Posted: 7/4/15 at 6:06pm
Happy 4th all! I will be moving from NYC after 10 years next month. I have never managed to get myself motivated to see The Lion King, however have heard from many people it is an extremely magical theatrical event. My question is is this something I should see before I move or would I not be missing anything by missing it? Thanks in advance!!
Posted: 7/4/15 at 6:13pm
Go see it for the opening number, then leave.
Posted: 7/4/15 at 6:21pm
actually i thought the first act of the show was pretty magical...the opening number is amazing but the rest of the 1st act isn't bad...the second act to me gets more BORSCHT BELT humor-ish...and i lost interest...
Posted: 7/4/15 at 6:22pm
I've actually seen it 8 times. I love it. There isn't many shows on broadway at any time were the whole cast is african american. The story is great. The set is great. The music is great. People want it to fail so bad on here. It isn't boring after the opening number? It's all personal opinion. Go see it. It isn't closing any time soon. It's ALWAYS number 1 in the week's box office.
Posted: 7/4/15 at 6:35pm
I was on a high[not drugs] the night I saw it in NY in 1989 and loved every second of it after wiping away the tears following the opening number.
Everyones opinion is their own[how profound] so just put your money down and go-only way to know.
Posted: 7/4/15 at 6:40pm
Easily one of the most boring shows I have ever seen. I say skip it.
Posted: 7/4/15 at 6:43pm
It's a little late to hope it fails.
I, too, thought it was pretty beautiful, but I saw it through the wonderment of my (then) very young kids.
I'd be a vote for "see it".
Posted: 7/4/15 at 7:50pm
GO. SEE. IT.
Posted: 7/4/15 at 8:00pm
Go see it. It's a wonderful show. And those must have been some drugs to make you think you were seeing Lion King in 1989! lol
Posted: 7/4/15 at 8:21pm
"Go see it for the opening number, then leave.
"
Even before scrolling down I knew this would be one of the first or second things stated.
It's definitely something you should see. No other director is going to be able to bring to this piece the magic that was the combination of Julie Taymor's vision and Disney's money and creative control (I maintain that one of the reasons this has succeeded far beyond any other project of Julie's is because Disney did say "no" to her and forced her to work with some limits, as opposed to Spider Man where she had a seemingly unending supply of money at her disposal and nobody who would challenge her until it was far too late).
I don't think it's a perfect piece, and there are definitely flaws, but I also never was a super-fan of the movie. But there are many moments in the show that are quite stunning beyond just "The Circle of Life."
Posted: 7/4/15 at 9:42pm
Beyond the opening number, I found some of the original (non-film) material to be the most magical. Shadowland and He Lives In You Reprise are some of the best parts of the show. It's also worth the price of admission just to see the costume & puppetry design.
Posted: 7/4/15 at 10:10pm
'Easily one of the most boring shows I have ever seen.' Do you see a lot of theatre? I wouldn't put the Lion King under boring.. Have you seen Once, Porgy and Bess 2012 revival, The Beatles Rain, most of Sondheim's scaled down revivals? Lol
Posted: 7/5/15 at 11:35am
"I was on a high[not drugs] the night I saw it in NY in 1989 and loved every second of it after wiping away the tears following the opening number.
Everyones opinion is their own[how profound] so just put your money down and go-only way to know."
Going to assume you mean 1999. In any case, I thought it had high and low points. As everyone stated, the opening is stunning. I also LOVE the staging of the He Lives In You (Reprise), which is in Act II. So if you go, make sure you stay. It was mostly a boring show for me, though. And my 8 year old sister (the only reason I went) fell asleep. Ugh. Lots of money wasted.
And I liked Porgy and Bess.
Updated On: 7/5/15 at 11:35 AM
Posted: 7/5/15 at 12:19pm
"Do you see a lot of theatre? Have you seen Once, Porgy and Bess 2012 revival, The Beatles Rain, most of Sondheim's scaled down revivals? Lol "
Yes, I see a lot of theatre, and I have seen all of those you listed. I still find The Lion King to be an extremely boring show.
Posted: 7/5/15 at 12:24pm
see it
Posted: 7/5/15 at 12:38pm
Definitely see it. The spectacle is worth it if you haven't before. Beautiful costumes, orchestrations, and choreography. It was already mentioned, but the new songs are definitely the highlights. He Lives In You Reprise is just so beautiful.
Is it the most amazing show ever? Absolutely not. It's theater for children done on a grand scale. That's not a bad thing.
Posted: 7/5/15 at 1:06pm
I understand why people find it boring. The largest flaw in the show, in my opinion, is the use of the goofy humor taken straight from the movie. It feels very incongruous with the beauty and creativity surrounding it. However, for me that flaw was easily overlooked.
What I find great about the Lion King, is that it IS a spectacle and it IS visually stunning, but unlike Spider-Man, the creative visuals actually enhance the storytelling in a magical way. I too, found myself frequently crying throughout the show, not just in the opening number. I definitely think that it's easily the best of all the mega long-runners on Broadway right now (Wicked, Chicago, Phantom, etc.)
As with every show, there will be people who dislike it, but there's no way of knowing how YOU will feel unless you see it yourself.
Posted: 7/6/15 at 11:22am
You're going to get lots of different opinions when asking...some will love it and some will hate it. I saw it in my home town (Toronto) about 10 years ago. I found the costumes amazing and liked how they came near the audience. Personally though, it's not my favorite musical nor am I running to see it again (and we're coming to NY end of the summer with our kids and it was lower on the list of musicals to see)...but I think it's good to see it once. Don't let negative comments defer you from seeing it if it interests you.
