![]() But the sheer ingenuity behind the costumes that allow actors to become the grasses, trees and sands that mark out the show’s African setting is just mind-boggling. There are very few true sets in The Lion King, though what there are (a moving rock face, an enormous elephant skeleton) is artful and precise. ![]() This allows them to bring all-important facial expressions to the lions’ characterisation, while also giving the rulers of the land further gravitas by adding to their height and heft. The exception to this is the lions, denoted not through puppetry but simply gorgeous masks, that the actors wear not over their faces but above their heads. Hornbill Zazu, for example, the King’s snooty advisory, has his strings pulled by an actor (Andre Jewson, in this production) outfitted as a sort of avant-garde clown. Rather, they’re incorporated into the puppetry, allowing the characters to have a sort of double personality, that of the puppet, and that of the actor. They’re sort of a dream of what those animals might look like, and, delightfully, there’s no attempt to hide the actors animating them.Ī battle between Scar and Mufasa shows the power of the lions’ masks. The elephants, zebras, ostriches and giraffes – the latter of which, towering over the rest of the animals, are particularly impressive – of this production aren’t realistic, exactly. Zazu : Simba, you can't escape your destiny. Young Simba : Well, I'm not letting anyone tell me where to go, what to do, and even who to marry. That’s thanks to an animal population ingeniously imagined and beautifully, flawlessly realised by director and costumer Julie Taymor, who has deservedly won a clutch of awards for her work on this show. With an attitude like that, I'm afraid you'll be a pretty pathetic king. The 66-year-old achieved global fame with his often silent portrayal of the bumbling. The Lion King’’s greatest strength, and greatest feat, is its costuming, staging and puppetry.įrom the show’s opening number, The Circle of Life, in which the animals of the pride lands enter the stage from within the auditorium, brushing against and even interacting with audience members on their way to gathering on stage, we are totally immersed in the world of the savannah. Disney fans are only just realizing the parrot Zazu was voiced by none other than Rowan Atkinson, aka Mr. The answer is, in a way that no film ever could: Bring it truly to life. * The best shows and movies on Disney+ right now * Kiwi Nick Afoa 'honoured' to star as Simba in The Lion King stage show in Auckland * The Lion King cast and crew speak out: 'This is such a blessing'
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