What? The Lion King
Where? Lyceum Theatre, London
When? 26th February 2010
February is not one of our favourite months. It usually marks the failure of New Year resolutions, dark evenings, empty bank accounts and far too long to wait until summer. The perfect excuse to take in a new show then? Well, not new exactly - currently in its 11th year actually, but new to the fairies. We had always kind of avoided this most Disneyfied of musicals, for precisely that reason. It seemed, well, too Disney. And the movie makes us cry. It`s for a good reason Disney waited 50 years after killing off Bambi`s mother before they dared pull a stunt like that again in The Lion King. The difference this time is the message. The circle of life, regeneration, renewal and eternal spiritual existence. Dead deep.
So, on a rainy February afternoon, it fell to me, Tamsin, to escort my gorgeous goddaughter to see her first West End musical.
This was obviously going to be the one. Until Shrek opens later this year, The Lion King is the most child friendly show on the West End stage - but imagine the surprise when this fairy found herself as spellbound as her 7 year old theatrebuddy. This is not a show to pull in the fangirls - because it is the show which is the star. Fabulous performances throughout, the harmonious ensemble just blend so beautifully with the principals that in the end, it is impossible to distinguish one soaring vocal from another. Not really knowing what to expect, this fairy was certainly not expecting to be reduced to tears 3 times during the course of a matinee!
It is hard to describe the sheer beauty of this show. Musically, it is evocative and haunting, moving and uplifting and fabulously exotic. The partnership between the Disneytastic tunes of Elton John and Tim Rice, and the choruses written by African composer Lebo M are a glorious melting pot of melody and tribal chanting. Gorgeous! Despite the strength of the vocals, much of the score feels like a lullaby, soothing you and calling you in turns. Two of the boxes nearest the stage are inhabited by two incredibly talented percussionists who supplement the orchestra with a specatuclar array of drums and other instruments, and are fascinating to watch - whenever you can tear your eyes from the stage, that is. Which is tricky.
It has been many a year since this fairy was left wide-eyed with amazement, but the sheer breathtaking beauty of this show is hard to describe. The sets are simple but fabulously effective, and the costumes / puppets blend with the actors bodies so seemlessly that they become the animal they are protraying. The auditorium beyond the stage is filled in turn with plodding wildlife and circling birds, and the designers have had a field day with masks, shadow puppetry and special effects. The choreography and direction take you far away from the rainy Strand to the African savannah, and the endearing comic strip characters make you feel like you are actually in a cartoon. Credit has to go to the incredibly talented cast - particularly the puppeteers. But sometimes, the simplest idea is the most effective. White ribbons falling as tears from the masks of a pride of lions as they mourned the death of King Mufasa elicted a not so silent sniffle from several areas of the audience. Mine included....
My goodness, this is an utterly gushing review huh??
Well, that simple fact is that from the moment Rafiki (a-maz-ing performance by the way) appeared to call the animals to meet their future king, and they returned the call from within the audience picked out by spotlights, I was sold. Utterly. The sight of my goddaughter - eyes wide, mouth agape - as the elephant plodded down the aisle past her, followed by legions of other African "wildlife" is a sight I will never forget.
And I`m pretty sure, if there had been a mirror handy, I`d have looked much the same. With added tears. Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous.
Sniff.
Tamsin
No comments:
Post a Comment