Lion King Tour Update?

I've heard that things look basically the same - all they've done was update machinery and stuff like that to make use of present technology, reducing loading time for the stops. Probably why Taymor didn't need to be that much involved.

It's my understanding they made alterations so they could fit into smaller theaters, taking them to cities and towns they were previously unable to go to. I'm not sure what was changed, but that was the reason for whatever was altered.

Has anybody seen the newly configured tour since it opened in October? Are there any significant changes?

As mentioned above I have never been to NYC to see “The Lion King” on Broadway, and let me preface this little review by also saying (GASP!) I have never seen the Disney movie or any of its apparent multitude of sequels. It was mentioned in another thread that if someone ‘had to have seen the movie version to get the Broadway version, then the interpretation was lost’.

Now, having listened to the Original Broadway Cast album for a week straight while at work, over and over again, and non-stop for the nearly 4-hour one-way drive from my place in West Virginia to the Hippodrome Theater in Baltimore, parts of this show still didn’t make sense. Of course it all came together during the show. And the show begins with what has to be the most amazing opening I have ever seen or probably ever will or see of any Broadway show ever. Absolutely wonderful!

The next two hours was not what I was expecting based on the short ‘official’ preview video released of the show, which looks all serious and artistic and glamorous, but I should have seen that coming from the cast album I had been listening to. The show was of course a two hour mix of ‘serious’ pieces with lots of entertainment focused at the kids, i. e. large cartoonish figures (costumed puppets) controlled by people. There were gorgeous costumes, over the top silly costumes, and some that must have been 20’ high (during “I Can’t Wait to be King).

And I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

Well, except for two parts that seemed ‘misplaced’ in the show. One was a long stretch of what looked like interpretive dance, I think it was “One by One” at the beginning of Act Two during the Entr’ acte (some of the dancing almost robotic and looked like dancing-by-numbers) by a large group of cast ensemble more or less dressed in modern African clothing; and in the final fight scene near the very end, where a very large partitioned curtain on poles carried by cast kept interweaving through and across the stage and fights, stopping for no apparent reason. Then continuing on. At times it was back-lit with a type of Chinese shadow puppetry, but one time it just divided the entire stage in half front-to-back and nothing happened, and then it moved on.

As for the Elephant Graveyard and the Wildebeest Stampede scenes:

The set piece for the first one is rather large, runs primarily catty-corner from the back of stage right to the front of stage left, looks like the arched spine of an elephant with pairs of ribs near the back and some ribs near the front, and a large pair of tusks at the front which both face stage right because they are at the bottom of the stairs that run across the set piece.

The latter of the two scenes mentioned above had the stage divided into thirds front-to-back with large red partitions with angled cutouts near the top. The front third of the stage has the actors in wildebeest costumes in two rows, front row with larger head pieces, second row with two smaller head pieces; whereas in the second-third of the stage (behind the first wall) there was a rotating mechanism that arcs wildebeests into view as if they were stampeding towards you. Against the back-third portion they project a digital image of wildebeest stampeding that look like similar to cave drawings.

For the most part the acting was wonderful, most especially Gerald Ramsey as Mufasa and Mark Campbell as Scar were outstanding, and I really liked them. Others - Greg Jackson as Zazu, Nick Cordileone as Timon, and Ben Lipitz as Pumbaa were quite funny. And Mukelisiwe Goba as Rafiki, Ramon Reed as young Simba, Gerald Caesar as Simba, and Nina Holloway as Napa were all a delight to watch.

There were 13 scenes/musical numbers in Act 1, seven in Act 2. Having listened to the Original Broadway Cast album so much just prior to the show, I’d say the singers in the tour were quite strong and close to what I’d been listening to all along.

And at the end of the show they announced that they were collecting money for and selling a wide variety and array of items for “Broadway Cares” including an autographed ON TOUR window card, which I added to my growing collection.

All in all a very enjoyable evening!!!

Updated On: 12/10/17 at 01:41 PM

It has been reconfigured in ways that would not be noticeable to audience members; perhaps, with the exception that the elephant down the aisle is no longer mandatory.

The furthest upstage wildebeests (the ones meant to look like they are coming down into the canyon from a distance) in the previous incarnations of this production were painted onto a fabric roller. It's possible that one of the changes made to reduce some of the mechanics of the show was to eliminate the rollers and just do that same effect with projections. Or it could still be entirely the same and the dmwnc1959 just assumed it was done with projections.

its probably still the fabric as it sounds like it looks exactly the same. Glad you enjoyed the show though, alot of people on here hate it.

No hate here. It's a beautiful show with some very powerful music, and the opening is simply jaw-dropping. The only opening number I find even more goosebump-inducing is the prologue/overture of Phantom.

Justin D said: "Mind you I am still very confused that they cut out morning report and left in Chow Down.

"be good as gold cause you're as good as corn""

I think it's "Be good as gold for you're as good as carved."

Babe_Williams said: "I just bought a ticket for this summer. For some reason, have never seen this. Hoping the tour is in good shape. "

Two reviews of the current tour when it was in Orlando (ended March 11th) and Birmingham (ended April 1st):

https://www.broadwayworld.com/national-tours/article/BWW-Review-THE-LION-KING-at-Dr-Phillips-Center-For-The-Performing-Arts-20180221

https://www.broadwayworld.com/birmingham/article/BWW-Review-DISNEYS-THE-LION-KING-Roars-With-Excitement-and-Creative-Wonder-at-BJCC-CONCERT-HALL-20180320

From what I understand, they actually majorly scaled down the set to fit in smaller venues.

Someone who has never seen the show may not notice a difference....



In my understanding.... In this scaled down production, I believe nothing actually comes out of the floor. They redesigned the set to be able to fit into venues that do NOT have trap rooms......

dmwnc1959 Can you confirm??

Originally, PRIDE ROCK came rotating out of the stage floor. Also in "GRASSLAND CHANT". The actors with grass headpieces came up through a lift in the deck. And other elements (inflating cactuses and plants) also came from the deck. These pieces might still be used and not redesigned. but the major full stage lifts are cut I believe.

Updated On: 4/12/18 at 09:39 AM