Lion King 7/17/04

[TheGirlinTheFrock]

Posted: 7/18/04 at 4:15pm

I was given tickets to the Lion King and went yesterday. The movie was a favorite of mine and was very interested to see how the show compared.

The show began and the kids in the audience semi-quieted down. Circle of Life was impressive, costumes exquisite, and sets very memorable. It was visually stimulating, and was off to a great start. Elephants were parading down the isles, a mountain came out of the floor of the stage, and bird were flying overhead. Any fan of the movie would have been impressed. The opening number recieved a well deserved thunderous applause. However, there moments few and far between after that, that deserved the same response. Examing each component of the show individually, the show seems like it would be phenominal. Sets and costumes were great, music was great, acting was great, and the dancing was great. Yet put all together there was still something missing. It is hard to put a finger on what it was that was unsatisfying in gerneral but there are several things that i can point out that i was not impressed with. "I Just Can't Wait to be King" was appauling. I felt like I was at a Blues Clues Concert. Those costumes looked childish and poorly thought out. Also, what i thought was a terrible idea on the directors/writers part was taht in the beginning of it, the character of Zazu commented that "This wasnt in the movie" referring to a curtain taht dropped. It broke the realism for me. Another part that destroyed the realism (which up until that point was working beautifully) was that the puppet of Zazu and the actor were seperated, then they started fighting with each other. Are they seperate beings? Are they one? It was too confusing.

The hyennas costumes were great except for the "stupid one" Ed. It was just as stupid as the hyennas personality. A tongue was constantly hanging out and was just distracting. I found myself looking foward too numbers where the actors would be alone on the stage and singing. I have owned the OBCR for awhile and was looking foward to seeing songs such as "He lives in you", "Shadowland", and "Endless Night." These for the most part were good, yet did not overly impress me, except for "Shadowland" - Kissy Simmons (Nala) had an amazing voice. The kids were good as well, and wish both luck if they wish to continue in this field. However, I do not see myself returning anytime soon to the New Amsterdam Theatre.

I do realize that this is a show targetted kids. That was apparent when as soon as you walked into the theatre you saw booster seats. This is a great show for serving it purpose of introducing children to theatre. However, now i understand why many of you posters are hoping against all odds that it does not become the longest running show.

All in all, rent the movie for $5 instead of seeing the show.


Edit - changing "cartoon" to "movie" thanks for pointing that out!

Updated On: 7/18/04 at 04:15 PM

[shlamdiddly]

Posted: 7/18/04 at 4:30pm

yeah...the costumes and sets are great, but it wsa too much like the movie for me to really like it.
OH!...my icon, picture thing is me on the stage of the New Amsterdam Theater. I got a backstage tour. It was really awesome to see all some of the costmes close up.

Updated On: 7/18/04 at 04:30 PM

[Testing1232]

Posted: 7/18/04 at 4:43pm

And still.... it won the Tony over "Ragtime".. OY !!!

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 7/18/04 at 5:11pm

this is sorta off the topic but how much is scar given to do in the stage version (more specifically does he dance at all)... I ask because this is one of the shows/roles i plan on auditioning for when i come to new york next year

[TheGirlinTheFrock]

Posted: 7/18/04 at 5:25pm

Scar was actually one of the characters i preferred. Its a great role for a good actor. You have to sing good, but its not a HUGE singing role. Its a fun one to play.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 7/18/04 at 5:26pm

sorry....little pep peeve. it is:

"You have to sing WELL."

Ok, resume.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 7/18/04 at 5:31pm

To me it was a glorified puppet show, how it won the Tony over RAGTIME is a great injustice, and, not to mince words, but The film version deserves to be referred to as an 'animated motion picture', not a cartoon. (It's of a better quality than any cartoon...small point but I do love the film)

Great post and spot on account. I feel the same way about the show.

[SNAFU]

Posted: 7/18/04 at 6:51pm

When I saw the show a few years ago, I felt it had the same problems that many of Julie Taymor's shows have. Julie is wonderful at creating beautiful Tableaus. It is getting from Tableaux A to Tableaux B where she seems to have the problem.
The Circle of Life, in the beginning was wonderful and a great piece of pagaentry. The audience, when I saw it, were knocked out of their socks. I felt that for the rest of the show Julie was trying to outdo the first number, and each sucessive attempt seemed to fall a bit short of the one that preceeded it.
I actually laughed my butt off at Do You Feel The Love, when in what seemed like a Julie Taymor runway fashion show with the two leads on opposite sides of the stage, there suddenly appeared Africans flying on wires!
I always felt that The Lion King was a bit schizophrenic with it's Elton John Disney score with the more Artsey African Julie Taymor flourishes.

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 7/18/04 at 10:39pm

Wow shlamdiddly, you got to go backstage!! haha i was hopping to go backstage during the new amsterdam tour, but we only got to go on stage. oh well, back on topic. In defense to julie taymore, the costumes in the "i just cant wait to be king" number are supposed to be child-like, and it's supposed to represent a young child's (or lion) dream.

[shlamdiddly]

Posted: 7/19/04 at 5:31pm

"You have to sing WELL."
HAHA I was thinking the same thing when I was reading it!

[TheGirlinTheFrock]

Posted: 7/19/04 at 5:35pm

sry guys. Never said i excelled in grammer.

[robbiej]

Posted: 7/19/04 at 5:38pm

OK...so...I'm gonna be bitchy.

Calling LION KING a glorified puppet show shows a shocking lack of knowledge about world theatre and is actually culturally insensitive.

Many of the techniques employed in the staging of LION KING date back thousands of years and are the essence of theatrical storytelling, which is why I found it incredibly moving.

You want to call something a glorified puppet show, point the finger at everyone's favorite, Avenue Q.

And I'll NEVER understand how that won the Tony of Caroline, or Change.

I have no problem with people not liking LION KING. Everyone has their own taste. But dismissing it with a convenient quip like 'glorified puppet show' tells more about the knowledge of the poster than the quality of the show.

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 7/19/04 at 5:58pm

I totally agree with you robbiej that LK is not just a "glorified puppet show." It does have its flaws, but it is still not just a glorified puppet show.

Updated On: 7/19/04 at 05:58 PM

[crp2000]

Posted: 7/19/04 at 8:23pm

I'm not really clear on how SingingBackup's OPINIONS imply a lack of knowledge or cultural insensitivity...please elaborate if possible.

[shlamdiddly]

Posted: 7/19/04 at 8:49pm

yeah...he even said "to me"...meaning OPINION...so yes, robbiej, do explain. I thought we were all entitled to our opinions.

[robbiej]

Posted: 7/20/04 at 1:23pm

Gladly.

To denigrate this show as a 'glorified puppet show' is to denigrate the techniques used in this show that were inspired by other cultures including mask and puppet work. These forms of storytelling may appear to be 'simplistic' or 'childlike', but in truth can be very powerful. Calling another culture's theatrical devices (many of which have been around much longer than our precious Broadway musical form) a 'glorified puppet show' shows either a contempt for or ignorance of their practices.

Yes, everyone is entitled to their opinions. However, the more you can back up your opinion with knowledge, the more impact your opinion will have in a discussion.

Just because someone writes in all caps that this is an OPINION does not mean it is exempt from discussion or critique.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 7/20/04 at 1:48pm

I think it's incredibly reductive to call any production a "glorified puppet show" just because it employs puppets. Puppetry is an art form as old as theatre itself - it's only in the last century of Western entertainment that it's been (unfairly) attributed to mere childplay. In truth, puppetry is a refined craft that is deceptive in how easy it may look.

This goes for both The Lion King and Avenue Q. Both shows exhibit great artistry in puppet manipulation that takes a lot of training. Any dismissal of puppetry as meagre is, I believe, insulting to the hours of work and dedication these performers have put into their shows.

Updated On: 7/20/04 at 01:48 PM

[robbiej]

Posted: 7/20/04 at 2:18pm

I agree...I took a cheap shot at AVE Q to make a point (cause I quite liked it).

Many of the people on here who love to belittle THE LION KING also cheer AVE. Q. Just seems a little hypocritical.

[shlamdiddly]

Posted: 7/20/04 at 2:25pm

except avenue q and the lion king are two totally different shows

[robbiej]

Posted: 7/20/04 at 2:31pm

Absolutely. And if you want to debate the two based on book and score and which you think is better, than great. If you want to debate production designs and cast, marvelous. And if you want to discuss the use of puppets and how they differ between the two shows, sign me up.

If people like RAGTIME better than LION KING, then discuss the actual components that make each up and respect the traditions from which they stem.

[crp2000]

Posted: 7/20/04 at 3:06pm

Robbiej-
I'm just not clear on how puppets have ever played a significant role in African culture (which is the basis for TLK) and theatrics. If you are aware of a bit of history that I am not, please advise (and site your source of info)...I am always willing to learn.

At this point, all I'm taking away from this thread is one person's opinion of TLK and your disagreement with it. Updated On: 7/20/04 at 03:06 PM

[robbiej]

Posted: 7/20/04 at 3:46pm

crp,

African culture is not the exclusive basis for the staging of LION KING. Taymor's puppetry is inspired by both the Balinese shadow puppets and traditional Indonesian puppet theatre. The mask work is similar to the Korean tradition of Ha-Hoe mask drama. Even the character of Zazu seems inspired by the English Music Hall tradition (that, I'll admit, is my own opinion). That's the wonderment (at least for me) of this show...how it combines different traditions from theatre around the world to tell this story.

I don't have a problem if people thought she failed in her use of the puppets. But to dismiss a show only because of the use of puppets is short-sighted.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 7/20/04 at 3:52pm

Actually (and maybe even ironically), a lot of the puppet techniques and styles used in The Lion King come from Asian traditions: Japanese bunraku (sp?) theatre, Indonesian puppetry, Chinese shadow puppetry, etc. Asian theatre is Taymor's specialty, so it's no wonder she likes to employ these techniques in her work.

[TheGirlinTheFrock]

Posted: 7/20/04 at 4:30pm

Now, I for one thought the use of puppeets were excellent. Cirlce of Life was phenominal. I am not aware of the history of puppets etc., but i think they were used well in the show except for the few things i pointed out. I did not like Ed's outfit/puppet/costume - whatever is the proper terminology for it. Yet, there was something lacking in the show itself. Maybe i was expected it to bring the movie to another level, but it was almost the same as watching the "animated motion picture" (as someone corrected me earlier).

Besides the puppetry, what are your opinions about the show? How the puppetry was intergrated with it, choreography etc. I am interested to hear what you think.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 7/20/04 at 4:47pm

I really loved The Lion King, but I do acknowledge that it's a really flawed work - but a lot of the flaws come from remnants of the movie (the book, Elton John & Tim Rice's awful score [the newer tracks that aren't written by them are A LOT better]).

But I think the production's virtues greatly outweigh its misgivings. What amazed me most about the production was how Julie Taymor did the impossible: she took extremely and intrinsically cinematic material and made it organic and gloriously theatrical. I was a huge skeptic when I heard they were turning The Lion King into a musical - but was completely won over by the first glimpse of the rising sun.

So I think Julie Taymor did amazing work with really rigid material. For a children's musical, you can't get better than this: a merging of populist family entertainment with avant-garde high art.