An absolute stunner of a stage musical, Broadway Across America has the best show of all South Florida’s theater seasons with Disney’s The Lion King. On stage for the majority of March at the Broward Center, running from Friday, March 7th, until Sunday, March 30th, The Lion King is a live-adaptation of the animated movie famous around the world, and while maintaining true to its source material, the practical effects of this production are unlike anything I’ve ever seen; the best I’ve ever seen. Anyone who is a fan of the animated movie and its sequels, or the live-action versions, should absolutely see this show and witness the Pridelands for themselves.
The musical opened as one could expect, or anticipate, if they can recall the iconic opening to the films. The opening number, “Circle of Life,” lifts the curtain with Rafiki (Mukelisiwe Goba) sings in the Zulu language while a rising sun appears in the background. Goba’s voice is confident and powerful, bubbling up nostalgia within me, making me think of the times I watched the VHS tape of the movie on the floor of my living room sitting at my dad’s feet. Mufasa (Darnell Abraham) and Sarabi (Maurica Roland) present Simba (Bryce Christian Thompson/Julian Villela/Erick D. Patrick) to all who are gathered at Pride Rock, except Scar (William John Austin), Mufasa’s brother who has a secret hatred for him. Thus begins one of the greatest stories for children ever told. Simba wins back the throne from his traitorous uncle with the help of Nala (Thembelihle Cele), the love of his life.
Whether it was members of the ensemble wearing stilts at varying lengths to simulate the body of a giraffe or it was dancers sprinting from upstage to down miming the gallop of gazelles, the vision was brought to life in an utterly unique way through the practical effects of the production. For the masks of Mufasa and Scar, a faux lion’s head hovered above their own, but when they stooped down low, imitating the arched back of the pouncing cat, the head swung with the momentum, causing the costume to move in unison with the actor’s body. The star of these practical effects could be the cheetah actor, who stands within the cheetah puppet-apparatus at the rear, and through choreography, is able to mimic the movements of the predator. It’s stunning to see. Credit belongs not only to the actor embodying the cheetah, but to the Director/Costume Designer/Mask & Puppet Co-Designer/Songwriter, Julie Taymor. Other mind-blowing costumes of hers belong to Zazu (Nick Lamedica), Timon (Nick Cordileone), Pumbaa (Danny Grumich), and the hyenas (Forest Vandyke, Martina Sykes, & Sam Linda).
There are some scenes, however, that are seemingly impossible to translate from one medium to the other; from the movie screen to the big stage. I think that, as strong as this iteration of The Lion King is, Mufasa’s death scene, the stampeding herd of wildebeests, is one of them. What I appreciated: the sharp angles of the gorge indicating something severe; the verticality of those walls and Scar’s positioning, great usage of available space; the ever-impressive practical effects of rampaging wildebeests first leaving the high ridge and running down the gorge, coming closer and closer to Simba/the audience. What confused me: Mufasa arrives through the audience to save Simba from the roaring rush of the beasts, he does, and some wildebeests surround him; he fights seemingly, breaks through to climb the gorge’s cliffside, and meets Scar at the top; finally, Scar rends Mufasa’s muscles and he falls to his death, but as he falls, cables carry the actor from the right side of the stage to the middle, and then he is lowered down into his death. The claw-machine motion of this scene interrupted the magic that was happening all around it.
