Everyone is familiar with the story of Simba, a young lion cub navigating his adolescence in the Pride Lands.
Who would’ve thought, 25 years later, that a film based loosely on Shakespeare’s Hamlet, but with lions, would still be an ongoing and ever-growing phenomenon.
Since its UK premiere in London in 1999, The Lion King has been seen by over 16 million theatregoers. It’s been seven years since the first tour came through Manchester in 2012, and four years since the last tour in 2015.
Celebrating its 20th year at London’s Lyceum Theatre in October this year, it’s comforting for northern audiences to know the show will be coming much closer to home.
This time next Christmas, you could be settling in your seat to see the Circle of Life live on stage, with a three month run of shows just announced at Manchester's Palace Theatre .
We were invited to see the show in London, to see what Manchester theatregoers can look forward to when the tour returns.
With practical effects that are both fantastical and simplistic, the show is a visual cacophony of movement and colour. A series of mechanics, costumes, puppets and staging make up the incredible backdrop of the show.
Each animal is introduced down the aisles of the theatre during their opening number, allowing audiences to feel like they’re part of the world.
The three hyenas, Shenzi, Banzai and Ed, have some of the most effective costumes of the show: disjointed and unnerving, especially as they walk down the aisles of the audience, towards the stage.
The infamous stampede scene could be met with trepidation. How could such a powerful and intense moment be properly shown without the use of animation?
With a blend of backing animations, practical puppetry and ensemble costume, each layer of the scene builds to a heart wrenching moment fans will be all too familiar with.
Fans will be pleased to know the show includes all of the beloved classics, with standout moments in Circle of Life, Just Can’t Wait to Be King, Hakuna Matata, Can You Feel the Love Tonight and the musical’s own He Lives in You.
With a two-part story that goes from colourfully lush decadence, to stunningly gothic desolation, there’s a practical and live alternative to every instance where you thought the film would be untranslatable - the shrinking watering hole of material being pulled beneath the stage, once colourful puppets returning skeletal and slow, blooming flower dresses of ensemble cast members.
Dashaun Young will play Simba, after first performing in the 2007 North American tour, followed by Broadway, West End, Vegas, and South Korea productions, and Josslynn Hlenti will play Nala, after performing in the Hamburg production, and Australian and international tours.
Rafiki will be played by Thandazile Soni, who took on the role in the Broadway and West End productions, North American Tour, and the Netherlands production, whilst Steve Beirnaert, also from the Netherlands production, will play Timon, and Jean-Luc Guizonne will play Mufasa, following performances in Hamburg, Singapore and Paris productions.
Taking into account all the global productions of The Lion King, the show has now been seen by more than 100 million people across six continents; every one but Antarctica.
There is no age limit to the show; it isn’t just for families with kids. It’s for couples, friends, parents, and anything and everything in between. In fact, you could happily walk yourself down to the Palace Theatre solo and still have an amazing time, judgement free.
The show returns to Manchester from October 21, 2020 to January 31, 2021 at the Palace Theatre. Tickets are on sale in February and you can sign up for priority access at atgtickets.com/the-lion-king-tour .
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