Review: Lion King at the Lyceum

Last night I was delighted to be able to go and see The Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre.  I had seen this show in Toronto at the age of 14 and remembered how the rumbling roars of lions on stage coupled with the iconic soothing music of Elton John brought me to tears.  In this review, I will outline the differences between both the original film and the Canadian production I have already experienced and then comment upon both my favourite scene and my favourite character.

Being a massive Disney fan, I know the film inside out and can recite all of the lines with ease.  However, due to this I found some aspects of last night’s performance disconcerting, one being the varied British accents for the characters after being used to American/Canadian ones and then the added references to British culture.  For example, Timon’s line upon being informed by Simba that he will need to act as a distraction for the hyenas "What do you want me to do, dress in drag and do the hula?” became “What do you want me to do, dress in drag and do a river dance?”  Cue a charming and cleverly choreographed puppetry jig to iconic Irish music that was met with great appluase.

An unsettling addition to the London production was Scar’s sexual advances on Nala as she has grown up after deciding that in order to be a proper King he had to have cubs to ensure the he could be immortal.  This was neither part of the film or the Torontonian adaptation I had seen.  Scar crept his fingers upon Nala’s thigh and then claimed that “One way or another, you will be mine”.  I found this both creepy and wholly inappropriate for an audience of largely children.  However, one could argue that the themes explored throughout the original story present betrayal, a Nazi-like army of assassins in the form of hyenas and murder anyways so why not push the boundary further for an ever evolving and desensitising audience.  The theory of desensitisation posts the idea that media audiences’ reactions are growing weaker according to the level/amount of exposure to violence, sex and death.  Theatres often feel the need to respond to these expectations by creating increased shocking scenes and concepts.  However it was one of the more simple scenes that held my attention most dear.  

Ava Brennan as Nala.  lyceumtheatrelondon.org

My favourite scene by far was ‘They live in you’ from Act I.  This provided Simba’s lesson where Mufasa explained to his son that there was more to being a King then just being brave.  Existentialist concerns were also explored whereby Mufasa explains to Simba that he won’t always be with him in body, but he will always be watching him from the stars for whenever he needs guidance.  Shaun Escoffery's voice was like silk, caressing the audience with his flawless and soothing tones of a song from the second Lion King: Simba’s Pride entitled ‘He Lives in You’.  The set is transformed into a brilliant African landscape throughout and often bathed in gorgeous starlight.  

My favourite character was a welcome female version of Rafiki, an energetic and completely crazy oracle figure who danced around the stage muttering incomprehensible African based speech complete with tongue clicking.  Like our cartoon-based friend, she provided moments of comic genius combined with thought provoking analogies and life lessons. 

Brown Lindiwe Mkhize as Rafiki. http://s3.broadway.com/photos/large/144709.jpg

I think my previous experiences of each version provided me with sometimes unrealistic expectations of how the production would be.  To quote Rafiki, “The past can hurt, but from the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it”.  I feel I have been provided with definite food for thought in summing up all three experiences and would recommend the show for its frantic array of colours, African dancing, and brilliant puppetry ensuring that The Lion King's legacy lives on for years to come.