The Lion King Broadway Poster. Image courtesy of Disney
The Lion King Broadway Poster. Image courtesy of Disney
BY KAZAD
NEW YORK— For many New Yorkers, it is no more news that traveling by subway around New York City can sometimes be very traumatic. Besides the fact that some of the cars can be packed full with little room for movement, many New Yorkers can also be very cranky, especially after a long day. To deal with the constraints of the sometimes very long commute uptown or downtown, many subway riding New Yorkers have developed individual ways to channel their thoughts and better spend their time. While some listen to music on their phones, others play games like candy crush, angry birds, and many others on their tablets.
However, there have been instances when some form of unexpected entertainment takes the mind of New York subway commuters off their digital gadgets. One happened on June 28 when the Broadway cast of The Lion King riding on the A train serenaded a New York subway car with the a cappella rendition of The Circle of Life. The reaction of the subway audience was mixed: While some seemed embarrassed, others gave the performers a rousing ovation. As expected, many on the A train documented the epochal art event with their cell phones and tablets. When the performance ended, many of the commuters went back to listening to music on their phones and playing games on their tablets. Some even pretended to be reading.
The Lion King on Broadway is the stage adaptation of the Academy Award-winning 1994 Disney film of the same title. The film tells the classic journey of young royal heir Simba, who in the face of unbelievable adversities, fought to become the leader of the tribe.
Directed by Taymor, with music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice, the show opened on Broadway on November 13, 1997, and has gone on to become the top-grossing musical performance. In 2013, The Lion King made history as the first show to gross more than $1 billion. The show has also won several awards. The performance in the New York A train by the Broadway cast of The Lion King shows why the show continues to attract a lot of audiences across the globe.
Video: YouTube, Jamal Lee Harris
Since it debuted on Broadway about 20 years ago, The Lion King has been performed on seven continents. In 2018, lovers of musical theatre in Antarctica had the opportunity to enjoy the great performers of the epic performance. With Antarctica’s performance, The Lion King is the first musical to be performed on all seven continents.
In all, more than 100 million people have seen this show worldwide. This is more than New Zealand, Switzerland, Singapore, Ireland, Sweden, and Chile combined.
Masks and puppets are integral elements of The Lion King performances. The show features more than 200 puppets. Creating those puppets and masks took over five years of hard work. The creation process brought together expert mask makers, sculptors, artisans, and other skilled craftspeople who gave life to many of the characters. Julie Taymor, the Broadway production’s director and designer, was hands-on and assisted with creating and painting the prototypes of every prop and mask in the opening number. Julie Taymor won Tony Awards for the Best Direction of a Musical and Best Costume Design.
The Lion King is a huge production with more than 150 people. It has over 50 cast members who perform on stage and more than 20 musicians in the orchestra pit. Stagehands, wardrobe staff, carpenters, electricians, stage managers, props people, puppet craftspeople, make-up artists, hairdressers, and more work together to make the production what it is today.
The Lion King is an exceptional show that has left audiences across the seven continents breathless. The combination of music, dance, and vivacious performances by the more than 150 performers has made the show a must-see. Adding to all the excitement is an enchanting puppet menagerie. The enigmatic synchronicity of birds, lions, giraffes, and elephants navigating the aisles, upstage, and downstage, to the tunes of enchanting music, has created an immersive theater experience like no other.
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