Review: Roadtrip - DISNEY'S THE LION KING at Montreal's Place Des Arts

Broadway Across Canada’s presentation of Disney’s The Lion King takes its final bow this weekend, after spending three weeks at Place des Arts in Montreal. Based on the 1994 animated film, The Lion King draws parallels with Shakespeare’s Hamlet: King Mufasa is murdered by his jealous brother, Scar, to usurp his power, banishing Prince Simba. After deep introspection, and his own conversations with spirits, the Prince returns home to avenge his father and resume his rightful place on the Pride Lands’ throne. However, unlike Hamlet, The Lion King highlights overcoming adversity, the benefit of diverse and meaningful friendships, strong female characters, and - perhaps above all - a happily ever after. It is no wonder that The Lion King musical has endured since its 1997 Broadway debut, moving on to become the highest grossing Broadway production of all time and earning it the title of the “World’s #1 Musical”.

There is a lot to love about this musical, but I think the opening number is what sets the mood for what is to come.  In the “Circle of Life”, the shaman, Rafiki (usually performed by Zama Magudulela but understudied by Thembelihle Cele at the performance I attended), calls upon the animals of the Pride Lands to join her. Animals, including wildebeest, a rhino and various birds approach the stage from the back of the theatre, walking up the aisles to join many other animals typically found on the savannah, like antelope, giraffe, and elephants. Once together, they are ready to meet Mufasa (David D’Lancy Wilson) and Sarabi’s (Jennifer Theriot) newborn lion cub, Simba (young Simba is played Aaron Chao, who splits the role with Josiah Watson), the future King of Pride Rock. And thus begins Simba’s tale.

This touring cast is phenomenal; I especially enjoyed Gilbert Domally’s performance as adult Simba. A fun fact: I have seen The Lion King three times over about a fifteen-year period and, every time I have seen it, Nick Cordileone has played Timon! He unequivocally embodies Timon’s wise cracking, high-strung ways. Danny Grummich balances Timon’s character as the easygoing, flatulent Pumbaa.

The ensemble utilizes classical ballet movements, which are fused with modern dance elements as well as traditional African dance. The lioness hunt scene is gorgeous to watch; other hunts are shown through the use of shadow puppets, which is a clever way to show the reality of life in the Pride Lands without having too many scary moments for kids.

Emotion is elicited through the narrative, which is enhanced with projection screens (scenic design by Richard Hudson), and lighting (Donald Holder), combined with understated symbolism, such as Mufasa’s removal of his mask before an earnest conversation with Simba about life and loss. The sombre scenes are well balanced with colourful and humourous ones, such as “I Just Can’t Wait to be King”, where bright Muppet-like versions of animals parade across the stage in an effort to help the cubs “ditch the dodo” referring to Zazu (Nick LaMedica), Mufasa’s subservient hornbill, who is instructed to babysit the young troublemaking cubs, Simba and his best friend Nala (Journey Compass and Marley Gomes alternate the role of Young Nala).

Now, let’s talk about my favourite Disney villain: Scar (Peter Hargrave) is deliciously evil; it is always fun to see actors embrace this role. The mask and makeup design (mask and puppet design by Julie Taymor and Michael Curry; hair and makeup design by Michael Ward) uses a technique referred to as the “double event”, where the audience can choose to focus either on the actor or the mask since the mask is usually perched above the head. In Scar’s case, I found myself mostly focusing on the actor, as his mannerisms and subtle gestures and facial expressions truly enhanced the performance. When tempers flared, Hargrave moves his mask to cover his face, bringing the fierce lion to the forefront. Similarly, watching the lionesses like Nala (usually performed by Thembelihle Cele but understudied by Aja Simone Baitey at the performance I attended) using their hands/paws to emphasize feline mannerisms.

Hudson’s set design is ever-moving, from tall grass blanketing the plains of the Savannah, to a foreboding elephant graveyard, to a brightly coloured jungle paradise or to the imposing, legendary cliff of Pride Rock; the transitions seem so effortless and are so smooth that it is easy to forget that there is a whole team behind the scenes. The most impressive staging is the wildebeest stampede; the image is accomplished through various levels with a projection screen at the top showing the herd’s descent, with the ensemble in masks of varying sizes to depict the scale of the stampede. Having the largest wildebeest masks right at the front of the stage accentuate Simba’s relatively small size and emphasize his terror as he gets caught up among them.

This touring production of The Lion King has a gifted cast, a score that fans of the film will instantly recognize, with hits like “Circle of Life”, “Hakuna Matata”, and “Can you Feel the Love Tonight”, alongside strong additions, like “He Lives in You”, which are used to drive the story forward instead of feeling like filler. Incredibly efficient use of staging, costumes and masks that are beautifully crafted and bring the characters to life vividly enhance the experience. While some scenes may be a bit frightening for the youngest audience members, there are no surprises for anyone who is already familiar with the animated film.

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