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Can a live show be better than a movie?
The old argument goes this way: a book is better than a movie, almost always. It wasn’t until we sat down to watch The Lion King: The Musical this past weekend at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi that we began to ponder a different kind of debate – is live performance better than film? Oh well, the answer is yes; loud and clear. Yes, die-hard fans of the 1994 film may grouse, and to be fair, the film is still amazing to this day, but let’s just say this musical came a little closer! So it’s no surprise that the show’s audience is individuals, who have seen the show before in other destinations like London, New York, but come back for the second and third time to experience the experience again. By the way, 2022 also marks the show’s 25th anniversary, which is also commonly referred to as “a celebration of life.”
Throughout the run of the show (2 hours and 30 minutes, with intermission), we were amazed at how every scene and emotion came to life on stage – whether through the more than 200 puppets (marionettes, marionettes and all ) sized puppets) create animal-like movements or set the tone with great music. When Mufasa died, one could almost weep for the kingdom. Also, interestingly, a total of 37,000 hours were spent making these puppets, with a total of more than 120 people involved in the performance. The Broadway soundtrack features songs from the Lion King animated film by Elton John and Tim Rice; other musical material comes from South Africa’s Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor and Hans Zimmer; and more.
While every actor on stage is excellent, there are a few that will leave you speechless. The actors who play young Simba and Nala show their energy and aces for their age, especially remembering that the show airs eight times a week. Anthony Lawrence as Scar is sinister, grand and larger than life! As for Mufasa, played by Mtokkozisi Nkai Khanil, his presence on stage is enough to convince one of all the great human virtues. No one scene is less powerful or less beautiful than the other, but a few deserve special mention. Every time Pride Rock takes the stage, the agility of the battery-powered unit wins applause. The emotional and gorgeous scenes of Simba finding “himself” (literally Mufasa) in his father’s reflection, created with precise motion and tiny lighting, are enough to bring people back to the show. The well-placed, aesthetically pleasing backdrops throughout the show add enough value to the production and say a lot about the talent behind it. Don’t be surprised when hyenas, wildebeest, elephants, cheetahs, zebras and antelopes come up to you and you start stomping to the beat. No wonder the show has won more than 70 major international theater awards.
A mention must be made of the ‘local’ aspect of the show, without going into too much detail let’s just say that the residents of Pride Rock know the land, the UAE – Al Ain Zoo and Dragon Mart. Yes, they may speak Swahili (Hakuna Matata), but they also know how to say Shukran! Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions and directed by Thomas Schumacher, the show debuts not only in Abu Dhabi but throughout the Middle East and runs until December 10.
purva@khaleejtimes.com
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