The Lion King, now at the Orpheum Theater
One of the first things any adult will notice about the traveling Broadway production of The Lion King is that it would be better if you were 10 years old. The popular Disney musical, now in its 15th year of traveling about the world, charging parents upwards of $100 per ticket, actually made its world debut in St. Paul. And now it’s back for a new generation of parents and kids at the Orpheum Theatre through February 12. A lot has changed in the real world in 15 years, though you wouldn’t know it by looking at Pride Rock. How the production has weathered the onslaught of digital entertainment and technology, and how kids feel about the story, is a mixed bag. The Lion King, as a brand, is strong. But will kids still like the show even though it doesn’t have quite the flash of some modern tyke entertainments? Will it feel as stale and dated to them as it does the adults that foot the bill? It’s hard to say.
A quick and careless critic might point out that The Lion King, in 2012, may benefit from more of following: lazers, swearing, at least one gun battle, Justin Bieber, and perhaps numerous short breaks to update Facebook statuses or read your tweet stream (#Simba). But in reality, there are some drastic changes that could be made without Rafiki and Scar squaring off in a gun battle. Like passionate actors, for example. None of the actors feel particularly self-aware or engrossed in their role—possibly just the byproduct of a traveling Broadway show, something that’s big and corporate and traipsing about the country with the obvious intent of making a buck. Still, you’d expect more feeling from the actors. One notable exception was the role of Rafiki, played, at least on the night the performance was seen, by the talented Ntomb’khona Dlamini, who is the type of actor capable of stirring a smile with just one suggestive hip move or curtly delivered insult.
The musical itself is much about movement. The oversized and—at least at the time they were designed—inventive costumes are still a joy to watch. At one point, a large elephant costume containing no fewer than 5 actors inside stomps down the aisle, swaying between rows of audience members. Moments like these are fun. On stage, actors are suspended in towering giraffe costumes, and the movement of the cheetah or the herd of wildebeests are compelling. If only the story line and the delivery from the actors was just as captivating. Should we make excuses for The Lion King just because its target audience is between 5-15 years old? Doubtful. Pixar and other entertainment companies have stepped up quality for young people and film, and we know that movies and entertainment can, and should, please both the young and the old. Maybe, once upon a time, the inventiveness of this stage production pleased both kids and adults—but a lot has changed in 15 years, and The Lion King hasn’t kept up. This argument would be void, however, if the viewer was under the influence of psychedelic drugs. In that case, The Lion King would really be something.
