Essay on "Lion King Not Knowing"

Quoted Instructions for "Lion King Not Knowing" Assignment:

PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THIS WRITING ASSIGNMENT IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN The LION KING on Stage

3 page Honest Critique of Broadway Musical- The Lion King the stage version not the movie.

What is the performance quality of this musical?

How do the sets, lighting, and music bring the audience into the play?

How are the dance numbers critical to the entertainment value of the play?

Costumes?

Flow?

Emotional feelings projected to audience?

Below is a description of theater and some ideas and feelings I had after seeing this. Please so not take this if you yourself has not seen this on stage Broadway style. I am providing you with information to incorporate as I just dont have the time to get this done. This is not a research paper- just an honest critique- honest feelings- about the performance quality of this musical.

-Theater was the Pantages Theater in Hollywood CA

An absolutely beautiful theatre in Hollywood!*****¨*****¨ The sound, lighting and ambiance was perfect..old and historic... well, not from outside, but once you get inside, the place has a lot of charm... the ceiling's decorations were amazing and beautiful... I was taken back by the design and how they were kept over the years...

The seating layout is wonderfully designed, the architecture inside the theatre is absolutely amazing and the sound quality here is top notch

-History of Lion KIng on Broadway

One of the longest running Broadway Musicals in history. THE LION KING fills the theatre with sights and sounds of one of Broadway's most imaginative new talents - all to bring new life to Disneys crowd pleasing story of a young princes adventure-filled journey to adulthood - and the throne.

Background information

The Lion King was a festive and fantastic production. The success relied heavily on its use of masks and costumes to make the production a complete musical. For starters, director Julie Taymor turned the cartoon movie's story into a musical that takes not only the movie, but also the concept of theatrical spectacle to a new level. The cartoon characters have been reinvented with wildly imaginative masks and puppets, (co-designed by Michael Curry) with actors and mask/puppets clearly visible to the audience. The costumes, an extension of the masks, are equally canny. The hard-to-top "Circle of Love" opening number is a parade that fills the entire theater. It includes giraffes on stilts, leaping antelopes a lumbering giant, and a baby elephant with Afrikan batik ears, and swooping birds.

The pop sound of Elton John and Tim Rice is not only present but includes three added numbers. The most important musical addition, however, stems from the exciting African rhythms by Lebo M. His "One by One" tribal chant at the beginning of Act 2 requires no understanding of the language for the audience to respond to its celebratory emotions. The singer Fuschia, as Rafiki the baboon shaman, also adds power to the show's African elements. Like the masks and the puppets and most everything else about the show, the ingeniousness of the scenic effects are almost beyond description. As you've got to hear the music and see the effect of the half human, half animal actors, you've got to see the orange paper sun, the savannah grasses rising from the stage and on top of human heads, a blue cloth that becomes a fish-filled stream. To implement Taymor's creative input, there's also set designer Richard Hudson's swirling pop-up Pride Rock to serve as the center of this magical kingdom.

I went to The Lion King with an optimistic attitude and I came out with a feeling of satisfaction of a good night. This splashy, feel-good productionReviews

The Lion King was MAGICAL, COLORFUL, VIBRANT AND FULL OF LIFE! Los Angeles quickly disappeared and Africa became alive' *****¨ *****¨The energy of the theatre itself begins to let your imagination wonder. When we arrived I felt as though we were entering an old beautiful castle. As I sat in my seat patiently waiting for the moment that the lights dim and the little child in you wants to escape to that magical pretend world, The Lion King in all its magic was spectacular! The music takes you so far from home and touches your soul with such passion. As the actors became more and more vibrant and animated, I could see the excitement on the faces of the people around me. I couldn't get close enough but I wanted to be right up on stage with them.

The beginning always brought me to tears and the music was just phenomenal.

I'm so impressed they could take an animated movie about animals in Africa and turn it into such a profound and moving musical-- truly amazing

The costuming is so different to that of any other show around - so creative and quite stunning. At the start of the show when the animals come down from the back of the theatre, close enough that you could touch them, you will find yourself moved to tears - they are phenomenal and as large as life.*****¨*****¨The actors performed *****ly, the story was clear and the sets *****.

the show remains beautifully stimulating as a pageant of theatrical imagination.

completely overwhelmed by the triumphant design and the invigorating creativity of the stagecraft.

From the opening number, *****Circle of Life,***** forward, Taymor creates a convincing animal kingdom, populated with leaping gazelles (a personal favorite), elephants, giraffes, lions and other

The performers are excellent, many making easy the complex interaction between puppetry, voice and character

Personal feelings (reword to make this flow and incorporate ideas into the other parts)

Disney*****s success continued in adapting their hit animated film into a theatrical phenomenon. I finally got to go see the musical version of The Lion King last week, and the first few words that come to my mind are: *****amazing,***** *****stunning,***** and *****unbelievable!***** My expectations were met, as my eyes grew wider with the bright, colorful lights, breath taking costumes, and the superb music of the first scene. I was a little unsure at first, wondering how in the world Disney was going to manage putting a film starring non-human characters, and animated ones at that, onto a three-dimensional stage. Disney never ceases to amaze me. The Lion King was one of the many impressive displays of an elaborate musical production that I have ever had the pleasure of seeing.

The Lion King on Broadway is such an incredible performance. You give so much credit to the people in these outrageously amazing costumes. It is so hard to pull off an amazing show while working with the puppets, and the big head costume. The performers were absolutely amazing, and couldn't have been better. From the singing, the acting, the dancing, and the costumes the whole show was wonderful. The theater was beautiful and the experience was lovely. Definitely a must see

loved the costumes, effects and the big ensemble numbers.

The production was a masterpiece with a talented cast, unique designs and style with clever costumes and extraordinary scenery, with up roaring and delighted music. I highly recommend this theater production