Disney’s The Lion King, which is coming to the Providence Performing Arts Center stage for the fourth time since 2011, is more than a mega-hit musical deemed “breathtaking” by Entertainment Weekly, “gasp-inducing” by Time, and “a marvel” by Variety. It is at the top of the food chain of an impressive franchise.
It all began with the 1994 animated musical film The Lion King, which has since become the highest-grossing traditionally animated film of all time. Not bad considering that its production company, Walt Disney Animation Studios, has been making movies since 1937, starting with the Oscar-winning Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Surely you know this coming-of-age, Hamlet-in-the-East-African-savanna story. It revolves around the lion cub Simba, whose uncle Scar has claimed the throne of Pride Rock by killing his own brother, Mufasa, the King. Although Scar has cast out his young heir-apparent nephew, Simba returns as an adult to take back his homeland with the help of the meerkat Timon – not unlike Hamlet’s Horatio – and his sidekick, the gassy warthog Pumbaa… Yeah, I got no Shakespeare equivalent.
The Lion King film inspired the 1997 musical stage adaptation, which has since become Broadway’s third longest-running show in history, behind The Phantom of the Opera and Chicago. And the national tour, which launched in 2002, has played over 9,000 performances across 93 cities, entertaining more than 21 million people. It is consistently a top-grossing, record-breaking touring production.
The success of all this led to two photo-realistically computer-animated films – a 2019 remake of the original and a massive box office success, grossing over $1.6 billion worldwide, and a 2024 prequel sequel titled Mufasa: The Lion King.
While the latest state-of-the-art film and its $260 million production budget leave audiences awe-struck, the touring live-action stage production tends to inspire prolonged, heartfelt, and well-earned “Awws.”
This is largely due to its wildly imaginative staging and anthropomorphic animal character costuming by director Julie Taymor, gorgeous choreography by Garth Fagan, and hummable, award-winning tunes by Elton John and Tim Rice, including “Can You Feel the Love Tonight.” The current touring company also turns in seasoned and endearing performances, featuring the work of Gilbert Domally as Simba, David D’Lancy Wilson as Mufasa, Sarita Amani Nash as Nala, Nick Cordileone as Timon, and Danny Grumich as Pumbaa. The South African actor Zama Magudulela plays the mystical, Zulu-spouting baboon, Rafiki. Although a newcomer to the current North American tour, she is a veteran of seven previous international productions.
The $45 million invested in the creation and mounting of this touring stage production also results in renowned large-scale pageantry and multicultural storytelling. This includes Japanese bunraku rod puppetry, ancient Indonesian wayang kulit shadow puppetry, and stand-alone puppets with fully exposed puppeteers beside or inside them. Choral arrangements are by African legend Lebo M, and a 12-piece touring orchestra performs primal, percussive rhythms and plays over 80 different musical instruments from all over the world.
All this comes with the rigorous – some would say anal retentive – Disney seal of approval, which means that this production is handled with expert craftsmanship and diligent quality control.
It could certainly be argued that what was once innovative stagecraft may now seem a bit tame, time-worn, and a tad analog in light of other touring, kid-friendly productions coming through PPAC. This season’s high-tech Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the poster child for what Motif reviewer Susan McDonald called “did-you-see-that?” special effects moments.
Still, even if you’ve seen The Lion King films or previously attended the touring production, the spectacle will likely win you over once again. The remarkable artistry will surely transport you. And the high-energy and high-caliber performances will remind you of why live theater is like no other form of entertainment.
Disney’s The Lion King runs from May 20 – June 7 at the Providence Performing Arts Center, 220 Weybosset St., Providence. Contact ppacri.org or 401-421-2787 for tickets, $57-$165, includes fee.
Bob Abelman is an award-winning theater critic who also writes for The Boston Globe. Connect with him on Facebook.