When I was about 16, my Dad took me to see The Lion King in London, and I loved it! I was lucky enough to take theatre studies in high school and got to see loads of West End shows including My Fair Lady, We Will Rock You, Les Miserables and many more, but The Lion King was one of my favourites. Not only was it a much-loved film of mine (isn’t it loved by everyone?!), but the costumes and sets were so much more elaborate and exquisite than any other production I’d ever seen.
A few months ago my friend Shannon and I decided to go see The Lion King, and to take Brendan as a surprise. We bought the tickets after consulting Theatre Monkey (more on that later) and managed to keep it a secret right until we walked into the Lyceum theatre last Sunday for the matinee performance. Brendan was really excited, and I was so happy to get to see the world-famous musical again. All I remembered was being totally blown away by the opening scene, and I was just as stunned the second time around. The costumes are quite simply spectacular, and the overall effect of vivid sets, live music and graceful animals was breathtaking.
source: natashayong.com
I’m sure you all know the story of The Lion King, so there’s not much to reveal here. There are a few minor changes to the storyline we all know and love, but nothing too drastic, and there are quite a few new songs but the old favourites are all in there too! Some of the acting was outstanding: Rafiki was played by a woman with an incredibly powerful voice who captured the quirky, mystical character of the baboon in Disney’s cartoon. Pumbaa was hilarious and loveable as he should be, and Zazu was neurotic and skittish, drawing laughter from the audience with almost every line.
source: eventim.co.uk
It’s definitely a must-see if you have the time & money whilst you’re in London. As I mentioned when I went to see Wicked, before booking any theatre tickets in London it’s best to head over to Theatre Monkey so you get the best value for money. The site has reviews of shows, theatres, and even individual seats within each major theatre. This means that when you’re looking at those dirt-cheap seats in the stalls for The Lion King, you can check whether they’re cheap because there’s a great big pillar blocking your view, or if you’re just getting a great deal. I would not book a theatre ticket without consulting Theatre Monkey first – it helped immensely when booking Wicked and we ended up with great seats for The Lion King too…
source: eventim.co.uk
Have you seen any other fabulous musicals that you can recommend?
These are absolutely stunning photos. I love The Lion King. In fact, I recently designed the lights for a ballet version of it a few years ago. My first musical I saw was Grease in London – so much fun!
I love seeing musicals, and in London thats the best.
I am wracking my brain to remember some to suggest- its been ages since I saw one. My first musical was the Phantom of the Opera in Toronto, which was amazing!