THE LION KING

Probably the most frequently asked question I see about Disney’s The Lion King on the Internet (along with whether it should have won the Tony Award or not – but that’s another debate for another blog) is whether or not the stage production is like the movie. The short answer goes like this: the stage version of The Lion King uses the film as a starting point and then adds material. Some of the new material works very well, but a large chunk in the second act is completely unnecessary (the whole sequence with Timon falling into the waterfall) and interval is in the wrong place (it should happen after the Wildebeest stampede, when Simba runs away). However, the concept for the staging, making use of puppetry and en eclectic mix of theatrical traditions, is excellent and the show is worth seeing – particularly if you have a cast that manages to connect their characterisation with their puppets.