Hakuna Matata! Disney’s ‘The Lion King’ arrives at Kennedy Center
Are you spending your Juneteenth holiday looking for a late Father’s Day gift for your own Mufasa?
The Broadway version of Disney’s “The Lion King” roars into the Kennedy Center from June 22 to July 29.
“Right after Father’s Day, we’re going to be in D.C. — and the cast is so pumped,” actor John E. Brady told WTOP. “It’s the tender moments that hit me like when he’s talking to his son and trying to tell him he’s not going to be around forever. ‘He Lives in You’ is the song where he basically tells his son, ‘I’m not going to be around forever and you have to be prepared for that.’ He has to ‘be prepared,’ so to speak, a little sooner than he should have been.”
Set in the African savannah at the kingdom of Pride Rock, the head lion Mufasa is betrayed and murdered by his evil brother Scar (“Hamlet” style), who convinces Mufasa’s son Simba that he is to blame for his father’s death. Mortified, Samba flees into exile in the jungle where he meets a carefree meerkat Timon and warthog Pumbaa before his old flame Nala arrives and convinces him to return to Pride Rock to face Scar and save the kingdom.
The 1994 animated film was the year’s top grosser, earning two Oscars and the Golden Globe for Best Picture (Comedy/Musical). After Disney adapted “Beauty and the Beast” to Broadway in 1994, it next adapted “The Lion King” into a Broadway musical in 1997, winning six Tonys, including Best Musical, Director, Choreography, Scenic Design, Costume Design and Lighting Design. It remains the top-grossing Broadway show ever at $1.8 billion.
“When they said they were bringing ‘The Lion King’ to Broadway, I went, ‘How are they going to put lions on the stage?”” Brady said. “The first five minutes of that show I just thought, ‘OK, I have to call everybody I know and tell them to get tickets now because they won’t be able to get tickets for years.’ I walked out of that theater totally amazed and totally blown away, going, ‘Man, this is the best thing I’ve ever seen. I have to be a part of this.”
The secret to the show’s success was Julie Taymor, who not only won a Tony for her direction but also won a Tony for her genius costumes, honoring African traditions alongside Richard Hudson’s Tony-winning scenic design.
“Being able to bring Africa onto that stage, how she was able to make people into animals,” Brady said. “Visually, it’s stunning. The lighting and the set are just so spectacular. When that first scene of the sun rising on the savanna comes up, it’s basically paper and wire, but with the lights and sound of the orchestra, the way it all comes together with the animals coming out to greet Simba after his birth, it’s spectacular and moving.”
The stage musical delivers new original numbers like “Shadowlands,” while also bringing back all of your favorite Disney songs by Elton John and Tim Rice, including “The Circle of Life,” “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King,” “Be Prepared,” “Hakuna Matata” and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” — not to mention Hans Zimmer’s score.
“‘The Circle of Life’ introduces the world and we have an elephant, rhino, two giraffes and a cheetah on stage — we call them puppets, but really they are extensions of ourselves,” Brady said. “The Pumbaa puppet that I carry on my back is 50 pounds … my favorite is ‘Hakuna Matata,’ the end of the first act, such an iconic, wonderful song. I never get bored of singing that song … ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight?’ is a beautiful visual feast for your ears and eyes.”