I can manage. If worst comes to worst, I might even buy one.
In October I was lucky enough to attend the launch event in advance of the promised spectacle which will be gracing our shores for two months in 2013, April to June.
On entering the Project Theatre in Temple Bar, myself and the other lucky attendees were greeted by themed canapés including African beef and, get this, Ostrich! Nom. We were then assembled in the upstairs theatre where we waited eagerly for a presentation by the not-so-household name of Tom Schumacher, none other than the Executive Producer of the animated classic, a man who has been involved with every aspect of translating the movie to the stage, and without whom, we probably wouldn’t have the Disney film so many love, and we definitely wouldn’t have the stage musical. (Thus, he really should be better known)
When we were seated facing a stage on which there was nothing more than a table with an array of masks, the lights dimmed. Singers launched into ‘Circle of Life’, (I was instantly entranced), the female actor playing Rafiki held us rapt until the end of the number, when Tom entered, apologising as he had just arrived from New York, not that any of us would have guessed.
In the hour long presentation, interspersed with other songs by the costumed actors, including ‘Can you Feel the Love Tonight?’, ‘He Lives in You’, and one of the many songs written for the stage version, ‘Shadowland’ – sung by Nala and Rafiki – Tom explained the development of the musical, from his first doubts, to the assembly of the production team (in particular Julie Taymor, the director and costume designer of the original Broadway run), and gave us insight into how the shape of everything came together.
Anyone who has heard of The Lion King’s stage production has heard about the costumes and puppets, and the uniqueness of depicting the animals on stage. Actors play everything from animals to plants and flowers and even the grass of the Savannah. The set is minimal with the performers taking on more than most shows require. Julie Taymor didn’t want to attempt to make people be the lion, or gazelle, but rather wanted to keep both the human and animal obvious in a single unit, which adds to the magic. Some characters wear headpieces or masks, while others roll a mechanical device which depicts antelope leaping, but the magic stays the same whether the costume is big or small. I mention this to reference just how unique this show truly is, not for adapting a film to stage, but in the method of execution. There are very few other musical developers that would attempt this, and less would succeed.
Allowing the division between actor and character is a necessary part of getting the most from this show, which is something that I personally may have an issue with. As someone who is hard of hearing, my coping mechanism is lip reading, and I noticed during the presentation that while I loved the costumes and head-pieces, combining that with the actor as a seamless whole was particularly difficult during the showcase. I was attempting to watch the actors’ lips move even though they are only secondary to the character. However, I imagine that watching straight through from start to finish would allow for more time to adjust my mind to stop separating the parts and view them as a whole. So it’s not going to stop me going and enjoying.
In the presentation, we were given insight to many things we wouldn’t have known about the stage version of ‘The Lion King’, such as the deceptively simple method of showing the stampede (spoiler) where Mufasa is killed. I won’t ruin it, but despite how advanced it seems, the means to carry it out were in place in the 16th century, according to Mr. Schumacher. Additionally, something I never would have known is the use of five different African languages in the dialogue between characters (though – excluding the translations to seven languages – the show was written for English speakers) which just adds to the authenticity of the African plains on stage.
In addition to Elton John and Tim Rice’s instantly recognisable tracks from the film, additional music can be heard throughout the production, which Mr. Schumacher credited mainly to South African artist Lebo M, ‘the voice of The Lion King’. So even if you know the movie back to front, inside out and word for word, there’ll be something new in the musical, especially as it’s not a direct adaptation of the cinematic version. Apparently Julie Taymor had never even seen the film before she was asked to direct which allowed her a broader scope of interpretation for the change in production type.
It’s difficult to put down in words how much I’m looking forward to next April (or May, or June – whenever I get to see this show) but it’s definitely something that is already in my diary, and I’d urge you to try get a night in the theatre too. This is one not to be missed, and, as tickets are now on sale there are no excuses!
