I was fortunate enough to be seated in the fourth row of the stalls at The Lion King in the breath-taking Lyceum Theatre in London on the 4th of July and I must say it was truly mesmerising! The opening sequence brought tears to my eyes as I watched all the stunning animals gather around me and take their places on stage. From start to finish I was completely engrossed in the story, even though I knew it inside out already! It is very much a feel good theatre show in which you don’t want to end. The vocals were absolutely outstanding, especially when Shaun Escoffery (Mufasa) sang He lives in you. A tear found its way down my cheek, I had a lump in my throat, goose bumps all over my body and the high note he sang sent shivers down my spine. The staging was faultless - with the stampede scene being exceptional! It was so thrilling not knowing how they were going to portray this delicate part of the film. From where I was sitting, it was as if the wildebeest were going to trample straight into the audience! This show is for certain one of my favourites and I would see it every fortnight if I had the chance. I’m so glad I bought the soundtrack when I was there - I must have listened to the whole album everyday since going! It is not simply one for the kids as there is some decent comedy in there too - predominantly provided by Rafiki (played by Brown Liniwe Mkhize) EVERYONE and I mean every single one of us has to see this at least once in their lifetime. Don’t miss out!
