The Lion King is as Much of a Triumph on Stage as it was on the Screen

True to it's majestic and colorful roots Disney's "The Lion King," the musical now playing at the Community Center Theater is as glorious on the stage as it was on the screen.

As the sun began rising on the stage, the baboon Rafiki calls the animals to gather at Pride Rock. Down the animals come, from the upper reaches of the theater, down aisles created especially for this show between rows of seats, and up on stage they go. From a huge elephant, to gorgeous birds, and giraffes on stilts no less. As the audience gasps, and applauds the night officially beings, choreographed by Garth Fagan and directed by Julie Taymor (who also designed the costumes and, with Michael Curry, designed the masks and puppets), "The Lion King" debuted on Broadway in 1997 and is still playing. It won Tony Awards in 1998 for choreography, costume design, direction, lighting and scenic design, and for best musical.

One of the most engaging roles within the play is that of the behind the scenes, Willie Wilson's whose job title is puppet supervisor for the national touring production. But he says his job is more like "puppetinarian ER doctor." Wilson may have to touch up paint on a mask, reattach a broken limb or rewire a mechanical mask. Oh, and anytime there's a change in cast, he's responsible for teaching the performers how to operate the various puppets and pieces. "Disney doesn't hire puppeteers; they hire actors," he said. "Sometimes, it takes a while to break them in. It can be a little like patting your head and rubbing your belly at the same time." Or, in the case of actors cast as zebras or giraffes, learning to walk on stilts. The puppets are extensions of the actors in the production, which incorporates African masks, shadow puppetry and the Japanese art of bunraku, in which the puppeteers are visible as they control the large dolls. The smooth functioning of puppet and actor is essential to director Julie Taymor's stage version of the Disney movie about a young lion cub who is devastated by his father's murder, but then grows up to reclaim his place in the circle of life.

Based on the animated Disney film of the same name, the musical was written by Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi, with music and lyrics by Elton John and Tim Rice (and additional music and lyrics by Lebo M., Jay Rifkin,Mark Mancina, Hans Zimmer and Taymor).

Like it’s movie predecessor, all the animals gather during the opening "Circle of Life" song, where Rafiki presents King Mufasa and his queen, who introduce their newborn son, Simba. As the young Simba begins to grow into the role of king-to-be, his evil uncle Scar (Timothy Carter, whose thrilling performance made the evening) grows more resentful, for he covets the job for himself. The animals mourn Mufasa's death and believe that Simba, too, has been killed. With Scar as king, the Pridelands become over-hunted, dry and nearly lifeless, a physical manifestation of Scar's desolate soul.
As the story unfolds, Simba returns to the Pridelands and confronts the evil Scar on Pride Rock, where the cowardly lion is revealed and the rightful king proclaimed.


With outstanding costumes and stage design it's not hard to see where the acclaim comes from. For more information on how to get tickets for this magical production during its run from May 27th- June 28th check out http://www.californiamusicaltheatre.com/index.cfm?page=214535