The Lion King

Rafiki and the antelope dancers, can I just say how thrilled I am that Rafiki is played by a woman for the stage production?

Simba and Nala...look how detailed those costumes and makeup are!
The Circle of Life
Timon and Pumba, and below, Zazu, this is what I mean with the puppets and the actors who control them. It was mainly the comic relief characters that got this treatment, but the actors had to have the same facial expressions and motions as their puppets had. Plus, I love that Zazu is the one character that wasn't dressed in traditional African clothing, but more of a British feel.

Mandalay Bay has an awesome deal going on right now where college students can purchase up to two tickets at $25 each for The Lion King! I've been wanting to see this show ever since it first premiered on Broadway, and even more when it came to Vegas. But of course since I know that it's silly to pay full-price for show tickets in Vegas, I've just been waiting for a really good deal! Judd and I jumped on this one!

So I got choked up in the first 30 seconds with the first chords of "The Circle of Life", and was totally transfixed throughout the rest of the show. The costumes are completely amazing, particularly the ones with a puppet attached. Judd and I were trying to imagine how an audition for this show would go: the actors need to be able to act, sing, dance, and many need to be able to work a puppet at the same time they're doing the above actions. The kids were adorable as Simba and Nala, and their adult counterparts were superb. The actors who played Rafiki and Scar were particularly memorable.

The music was inspiring, and I liked the addition of African songs and dance throughout. Some of the characters had new songs. I enjoyed Nala's song towards the end where she must leave her family to find help. Nala was a much bigger character in this musical than the movie (although the Scar storyline where she is being pressured to marry him was kind of off). I totally just downloaded the sound track and I'm determined to memorize these awesome songs, even if half are in another language!

So I would recommend this show to anyone, even if you have to pay the full price (but seriously, find your old college ID or make a friend and see if you can go cheaper!). It brought back a piece of our childhoods for us, and it gives you a couple of hours to get lost in this beautiful story.