Lion King roars until May 20

Disney’s The Lion King musical is extended, again, and rightfully so.

Extended thrice already by producers, the first-ever international tour to mark the 20th year of the musical since its Broadway debut, officially opened in Manila last March 29 and now runs until May 20 at Solaire’s The Theatre.

The superlatives for the Manila run are pouring in our newsfeed, and The Lion King deserves every single one of it, showing all and sundry why it’s dubbed reigning king of stage musicals.

The two-hour-and 30-minute musical begins with the iconic song Circle of Life, where cast members in animal characters enter the Theatre to converge on the center stage that’s transformed into an African savannah.

From the first bars of the opening chant to the elegant and celebratory parade of animals — rhinos, giraffes, zebras, antelopes, wildebeests, cheetahs, birds and of course, the pride of lions — expect to feel goosebumps all over if not shed happy tears.

There’s something emotional about journeys ready to begin. Same goes for this epic scene that ushers in the stage adaptation of the Disney classic about young cub Simba’s “coming-of-age” journey to becoming King.

The international touring cast acknowledges the standing ovation during the curtain call in one of the  shows

As the Theatre stage changes settings from Pride Rock, to the elephant graveyard, to the jungle, the show brings to life all the movie favorites, plus narrative additions.

Highlights include the chilling stampede that sees King Mufasa sacrificing his life for son Simba; the introduction of the unlikely duo of meerkat Timon and warthog Pumbaa in the Hakuna Matata scene; Mufasa’s image appearing before Simba in the dreamy, star-lit He Lives in You sequence and inspiring the runaway to reclaim his rightful place in the Pride Lands.

With all the singing, dancing and acting required in this production that combines drama, action, romance and comedy, it seems there’s no shortage of triple threats among its principal cast.

Simba and his childhood friend-turned-love interest Nala are played by South African actors Calvyn Grandling and Noxolo Dlamini, respectively.

Ntsepa Pitjeng steals the show many times as the eccentric baboon shaman Rafiki. (She previously essayed the role in the US, UK, Brazil and Switzerland productions.) Straight from London’s West End production is Mthokozisi Emkay Khanyile as Mufasa with UK actor Antony Lawrence as the king’s double-crossing brother Scar.

Mufasa in the Grasslands chant scene

Hitting all the funny spots are New Zealand-born Jamie McGregor as Timon and South African Pierre van Heerden as Pumbaa, plus Australian actor André Jewson as the hornbill majordomo Zazu. Candida Mosoma, Björn Blignaut and Mark Tatham are the trio of hyenas and Scar minions Shenzi, Banzai and Ed.

Joining the company are six young Pinoy talents. Sharing the role of young Simba are Julien Joshua Dolor Jr., Gabriel Tiongson and Omar Sharief Uddin, while alternately playing young Nala are Sheena Kirsten Bentoy, Uma Naomi Martin and Felicity Kyle Napuli. Watch out for their turn to shine in I Just Can’t Wait to Be King complete with 18-ft. tall giraffes and a grass ensemble.

“Easily the Best Lion King assembled in recent memory #thelionkinginternationaltour... we just watched our Asia debut Tour in Preview production, before our opening night next week. I have no words... our new majority South African cast and principal international production is thankfully the best Lion King Broadway production thus far,” said South African producer/composer Lebo M in an Instagram post.

Lebo M flew in to attend the red-carpet gala last March 29 along with Disney Theatrical Group president and producer Thomas Schumacher, international tour producer Michael Cassel and theater impresario Sir Cameron Mackintosh. According to a profile, he became part of The Lion King two decades ago after Hans Zimmer, score composer of Lion King, recommended him to Disney to arrange and perform music for Lion King’s film and stage productions. His voice is also the first to be heard in that now-famous chant at the onset of the film. (Original movie songs like Circle of Life and Can You Feel the Love Tonight were written by composer Elton John and lyricist Tim Rice.)

Mufasa and Scar face off

Meanwhile, the animal characters wouldn’t be as fleshed out as they are without the more than 200 shadow, rod and life-sized puppets created for the show. Equally noteworthy are the mask designs, which the backgrounder stressed, were conceptualized and executed in such a way that they reveal rather than mask the characters’ “humanity” and emotional depth. These puppets and masks by Tony award-winning costume designer Julie Taymor reportedly took more than 35,000 hours to make.

Apart from a visual feast, you’ll enjoy a cultural treat from the Lion King. Production said that there are six indigenous African languages sung and spoken through the show, namely, Zulu, Congolese, Swahili, Xhosa, Sotho and Tswana.

Nevertheless, with the production here in Manila, Filipino words are dropped at the show, endearing itself to the audience more.

Of course, the heart of the musical is its story. It never gets old with its enduring lessons about finding oneself and one’s place in the world, but at the same time, acknowledging that one will always be part of that “circle of life,” where everything or everyone is connected in one way or another.

From Manila, Disney’s The Lion King musical will head to Singapore, Korea, Taiwan and South Africa. It’s presented by Michael Cassel Group and Concertus Manila in association with Disney Theatrical Productions. For more details, visit TheLionKing.ph.

Best to enjoy the musical by seeing (again) the 1994 movie version first (yours truly reviewed it on Netflix). Watching the musical also raises the excitement meter for the live-action remake of the Disney animated film featuring the voices of Beyoncé, Donald Glover, James Earl Jones, Chiwetal Ejiofor, among others. It’s reportedly due for release in 2019 in time for the film’s 25th anniversary.