Review | THE LION KING (UK Tour) July 2013

“Nants ingonyama bagithi baba…!” There comes a lion, oh yes, it’s a lion – in Birmingham! Disney’s 1994 movie about lion cub Simba and his rise to the responsibilities of manhood opened to critical acclaim on Broadway in 1997, London in 1999 and now the 20^th staging of the show worldwide is a UK tour that arrived at Birmingham Hippodrome on Friday – playing for the next 13 weeks.

Gugwana Dlamini

Of any of the shows you will see, the opening to The Lion King – The Circle Of Life is sure to be the most overwhelming experience you will ever have in a theatre. From the moment Rafiki calls out the birth of a future king set against the rising of the African sun, even the grown men are reduced to excitable children as a procession of animals fills the auditorium. As are the lyrics “there is far too much to take in here…” it’s true, everywhere you look there is something different to see. The opening five minutes alone are a breathtaking spectacle concluded with the loudest applause.

That isn’t to say that the rest of the production fails to live up to that standard, that is just the beginning and what follows is pure delight. Gugwana Dlamini is Rafiki, (male in the movie, female in the musical) the shamaness Mandrill Baboon and she completely captures the eccentric nature of this all-knowing character. Guiding us wonderfully through the story with humour and speeches in the most complicated Zulu tongue Dlamini’s performance truly is captivating and one that she has had 10 years to perfect in London, on the US Tour and in Singapore. Cleveland Cathnott is a strong and powerful Mufasa both in vocal and in presence who not only has a commanding aura but also can switch easily to the gentle, fatherly side of the king. Mufasa’s majordomo Zazu (Meilyr Sion) is in this production from Glasgow and the Scottish references and strong accent perhaps doesn’t suit the character as well as the archetypal English Zazu in the movie. This said, Sion’s performance and puppet operation of the Hornbill is transfixing. On the subject of puppets, the one that steals the show more than any other is Timon. A design based on traditional Japanese Bunraku puppetry, Timon is operated and voiced by John Hasler who together with Mark Roper as Pumbaa (who’s voice is incredibly accurate to the movie character) provide much of the comedy and their costumes and operation are a particular visual treat. The same can be said of Daniel Norford, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Philip Oakland in the roles of the hyenas Banzai, Shenzi and Ed – not to mention the energy that operating the full-body costumes must require.

Carole Stennett and Nicholas Nkuna

Carole Stennett is most impressive as the adult Nala. Nala sings one of the show’s most powerful songs Shadowland and Stennett captures the lioness’s coming of age with incredible vocal strength and is equally strong in performance throughout. Nicholas Nkuna is an equal counterpart as the adult Simba. Stephen Carlile is deliciously sinister in the role of Scar – the villain of the show who was met with boos aplenty during the curtain call… for the right reason of course.

Stephen Carlile

The role Young Simba was played by Joshua Cameron and Young Nala, Donica Elliston, both of whom gave a cute, energetic and feisty performance. (Performers in these roles change nightly.)

The Lion King is the best example of getting simple imagery so perfect that metaphorically and theatrically speaks volumes. A silk sheet being pulled into a hole in the stage floor to represent drought is just one striking example.  More often than not it is in the simplicity where the show is at it’s best.  Percussionists in the boxes give the auditorium a real 'surround sound' effect. The Lion King is timeless, and fans of the movie or West End production will not be disappointed, neither will a new generation discovering it for the first time. Although set in a Disney fantasy part of Africa, perhaps unnecessary mentions of IKEA, The Proclaimers and DIY SOS are a little misplaced in the savanna!

The Lion King is unique. One of the most well known stories is completely rediscovered here with fresh perspective. Being familiar with the Disney movie in no way ruins the surprises of the musical - in fact I think that going with a good knowledge of the movie does much to enhance your experience. Part of the fascination of The Lion King is realizing how Julie Taymor recreates the seemingly impossible scenes with complete artistic genius. The show is testament to the hundreds of people that work  tirelessly backstage to ensure a perfect performance. Seeing families smiling and beaming at the sights, people turning around and pointing at an elephant as it walks through the isle is forever memorable and so joyous. The fact that theatre can do that proves what a phenomenal experience it can be. There will always be another generation that are going to love the Lion King for years to come and you must make the most of the chance to see it in your hometown whilst you can.

The Circle Of Life

Be prepared for no ordinary night at the theatre. Performances continue throughout the summer at Birmingham Hippodrome until 28^th September 2013. Book here – it is time!

Cast List: Stephen Carlile, Cleveland Cathnott, Gugwana Dlamini, Meilyr Sion, John Hasler, Mark Roper, Nicholas Nkuna, Carole Stennett, Daniel Norford, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Philip Oakland, Abigail Ayton, Jude Blake, Gabriel Cadogan, Joshua Cameron, Daniel Daszek-Green, Donica Elliston, Ella Marshall-Pinder, Adelaide Morgan, Phoenix Powell, Ciaran Stow, Maia Tamrakar, William Wright-Neblett, David Albury, Keisha Amponsa Banson, Tovah-Marie Bembridge, Magali Brito, Thembelihle Cele, Bethzy Charadan, Janique Charles, Sup Shanasunthorn, Teisha Duncan, Thibault Durand, Thaba Gwadiso, Iamnia Montalvo Hernadez, Kwesi Jeffers, Aiko Kato, Hope Maine, Nonhlanhla Makhathini, Mario Manzella, Giobanni Napoli, Anna Ella Neocel, Nosipho Nkonqa, Phindile Nyandeni, Mark Peachey, George Rae, Lloyd Rathebe, Jeffrey Richardson, Tarisha Rommick, Jean Salamao, Georgey Souchette, Alex Thomas, Tumelo Tokgwi, Thulisile Thusi, Jermaine Woods, Charlene Zijlstra, Bonga Zulu

THE LION KING (UK Tour) Birmingham Hippodrome Press Launch

After hosting Beauty And The Beast and Mary Poppins in previous years, Disney's The Lion King is finally coming to the Birmingham Hippodrome as part of a UK/Ireland tour with the London production still going strong after 13 years at the Lyceum Theatre.

The launch event was held at the Crescent Theatre in Birmingham and guests were treated to a canapé reception before the main presentation. I was very fortunate enough to be Disney's guest. The event provided a behind the scenes look on the creation of Disney's smash hit.

Disney Theatrical Productions director of Marketing and Creative, Steven Crocker, lead a fascinating presentation informing over 200 invited guests of how the story of The Lion King made it from screen to stage. The presentation began with a performance of "The Circle Of Life" lead by Gugwana Dlamini (UK/Ireland Tour Cast) as Rafiki accompanied by the Birmingham Gospel Choir. The music and lyrics of Elton John and Tim Rice are just perfect. The initial performance alone was enough to wet appetites but there was plenty more to come. There were also performances from Jonathan Andrew Hume and Ava Brennan -  the London cast's Simba and Nala.

Ava Brennan, Johnathan Andrew Hume and Gugwana Dlamini pose for the press photographers.

A great deal of the presentation was devoted to Julie Taymor. Not only did she design the costumes, but the masks too, co-designed the puppets, added additional lyrics to the show and to top it off - directed it. There were masks for Simba, Nala, Mufasa and Scar on display with the puppet of Zazu. The inspiration behind each mask has a specific relevance to the character. Stephen Crocker explained that the mask for Mufasa for example, has a circular mane and is very obviously circular in design because he is at the centre of the circle of life. The performers faces are never hidden and this is known as the 'Double Event'. The incredible performance given by the actor is most visible through their face and the mask shouldn't hide or restrict this. The mask sits on top of the actors head to ensure the lion element of the costume design is not lost. The costumes the actors wear are not "lion suits" and without the mask they do not distinctly represent a lion. They are most unlike the obvious animalistic costumes in the musical Cats. Instead the actors wear costumes that again represent the characteristics of their lion and feature traditional African print material and are decorated with beads.

Julie Taymor's costume design for the adult Simba.

The smaller characters in the show such as Timon the Meerkat and Zazu the Hornbill are represented using other methods. The Japanese style of Bunraku puppetry brings Timon to life with his puppeteer disguised as the grass. Zazu is also a puppet and sometimes flies on a wire and at times is hand-operated with his puppeteer disguised as the sky. The video below shows Crocker demonstrating how the puppet for Zazu operates.

Not only are the costumes loyal to the shows African routes - the script is too, with a lot of traditional African chanting in Zulu, Swahili and Sotho to name a few. Lebo M is the mastermind behind the sound of the Pride Lands. Rafiki, the shaman Baboon has perhaps the hardest job as seen here :

The show has a cast of 50, with a further 100 people working backstage to make a team of 150 involved with the show at any one performance. The cast is made up of people from 17 different countries. The show is touring the UK and Ireland as well as other productions of it currently touring the US, on Broadway and in Tokyo, Hamburg, Sapporo and Madrid.

Simba and Nala: Can You Feel The Love Tonight

The Lion King at the Birmingham Hippodrome is the reason why you should visit Birmingham throughout the summer of 2013. With 200,000 tickets now on sale for the run that spans June, July, August and September, this is the theatrical event that is definitely not to be missed.

You can book tickets for The Lion King at the Birmingham Hippodrome in 2013 here.