By Mary Damiano

Phindile Mkhize as “Rafiki” in the opening number "The Circle of Life”  Photo: Joan Marcus

It’s been 10 years since The Lion King roared onto Broadway, bringing the spectacle back to the Great White Way.  Some proclaimed it as the start of a new era of musicals, some derided it as a cartoon brought to life (duh), others complained of its reliance on gimmicky costumes and headdresses.  But the Disney musical was a blockbuster hit, and won enough awards to fill an African savannah.

It’s still going strong, on Broadway and on two national tours, one of which is currently docked in Fort Lauderdale at Broward Center for the Performing Arts.  I saw it there a few years ago when the tour came through the first time, and fell in love with the majesty that surrounds this timeless tale. The Lion King is filled with those moments we all crave at the theatre, the moments when you sit up straight and lean forward in your seat, in awe of what you’re watching on stage.  In so many other shows, those moments never come, and in The Lion King, it’s pretty much like that from beginning to end. 

S.J. Hannah as “Simba” and Chaunteé Schuler as “Nala” embrace in “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” Photo: J. Marcus

Having seen it already, my mind wandered to other concerns during the recent opening night:  Why is it that two of the most successful musicals of the last 25 years, The Lion King and Cats, both center on felines? Does The Lion King company travel with its own chiropractors to counteract the effects of all those masks and elaborate headgear?  What’s it like for a performer to study at Harvard and end up playing blades of grass?

For all its pageantry and puppetry, The Lion King is a story that plays on classic themes: love, sibling rivalry, the struggle for power and guilt.  Mufasa is the king of the jungle.  His brother Scar is so jealous of Mufasa’s power that he doesn’t even come to pay his respects to newborn, heir apparent cub Simba.  Of course, what can you expect?  When parents have two boys and name one Mufasa and the other Scar, they’re pretty much asking for trouble.   Me, I’m not used to cat brothers behaving badly toward each other.  My own cat siblings, Rocky and Rambo, are more interested in spooning and grooming each other than fighting for dominion over the living room and the title of King of the Kitty Condo.  Perhaps there’s something in names.  Unlike Mufasa and Scar, Rocky and Rambo are equally proud, kick-ass names, so neither one of my gray tabbies ever had a chance to develop an inferiority complex.

But I digress.  After Scar rejects Mufasa and little Simba, he finds a way to use Simba to get what he wants and become the new Lion King.  Overcome by guilt, poor little Simba exiles himself and hits the road, hooking up with a warthog and a meerkat who pretty much raise him to hunky manhood, or lionhood.  Meanwhile, Scar has let the kingdom go to hell, and Simba must confront his past, overcome his demons, defeat his enemy and take his rightful place as the true Lion King.

The Lion King is Shakespeare for the feline set and the humans who love them.  One almost wishes that kitties were allowed in the audience to watch all the drama firsthand.  Couldn’t you just see it, Broward Center filled to the rafters with a kitty audience, meowing their approval and hissing in disdain?  Cats do love to be entertained.  Rocky and Rambo often watch TV.  They lay at the foot of the bed side by side in 30-minute increments, staring at the TV intently, and seem to only get a bit restless during commercials.  They especially like “Jeopardy” although they have yet to answer a question.

“The Lionesses” in the haunting “Shadowland” from The Lion King National Tour  Photo: Joan Marcus

The company now at Broward Center does a great job with the material.  From my sixth row seat, Scar (Timothy Carter) looked so much like Alec Baldwin that I wondered if he really wasn’t just taking his problems with an ex-wife and custody battle out on the rest of the animal kingdom.   As Mufasa, L. Steven Taylor portrays the epitome of royalty, while Zazu (Mark Cameron Pow) gets  to deliver all the best jokes.  Julie Taymor’s direction, costumes and puppets are still awe-inspiring, even the second time around.

If you’ve never seen The Lion King, see it.  If you have seen it, see it again with someone who hasn’t, preferably the most hardcore, stoic person you know, and get the added attraction of seeing your seatmate blubber and dissolve into tears.  You can’t take your cat, but here’s an idea.  On the night you see The Lion King on stage, pop the animated Disney Lion King into the DVD player for your cats.  Then, when you get home that night, the two of you will have something to discuss.