Photos by Disney Adrian Diamond plays
the younger Simba in Disney’s "The Lion King." The Broadway
musical, decorated with over 25 awards thus far, including six Tony
Awards and eight Drama Desk Awards, is currently at the Pantages
Theatre through June 30, 2001.
By Barbara McGuire
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
The story is simple. A young boy experiences difficulties
growing up, runs away from his problems and then eventually returns
to face and fight them, only, in this story, the boy is a lion
cub.
Simba, a young lion and the star character in Disney’s hit
cartoon movie, “The Lion King,” is having his trials
and tribulations thrown into the limelight once again, only this
time it’s live action.
Though Simba may be the king of the lions at Pride Rock, the
theatrical production of the Disney movie is truly the king of
musicals. Well known for it’s amazing costumes, “The
Lion King” musical lives up to it’s reputation.
Having won over 25 major awards, including six Tony Awards,
eight Drama Desk Awards and six Outer Critics Circle Awards, among
many others, this production should not surprise audiences with its
excellence.
 Photos by Disney John Vickery and
Karonn A. Henderson, two of the 48-person ensemble
cast, bring life to "The Lion King" with talented portrayals and
pure energy. Featuring animals such as giraffes, wildebeests,
zebras and birds, this production of “The Lion King”
lets nothing get in its way of creating an entertaining show, even
though it is live and without the help of animated special effects.
What is especially unique about the show’s costumes is the
fact that they truly resemble the correlating animals, and at the
same time, show the creature in a whole new light.
Simba is played by two different actors throughout the play,
each representing him at a different age. He is a somewhat
rebellious, yet honest youth who experiences a horrible tragedy
when his father, the king of Pride Rock, dies. Simba must overcome
this tragedy internally before he can claim the throne his uncle
has stolen.
Adrian Diamond plays the young Simba whose performance is cute
in addition to being acted out well. Also, Clifton Oliver does a
great job in his portrayal of the more mature lion prince.
Other key characters in the show include Pumbaa (Bob Bouchard),
a crazy gaseous pig who has no bowel control, and Timon (Danny
Rutigliano), a bizarre and somewhat unidentifiable rodent. The two
characters befriend Simba when he runs away from Pride Rock and
serve as pseudo-parents.
An aspect of the play that helps to make the interpretation
truer to the original “Lion King,” is the fact that
each character’s voice is almost a perfect match to the voice
in the animated version. Nala, Simba’s female friend and love
interest, played by Lisa Tucker and Moe Daniels, has a similar
voice to the one heard in the movie, as does John Vickery in his
performance of Scar, Simba’s evil uncle.
 Disney New songs by Elton John, among others, combine
with well-known Disney favorites to please ears and complete "The
Circle of Life."
In addition to not deviating far from the original movie through
voice match-ups, the story line also remains unchanged to a high
degree. The sequencing from one scene to the next sometimes happens
within seconds, unnoticed by the audience. It is not just the
result of a background change, but a complete change in
setting.
For example, the transition as Simba flees the more arid
landscape of Pride Rock to the grassy, green jungle, makes Richard
Hudson, the scenic designer, seem no less than genius.
With inflatable plants, huge renditions of elephant bones and
actors who not only do animal interpretations but foliage ones as
well, “The Lion King” creates an entirely different
experience.
Besides the popular songs by Elton John and Tim Rice (“The
Circle of Life” and “Can You Feel the Love
Tonight?”), there is a large number of new songs in the show,
some done by South African Lebo M. and Mark Mancina, others done by
John, Rice and other contributors.
One such new song, “Chow Down,” is sung by the
annoying, giggling and always hungry hyenas as they are stalking
the young Simba and Nala. With electric guitar elements and an
almost rock-like tone, this new number adds spice to the show.
Audiences will find themselves breaking out into uproarious
applause between almost every scene change and after almost every
musical number.
Though containing a few extra scenes which seem out of place,
the theatrical production of “The Lion King” is
thoroughly entertaining and similar enough to the movie to retain
the same name, but different enough to make the story line worth
revisiting. With a cast of 48, the stage is always full of life, as
all the actors do a marvelous job of singing and dancing.
Appreciation of the show is not undeserved. With smooth
sequencing and dance movements, “The Lion King” truly
conquers the theater.
THEATER: Disney’s “The Lion King” is currently
showing at the newly redone Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd.,
through June 30, 2001. Performances are Tuesday ““ Friday at 8
p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 6:30
p.m. There will be occasional Wednesday matinees at 2 p.m. Ticket
prices range from $12 to $77 and can be purchased by calling
Ticketmaster at (213) 365-5555 or (714) 703-2510, or online at
www.lionkingla.com.