As the sun rose on the Benedum Center stage, that famous parade of animals — there is nothing more spectacular in any Broadway musical — made its way down the aisles to herald the now-familiar story of The Lion King.
At least to me.
It was my fourth time visiting director Julie Taymor’s remarkable African vista, no less striking, no less satisfying. Perhaps the only difference is that the movie Black Panther entered our collective consciousnesses in the meantime.
Or so it seemed to me.
Perhaps as a result of the movie’s pervasive impact last year, the actors themselves seemed to embrace a deeper sense of nobility, a regal bearing born of a feeling that they were indeed deserving of this story, this audience.
Much has been made of the Taylor/Michael Curry puppetry. But this time at the Broadway in Pittsburgh series, I looked behind them to the miraculous characters brought to life by the actors (so incredible from top to bottom). I concentrated on how their movement expertise and coordination opened up a whole new perspective to this musical royalty.
In this tale of good and evil, told with a blend of Oriental/African stylizations, Mufasa (Gerald Ramsey) set a magnificent, yet fatherly example for his son, Simba, while Scar (Spencer Plachy) became the ultimate Shakespearean villain, expertly using the drop-down mask to heighten his dialogue.
And you had to love the younger generation — Young Simba (Walter Russell III) and Simba (Jared Dixon), who had a breakthrough moment as he discovered his roar, and Young Napa (Celina Smith) and Nala (Nia Holloway), who both were an Amazonian female role model throughout.
In the familiar Disney tradition, there were the proverbial sidekicks whose comic expertise added an upbeat accent to the production. Zazu (Greg Jackson), the red-billed hornbill, who made his own journey, sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, while caring for Simba. And Timon and Pumbaa, a pair of vaudevillian sidekicks, made their entrance at just the right moment in the second act.
But it was that gaggle of hyenas, Banzai (Keith Bennett), Shenzi (Martina Sykes) and Ed (Robbie Swift), so awkwardly funny, produced an ominous group of more than 20 as they swelled their numbers amid the elephant bones.
Rafiki (Buyi Zama) pulled it all together, that balance between good and evil,with a sense of ritual and spirituality. And so many tiny details — the swaying skirts so evocative of the plains where the animals roamed, lionesses who so elegantly, yet fiercely prowled, that stampede — filled it with a richness that set it apart.
The Lion King has to be called a masterpiece, despite its lofty place in pop culture. Why? With so many perspectives and angles, it bears repeated viewings, from cast members who repeated their roles in the original Broadway version to this writer who likewise will never tire of it.
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