Lion King Review

On the 18^th November, the Year 1 and 2 Musical theatre classes and some of Year 1 drama class went to the Lyceum Theatre in Covent Garden to see the Lion King. It is based on the Disney animated movie. I thought that it was a truly inspiring theatrical experience and I felt as if I got to connect with the characters because I personally love Disney films so being able to see it in a theatre live was just a whole new experience that I extremely enjoyed. However, I was sitting on the upper stall looking down on the stage and I didn’t really like where I was sitting because people were In the way of the stage and I couldn’t see most of the show. If I was seated at the bottom I would’ve gotten a better glance at the show.

I thought the skill of the puppeteers was absolutely stunning.  I could tell that Harold Gossington who played the loveable Zazu, had practiced very hard with being able to move the puppet and act like a bird. Furthermore, what connected the Lion King to change it to make it more modern to suit with the current event was when Zazu sung the song ‘Let it go’, which is a very popular song known by all from the award-winning animated children’s film ‘ Frozen’. This connected the audience with the character.

I felt that the strongest character was Mustafa who was the Lion King. This is because he adapted the way a lion moves by using his whole body and the way he would open out his chest to show that he dominates over all the other animals.

In the end, we got the chance to meet the characters Zazu and Nala. Harold Gossington mentioned a struggle he had which he then managed to do perfectly after a lot of practice which was being able to open the puppets mouth whenever he had to say his lines. All the props were amazing to see and I could tell that there had been lots of work put into them to make them seem as realistic as possible for the audience. I loved how passionate the two characters were of their animal and being able to perform 8 times a week shows that they are dedicated to what they do and are willing to carry on.

Overall, this was my first time seeing Lion King in theatre as well as on television as an animated movie. Personally, I thought it was an amazing experience and I loved every song, every joke and every character in the play and I’d love to be able to see it again but more closer to the stage. I recommend anyone of any age to go and watch the Lion King in theatres as it will bring back your childhood memories of watching it at home on television but this time watching it live in front of you.