(no subject)
The Lion King was simply INCREDIBLE. One of the best stage productions I have ever seen. Notice I didn't say the best musical necessarily: although I liked the songs from the movie, the musical version has quite a lot of "filler" music which is more background than highlight. But background to what amazing staging, costumes, props and effects!
On considering it, one might wonder how an animated Disney movie, set on the open African plains, with a cast of characters all of whom are animals (albeit anthropomorphised ones), would translate successfully into a stage musical. Actually it didn't occur to me to wonder this, but on seeing it, I did marvel at how adeptly it was done.
The opening scene of the movie left me breathless and almost in tears the first time I saw it (I get stupidly soppy over epic scenes like that - like the Beacon of Amon Din scene from LOTR); the opening scene of the musical was enough to actually make me cry. (Just a little bit, mind you. I pretended it was because the lights were shining in my eyes.) The combination of spectacular and superbly effective costumes, ingenious puppetry and evocative choreography brought the animals of the African savannah to the stage in a most vivid and powerful manner. (With a 1000 elephants! or well, at least two. And one was a baby elephant! Ohsocute.)
Without wanting to give away too much (for those who might later have the chance to see it), I will say that I was enthralled by the portrayal of the various animals. Some were created in very clever ways, enhancing the stage experience itself as compared to an animated version. The costumes themselves were brilliant, both in the way they conjured up the movements, shapes and colours of the animals they represented, and simply as works of art. More than anything, the production showcased a vast outpouring of creative talent from the costume, set and props department - the music was almost secondary.
Some strong performances from the cast, both the chorus (who performed splendidly as supporting animals and as living scenery!) and the leads, reinforced the effect of the costumes. Mufasa was suitably fatherly, dignified and regal all at once, Little Simba was a bundle of energy, and while I saw a review criticising Big Simba for "lack of tone", I thought he was quite passable; it was only when singing a duet with Big Nala that by comparison with her (excellent) voice he suffered a little. In fact if anything, Little Nala let the show down a little by being apparently unable to sing in tune. Ah well. As I said, the music wasn't really the centrepiece anyway.
By far the best character performance came from the actor playing Scar, who captured the original sardonic drawl of Jeremy Irons perfectly. Once again, the fusion of clever costuming, make-up, choreography and acting was able to blend between lion and human in a very appropriate manner.
An intriguing supporting performance was that of the actor playing/puppeteering Zazu, the King's avian advisor. For some reason (and this will make sense only to those who have both read these books and seen the musical), I found he reminded me of Robin Hobb's Fool. Or maybe that's just because I've been reading the books recently. Anyway, it was also a good illustration of how the puppeteers were not just pulling the strings, but actually integrated with the scenery and the characters they were depicting; Timon (that annoying little meerkat) was another. Rafiki the baboon was a triumph of make-up artistry plus a very amusing but effective costume to create a character who was a powerful focus of stage energy at all times (and had a great voice!).
The staging deserves praise all to itself. Scenes from the rolling grasslands to the jungle, from the heights of Pride Rock to the macabre elephant graveyard, were constructed in all manner of creative sets. Like much of the costumes and props, they ranged from stylised (grasslands depicted by dipping, swaying dancers with grass headpieces, and a lion's chase enacted by puppeteers weaving through the grass) to surreal (something that was almost certainly a sex scene, although G-rated, in the lush depths of the jungle). The wildebeest stampede was particularly innovative and original, and almost made me cry again.
A final mention must go to the special effects, including the selective use of shadow puppets at key moments to enhance the feel of the scene. I was a little perturbed by the vision of Mufasa in the stars (when Simba returns); he was just a bit too Skeleton!lion for my liking, but I had to admire the way in which the scene was handled. Much of the effectiveness of the other aspects (costumes, stage etc) was due to the melding of lighting and other effects to create the overall picture.
The success of The Lion King does require a little suspension of disbelief, in order to perceive the way in which human actors are able to convey their animal characters, but then so do all stage performances. Indeed, rather than the need for elaborate costuming detracting from the magic, it adds to the sense of alien wonder that can illuminate an encounter with wild animals (and which is completely not present in Disney's anthropomorphisations, much as I love the movie!) and hence increases the experience.
At the end of the night, I had just one tiny, wistful gripe, and that was that they left out my very favourite line: "Asante sana, squash banana..."
So, I remember all over again how much I love this movie and I am a renewed fan! Must get hold of the DVD...
On considering it, one might wonder how an animated Disney movie, set on the open African plains, with a cast of characters all of whom are animals (albeit anthropomorphised ones), would translate successfully into a stage musical. Actually it didn't occur to me to wonder this, but on seeing it, I did marvel at how adeptly it was done.
The opening scene of the movie left me breathless and almost in tears the first time I saw it (I get stupidly soppy over epic scenes like that - like the Beacon of Amon Din scene from LOTR); the opening scene of the musical was enough to actually make me cry. (Just a little bit, mind you. I pretended it was because the lights were shining in my eyes.) The combination of spectacular and superbly effective costumes, ingenious puppetry and evocative choreography brought the animals of the African savannah to the stage in a most vivid and powerful manner. (With a 1000 elephants! or well, at least two. And one was a baby elephant! Ohsocute.)
Without wanting to give away too much (for those who might later have the chance to see it), I will say that I was enthralled by the portrayal of the various animals. Some were created in very clever ways, enhancing the stage experience itself as compared to an animated version. The costumes themselves were brilliant, both in the way they conjured up the movements, shapes and colours of the animals they represented, and simply as works of art. More than anything, the production showcased a vast outpouring of creative talent from the costume, set and props department - the music was almost secondary.
Some strong performances from the cast, both the chorus (who performed splendidly as supporting animals and as living scenery!) and the leads, reinforced the effect of the costumes. Mufasa was suitably fatherly, dignified and regal all at once, Little Simba was a bundle of energy, and while I saw a review criticising Big Simba for "lack of tone", I thought he was quite passable; it was only when singing a duet with Big Nala that by comparison with her (excellent) voice he suffered a little. In fact if anything, Little Nala let the show down a little by being apparently unable to sing in tune. Ah well. As I said, the music wasn't really the centrepiece anyway.
By far the best character performance came from the actor playing Scar, who captured the original sardonic drawl of Jeremy Irons perfectly. Once again, the fusion of clever costuming, make-up, choreography and acting was able to blend between lion and human in a very appropriate manner.
An intriguing supporting performance was that of the actor playing/puppeteering Zazu, the King's avian advisor. For some reason (and this will make sense only to those who have both read these books and seen the musical), I found he reminded me of Robin Hobb's Fool. Or maybe that's just because I've been reading the books recently. Anyway, it was also a good illustration of how the puppeteers were not just pulling the strings, but actually integrated with the scenery and the characters they were depicting; Timon (that annoying little meerkat) was another. Rafiki the baboon was a triumph of make-up artistry plus a very amusing but effective costume to create a character who was a powerful focus of stage energy at all times (and had a great voice!).
The staging deserves praise all to itself. Scenes from the rolling grasslands to the jungle, from the heights of Pride Rock to the macabre elephant graveyard, were constructed in all manner of creative sets. Like much of the costumes and props, they ranged from stylised (grasslands depicted by dipping, swaying dancers with grass headpieces, and a lion's chase enacted by puppeteers weaving through the grass) to surreal (something that was almost certainly a sex scene, although G-rated, in the lush depths of the jungle). The wildebeest stampede was particularly innovative and original, and almost made me cry again.
A final mention must go to the special effects, including the selective use of shadow puppets at key moments to enhance the feel of the scene. I was a little perturbed by the vision of Mufasa in the stars (when Simba returns); he was just a bit too Skeleton!lion for my liking, but I had to admire the way in which the scene was handled. Much of the effectiveness of the other aspects (costumes, stage etc) was due to the melding of lighting and other effects to create the overall picture.
The success of The Lion King does require a little suspension of disbelief, in order to perceive the way in which human actors are able to convey their animal characters, but then so do all stage performances. Indeed, rather than the need for elaborate costuming detracting from the magic, it adds to the sense of alien wonder that can illuminate an encounter with wild animals (and which is completely not present in Disney's anthropomorphisations, much as I love the movie!) and hence increases the experience.
At the end of the night, I had just one tiny, wistful gripe, and that was that they left out my very favourite line: "Asante sana, squash banana..."
So, I remember all over again how much I love this movie and I am a renewed fan! Must get hold of the DVD...