Lion King Musical Tickets – Tour Dates 2024, News, Cast & Resources

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Lion King Musical is currently showing at The Buell Theatre and running through December 04, 2011.

Disney’s “The Lion King” creates many expectations – and the national touring production, now showing at Denver’s Temple Buell Theatre, meets all of them.

From the moment the curtain and a dazzling sun rises to a parade of exotic African animals, you realize these characters are tactile, dissectible and very real. Each of the 25 different types of mammals, birds, fish and insects portrayed in the show reveal their human actors, breathing life and realism into every movement. Down the aisles life-sized elephants, stilted giraffes, cheetahs, jumping antelope propelled on wheels, women covered in flocks of beautiful white birds and men waving overhead high-flying winged fowls envelope the audience. Its effect: instant awe and a smile that is hard to wipe from your face for the remainder of the show.

Being able to see inside the animals, with a look at the actor’s faces and movements, pays homage to worldwide art forms of African mask rituals (where wearers’ faces are meant to be seen) and Japanese Bunkaru puppetry. “The Lion King” also delves into shadow puppetry, with its origins in Ancient Greece, China and Indonesia celebrating a blend of cultures and compelling storytelling.

Lion King Buell Theatre Performances Schedule:
Tuesdays through Saturdays – 7:30 p.m.
Saturdays – 2 p.m.
Sundays – 1 and 6:30 p.m.

The obvious stars are the costumes, which still feel innovative and cutting edge despite the stage show’s own 14-year “circle of life” on stages worldwide.

The story is all about Simba, and his coming-of-age tale amid tragedy and self-discovery, at times so accurately mimics its animated inspiration that the script, actors’ voices and even set designs take audiences back to a nostalgic place of watching the animated film for the first time.

The cast masterfully brings to life the costumes, sets and effects; their characters are just as, if not more, charming than the animated originals. This is attributed to the creative call by director Julie Taymor in costuming the characters as human and animal. This further creates a sense of identification with the story.

Actor J. Anthony Crane’s character Zazu, the hornbill bird, is a standout with perfect comedic relief that isn’t quite delivered from classic favorites Pumba and Timon.

Perhaps their scenes are the only distraction, where Timon’s puppeteer and actor Nick Cordileone is dressed and painted all in green and maneuvering a more than 4-foot-tall fabric Timon puppet. Amid the organic and abstract animals, Timon remains stuck in cartoon form and his actor often clashes amid the browns and reds of the savannah. Cordileone’s acting is still superb, making all he can of the character, but the jaunting visual contrast of Timon and his peers detracts from his scenes and serves as a distraction.

With audiences wildly cheering on their feet at the ensemble’s first bow, they match “The Lion King’s” Broadway tour with their own triumphant roar.

Read the complete review {Via Coloradoan}

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The Lion King returned to Buffalo, NY for a four-week run and playing at Sheas Performing Arts Center through October 30, 2011

The Lion King goes that all one better. Like a gift from some ancient storyteller, we listen and watch and wonder in unison as the spectacle unfolds. It is as if we are sitting around a great campfire, we are mesmerized by the motion and shadows. The production, originally, designed and directed by the great Julie Taymore, reaches deep within our psyche and touches our most primal instincts.

From the time the first cleverly designed animals creep or stalk on stage … or down the aisle … there’s a lot to take in from “The Lion King” musical. That set the tone for the evening during a recent performance of “The Lion King,” which is running at Shea’s Performing Arts Center in Buffalo through October 30, 2011.

Even without the music and story, the stylized costumes are amazing. The first time you see the cheetah stalk onto the stage, its feline body echoed by the human one controlling it, there’s a moment of double-take. Same with the actors serving as bases for leaping antelopes, or soaring birds.

Eventually, you find yourself increasingly able to simply look over the human heads above or below the animal ones … or finding that the doubled imagery actually lends an interesting depth to the performance.

Early in the proceedings, Rafiki the mandrill (baboon) – magician conjures an image of the lion cub, Simba, which is projected from within the depths of the massive trunk of the Tree of Life. It is a simple, elegant line drawing. It struck a memory for me. Acclaimed German director Werner Herzog recently released a documentary film, The Cave of Forgotten Dreams, which tells the story of the world’s oldest cave drawings, recently discovered in France. Explorers found hundreds of prehistoric paintings and engravings on the walls of the Chauvet Cave. Carbon dating shows that the depictions of rhinoceroses, lions, cave bears, horses, bison, and mammoths are 32,000 years old.

Read the complete review {Via Buffalo Rising}

Lion King will perform at Sheas Performing Arts Center through October 30, 2011. Lion King Buffalo NY tickets are selling Quick. Buy Lion King Sheas Performing Arts Center Tickets Online, Use Code AFF$10 to Get $10 OFF on Lion King Buffalo NY Ticket Orders over $350!

Lion King is currently performing at Mulroy Civic Center At Oncenter (Crouse Hinds Theater) and will run through October 02, 2011. Here are few photos of the show at Mulroy Civic Center – {Via Photos from The Post-Standard}

“Mufasa,” played by Dionne Randolph, and the character’s son, “Simba,” played by Jelani Remy, in Saturday’s performance of “The Lion King” at the Mulroy Civic Center in Syracuse.

“Simba,” played by Jelani Remy, and the character’s father “Mufasa,” played by Dionne Randolph, in Saturday’s performance of “The Lion King” at the Mulroy Civic Center in Syracuse.

“Mufasa,” played by Dionne Randolph, in Saturday’s performance of “The Lion King” at the Mulroy Civic Center in Syracuse.

An antelope flies across the stage during Saturday’s performance of “The Lion King” at the Mulroy Civic Center in Syracuse. The Broadway musical runs through Oct. 2, 2011.

“Simba,” played by Jelani Remy, and the character’s father “Mufasa,” played by Dionne Randolph, in Saturday’s performance of “The Lion King” at the Mulroy Civic Center in Syracuse.

The lionnesses dance during The Pridelands, Scene 4 of “The Lion King” Saturday at the Mulroy Civic Center in Syracuse. The Broadway musical runs through Oct. 2, 2011.

“Mufasa,” played by Dionne Randolph, and the character’s son, “Simba,” played by Jelani Remy, in Saturday’s performance of “The Lion King” at the Mulroy Civic Center in Syracuse.

The lionnesses dance during The Pridelands, Scene 4 of “The Lion King” Saturday at the Mulroy Civic Center in Syracuse. The Broadway musical runs through Oct. 2, 2011.

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The Lion King has arrived in Montreal finally. Actually, it has been in preview mode since Tuesday night. But August 09, 2011 night it’s the much anticipated grand opening. Lion King at Montreal, QC Canada will play through September 04, 2011.

The Lion King Roars at Place des Arts

The arrival of The Lion King, for an unusual month-long run, may usher in a whole new era of musical theatre for the venue, recently abandoned by the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. 

The Lion King is one of those rare modern musicals that include widely popular songs. The combined musical talents of Elton John, Tim Rice and Lebo M, not to mention Jay Rifkin, Hans Zimmer and Taymor (musical credits for this show are complicated) add up to thrilling and memorable numbers (Hakuna Matata, Circle of Life). 

Also, this is one of the greatest puppet shows of all time, utilizing various styles and sizes, all in the service of a heartwarming story about a young lion cub named Simba. 

With this new availability, award-winning hits like The Lion King, directed by Julie Taymor, could arrive in Montreal less than a decade after their Broadway triumphs (The Lion King premiered on Broadway in 1997.) And perhaps they will get in the habit of staying longer than the standard six days. 

Compared to the Canadian production, which played the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto in 2000, the North American tour of The Lion King that opened Thursday night at Place des Arts is scaled-down to travel and cramped to fit a slightly narrowed stage. This hampers some of the dance numbers, particularly those involving tent-like costumes. 

Otherwise, the spectacle remains dazzling. The voices of the ensemble, as well as those of principal performers like Buyi Zama as the priestess Rafiki, send shivers down your spine. 

The Lion King means experiencing admiration for the genius of director Taymor, who has since had a rocky ride with Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. (It’s so much better to have Disney behind you than Bono.) Her ingenious segues make for a cinematically smooth, delicately balanced show that ravishes the eye with colourful costumes while it beguiles the ear. Richard Hudson’s set design plays with perspective, trusting the sky as backdrop. The greatest novelties, of course, are the more than 200 animal puppets (heckling hyenas, a slinking cheetah, leaping gazelles) with their complicated mechanisms, which require highly skilled manipulation. 

The child performers playing Young Simba and Young Nala are another wonder. These are not walk-on roles. 

Comic-relief characters like the yappy bird Zazu (Mark David Kaplan), and the sidekick duo of the smart-ass meerkat, Timon (played by Nick Cordileone) and Pumbaa (a flippant warthog, played by Ben Lipitz) offer a dash of vaudeville to this Hamlet-like tale of a princely young lion determined to avenge the death of his father (Dionne Randolph, as Mufasa). 

Jelani Remy is a magnificent adult Simba who pairs beautifully with Syndee Winters, as Nala, for Can You Feel the Love Tonight. 

The necessary element of absolute villainy is provided by J. Anthony Crane as wicked uncle Scar, who actually uses the phrase “Aye, there’s the rub,” underlining the Shakespearean influence. 

French surtitles mounted on either side of the stage appear sporadically, at odd moments. There’s a sly reference to the song Alouette, which works, and a switch to French for The Circle of Life reprise, which doesn’t. 

The fact that The Lion King adds an element of African ancestor worship to (rather British) principles of monarchy and male progenitor dominance within a cartoon-spawned American classic can easily be ignored, or discussed by adults after the show. Children of all ages and both genders will simply enjoy this coming-of-age story for what it is – if you don’t keep them up too long after their normal bedtime. 

Read the complete review {Via MontrealGazette.com} 

Show Time:
With intermission, the show lasts two and a half hours, so parents of small children should opt for matinees. 

The Lion King continues performances at Place des Arts until September 4. Hurry up to book the best Lion King Montreal Quebec Canada Tickets. Save $10 off on purchase of Lion King Place Des Arts Tickets for $350 or more by using the promo code AFF$10.