The Lion King

Top 10 things I loved about seeing
The Lion King
at The Capitol Theatre in September

1. The opening number. It is easy to see why this musical won 6 Tony Awards the year it opened. I actually misted up at the music and costumes. Each animal/dancer moved exactly the way I expected it to move. The zebras pranced, the birds soared, the rhino lumbered, etc.
2. The “One by One” song in the beginning of the second act. Dancers came out into the audience with these interesting birds on poles and strings. The music sounded like an African Tribal chant and was beautiful.
   
3. The smooth way the lionesses moved and danced. It seemed like each dancer had studied a lion for days in order to get it just right. The cheetah was amazing as well.
4. The fact that I was able to attend with family and have a great meal beforehand. Despite the tire change by Mom and Dad, we all had a good time. Plus, a good friend, Angie, joined the group.
5. The occasional humor of Zazu, the bird. He provided needed humor and transitions between scenes. Oddly enough, they cut out his "Morning Report" song that can be heard on the Broadway cd.
6. The heart-wrenching “Endless Night” sung by Simba. Even grown-ups need their parents to guide them.
7. Getting so into the music that I actually had to physically stop myself from bursting out into song. The performers did a great job and I was impressed how they matched the young Simba and Nala to the adult versions. They had some similar mannerisms that were cute to see.
8. Even though I have seen the cartoon version several times and listened to the Broadway soundtrack more than 20 times, I was still holding my breath at the final battle scene. Would Simba win? Luckily, he did. (I hope I didn't ruin it for any of the readers of this blog.)
9. That there was dancing grass. The scene and costume designers were geniuses. Once again, the Tonys were well deserved.
10. That the minute it was over I wanted to run to the box office and buy another $120 ticket to see it again.