The Lion King centers around Simba, a young lion cub destined to become king of his pride. Most know the story of one of Disney’s most iconic films. People worldwide pay a visit to Minskoff Theatre to see the tale about Simba and his journey to becoming the king of Pride Rock, and it’s easy to see why.īetween the iconic musical numbers featuring tracks from Elton John, intricate stage makeup and animal puppets, and a rich storyline that delivers hints of childhood nostalgia, The Lion King is simply a timeless classic. In the twenty-four years since The Lion King premiered in New York City in 1997, it has become the highest-grossing Broadway show of all time. The musical will return to Broadway on September 14th and tours in other cities like Nashville, TN Oklahoma City, OK Cleveland, OH San Antonio, TX and more. Where: Broadway San Diego at the San Diego Civic Theatre,1100 Third Ave.Before all the 90’s Disney classics were being made into live-action films, they were transformed into breathtaking stage adaptations, with The Lion King being the show that started it all. Nonetheless, the show is a surefire crowd-pleaser that offers a solid bang for the buck and, in this tour visit, some unexpectedly good dramatic acting. Jürgen Hooper also impressively multitasks as actor and puppeteer playing Zazu, the hornbill bird who is Mafa’s chief of staff.Įlton John and Tim Rice’s Oscar-winning 1994 film score was supplemented with several new songs for the stage, and some of these additions are weak, particularly the overlong song and dance numbers involving the hyenas, the goose-stepping acolytes of Scar. And the comic characters who were clearly the favorites of the younger members of the audience on Thursday, the meerkat Timon and warthog Pumbaa, were played with the appropriate broadness by Tony Freeman and John E.

South African actor Gugwana Diamini is very funny as the eccentric Rafiki, Mufasa’s shaman baboon. Her microphone volume was so low it was hard to hear some of her lyrics.

As the adult Nala, Simba’s future mate, Kayla Cyphers gets one of the show’s best numbers, “Shadowland,” but it was too subtle on Thursday. Adult Simba is played by Darian Sanders, who moves with lionlike grace and has a strong singing voice. On Thursday, Hunter showed surprising poise, charisma and vocal power in the role. The role of young Simba is played at alternating performances by Jaylen Lyndon Hunter and Jordan Pendleton. That restraint is also employed by Spencer Plachy as Scar, who’s more dark and calculating than sneeringly evil.

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