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Review: 'The Lion King' Brings the African Safari to Life at the Detroit Opera House

February 03, 2017, 2:45 PM by  Joey Yashinsky
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The minute that “The Lion King” begins, the audience is transported to the African safari.  One need not worry that it’s 14 degrees outside with the sidewalks enveloped in ice.  When the lights go down at the Detroit Opera House and the opening notes to “Circle of Life” are belted out, the winter doldrums go away and it’s pure theatrical bliss for 2.5 hours.

The opening sequence is the one that gets all the buzz in discussions surrounding “The Lion King,” and it lives up to the hype.  This isn’t a situation where the curtain goes up and all the characters are already well-positioned on stage.  Here, the wonderfully-designed puppets-turned-animals make the long walk down the Opera House aisles as the inspiring “Circle of Life” is sung collectively by the cast. 

It’s quite the experience, especially if you are near an aisle seat, to have a massive elephant brush past your shoulder on its journey to the stage.  Of course you’re aware that such a thing is not “real,” but with even the slightest bit of imagination, it feels possible.  There are giraffes and lions and birds, and the elephant; it’s a sequence that is unparalleled in terms of its creativity and sheer size. 

From there, the show plays out much the same as it does in the classic Disney film by the same name from 1994.  The young lion, Simba, is mentored by stately King Mufasa, with the evil Scar plotting to negotiate his way to the throne.  Even when very familiar with the plot after repeated film viewings, the musical still carries intensity and excitement as the story unravels.  The scene involving Mufasa and the stampede is choreographed impressively given the limits that come with trying to pull off large action set pieces on a theater stage. 

While the main themes of the story can be quite heavy -- child dealing with the loss of a parent, murder within the family -- there is enough comic relief throughout the evening to balance things out.  The character of Timon, a meerkat with a sharp tongue, is handled with ease by Nick Cordileone.  His array of one-liners brings necessary life to a second half of the show that sometimes feels a bit plodding.

“The Lion King” is the unique musical that will appeal to both kids and grown-ups alike.  Kids will laugh at the silliness of the sidekick characters and be amazed at the brilliance of color throughout the show.  Adults will marvel at the puppetry and costumes, searching for some possible explanation as to how the producers managed to march a two-ton elephant all the way down the narrow aisle and up onto the stage.  It’s a spectacle not to be missed.

 

“The Lion King” is running through Feb. 26 at the Detroit Opera House, with shows nightly (except Monday) and weekend matinees. Ticket information here.



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