Settling into my seat at the Lyceum Theatre, it’s clear that the people piling in around me have all come to the same show for different reasons. There’s romance, in the form of a couple on date night taking selfies; mother-daughter bonding over champagne; and kids excitedly munching popcorn, perhaps on their first trip to the theatre without a parent in tow. First timers and veteran audience members are equal in their excitement for what lies just behind the curtain: The Lion King.
Jo Bradley is here with her boyfriend, and tells me after the show: “Everyone I spoke to said how amazing it was but it still blew my mind.” For Rosy Blunstone, this isn’t her first viewing. And each time Blunstone comes, she brings someone different: “I came and saw it with a friend, then I wanted my parents to see it, and now my boyfriend. Anyone who’ll come really!”
Alongside three generations of his family, Ron Mason is returning to The Lion King after a gap of nearly 20 years: “It’s as good now as the first time we saw it. Those same emotions hit me in exactly the same way.”
Following rave reviews from their daughter, husband and wife Lee and Louise Symes bought tickets. It’s been a special experience for the two of them: “It feels like you’ve been transported – like you’re not sitting in the theatre any more. You get so focused on that particular moment that you forget everything else that is going on.”
Twenty-one years and counting after it opened in the West End, The Lion King is still pulling in the punters, night after night. Since its Broadway premiere in 1997, Simba’s coming-of-age story has been seen by more than 100 million people in more than 100 cities globally. Those numbers add up to the highest grossing stage show – in fact, the highest film, show or entertainment title – in box office history.
With 25 global productions, The Lion King’s theatrical production has become a bit of a legend in its own right. For director Julie Taymor, the distinctive theatrical techniques – including the decision to show both the puppets and puppeteers simultaneously – are a big part of the show’s success. “The technical operation of the puppets is just as important as the story,” she says. “For me, the enjoyment of The Lion King is just as much about how the story is told, as it is about the story itself. That’s very important. It’s an equal balance.”
“I decided very early on that I wanted the design to be very ‘theatre’. By that I mean visible. There’s no attempt to try to make it look realistic. It’s about the magic of the audience being able to suspend their disbelief – to watch the puppeteers manipulate the puppets and still go with it. The joy is in knowing that there are four people in the legs of that elephant. The fun part is that it’s the audience that make these things come alive.”
A respected film-maker, Taymor wanted to make sure that The Lion King musical did all the things that film could not: “I wanted to make something you couldn’t make on film. Theatre is 3D naturally. Film is 2D.” Taymor mentions the show’s now-iconic opening sequence, which sees all the puppet animals – all 25 different species of them – stream through the stalls during Circle of Life. “I wanted this parade of animals to come from all directions; to have kites flying over your head and the audience brush up against the characters.”
But perhaps most integral to the show’s success is the story at its heart: a story of family, duty and grief, in which childish arrogance becomes regal bravery, friendship blossoms into romance, and death becomes a springboard for new beginnings. “The popularity of the show is not just because it’s pretty,” says Taymor. “It’s something that every society can understand.”
The Lion King is at the Lyceum Theatre, London, and on a nationwide tour. Learn more about the show at thelionking.co.uk
