WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J U L Y 2 0 1 4
Say you saw it in the Beacon
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Arts &
D-Day veteran Paul Roberts met Rep. Nancy Pelosi while in France to commemorate the 70th anniversary of DDay in June. See story on page 40.
Lion King still the crown of live theatre The spell is strong, but magic is an ephemeral thing, and it can vanish instantly. That has not happened with this show. The current production is just as effective at conjuring up the enchantment as the last time the tour came this way.
PHOTO BY JOAN MARCUS
By Michael Toscano There’s a double dose of magic with The Lion King, evident in the national touring company of the Broadway mega-smash now settled in at the Kennedy Center’s Opera House for a nine-week summertime run. Most of us are aware of the magic of the story and the spectacular staging that brings it to life. The coming-of-age tale set to African rhythms has become part of America’s cultural consciousness thanks to the original 1994 Disney film and the enduring stage version, which has been selling out on Broadway since 1997. As the show continues to tour the nation’s top regional theaters, the spirit of hakuna matata (“no worries” in Swahili) reaches new audiences every day. But perhaps almost as magical, although in a more practical way, is the manner in which the Disney company has managed to keep the show just as fresh and vivid as when it opened. What makes The Lion King stand apart from other musical fantasies is the all-encompassing spell, the sheer pageantry that envelopes and holds the audience for its two-and-a-half-hours-plus performance.
A very human fable There’s the poignant story with its primal themes, of course. Young lion cub Simba has a natural inquisitiveness that leads to tragedy for his noble father at the paws of his evil uncle Scar. It’s a fable that explores the cycle of life and death unsparingly. The music from Elton John and Tim Rice, the smoothly percussive rhythms, the dazzling costumes and puppetry, the movement that blends African and modern dance with ballet, the animation, and an eye-filling, scenic lighting and sound design create an ancient but familiar world in a shared experience that is rarely achievable in live presentation. All that is challenging enough to manage once. Or twice. But to do it thousands of times, night after night on stages of varying sizes and capabilities, seems supernatural all by itself.
In The Lion King’s opening number, “The Circle of Life,” Brown Lindiwe Mkhize plays the wise baboon Rafiki. The Lion King, with its magical mélange of masks, costumes and infectious music, continues at the Kennedy Center through Aug. 17.
At about this point, I should be explaining how they do it. But I can’t. Somehow, Disney, the corporate monolith, has found the heart of this thing and keeps it beating. The human factor is essential, of course, and this is one of the hardest-working casts
you might ever see. The opening parade of animals filling the aisles lets you know from the very first moments that something spectacular is happening. Dozens of denizens See LION KING, page 41
“Always Be Yourself. Unless You Can Be A Pirate, Then Always Be A Pirate!” THROUGH AUGUST 31
You won’t want to miss this updated version of Gilbert and Sullivan's most popular musical comedy. Wacky, irreverent and entertaining!
703-273-6097
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