Pure Classic: The Lion King

 The Lion King, MBS (2011)

The family and I have decided to finally catch a musical together, this was our very first, and a fine fine choice indeed. We all loved The Lion King, it was (according to dad) the very first movie we watched in the really old Cathay cinema as a family too. 

Bought really last-minute tickets because we had to decide on a single date when everyone was free, so our seats weren't fantastic. But still, all those ebbed away when the musical began. This musical is probably the most well-known musical because 9 out of 10 people have watched the actual cartoon. (I'm bullshitting here, but that's my best guess) The songs are catchy, Hans Zimmer is pure genius, he composed many of the tunes for this musical, and it somehow manages to evoke that intrinsic feeling that connects the story with the audience. 

Prior to the performance, we had dinner and strolled around a bit. It was nice family time before the show~ Also, I remember this being one day right after my final exam, so the feeling was soooo awesome! I crashed right after my exam, fell into a deep sleep, woke up the next day thinking to myself: Today is the day I'm finally going to watch Lion King!!!!!

Often, I know about the musicals months in advance, so all that suspense and excitement was built-up from months before, same thing with Wicked. I remember my very first time seeing the captions Wicked, coming soon to Singapore, I literally yelped, YELPED in the MRT.

So the actual day of the performance, I get very excited over the whole show, its one of the best feeelings in the world!

Zazu and Simba (I love it how the Simba plush is not the cartoon one, but based on the actual costume)

Yes, they really loved the Timon plush.

Pre-show

Its like tradition to take with the main centerpiece which changes with each musical.

Excites!

 

The stage

My absolute favorite part of the musical is the very first opening line. It resonates sooooo deeply within me that I teared upon hearing it. The very first music number was my favorite, I remember so vividly the details, and with each passing sentence, more and more 'animals' took the stage until it became a flurry of actors re-creating the savannah-like kingdom of Simba. 

When the rhinos waltz right down the aisle, it was so beautiful that I remember literally bobbing up and down in my seat like I was sitting on a whole mountain of jumping beans! The whole experience was that exciting. 

The songs were all so moving, and every piece was just pure molten joy to my ears. I was so upset when they announced the intermission, because I really didn't want it to stop. I loved the way they re-created the wild beast scene, and my heart was thumping so hard that at some point, it was even louder than the music. That's how amazing the musical was, it really immersed me in it. 

This musical, I would truly rate it 10/10. Perhaps it is my love for the actual Lion King movie, the soundtrack and all things, but the stage design, casts and everything just intertwined so perfectly with each other that this really is a masterpiece.   Someday, I hope to catch this in London where it is permanently based, I remember wanting to watch this years back when we were there, but the tickets were soooo costly! 

This is definitely one which I can watch over and over again without ever being sick of it. I remember turning to babyboy immediately after the finale, saying 'I need to watch this again, when can I watch this again?' I'm sure I will have my chance to catch it again in the near future, but the lion king is truly the top of my list.