Lion King on Broadway in Las Vegas
Photo Credit Disney Lion King
Las Vegas attracts more than 30 million visitors a year from countries around the world. Some are drawn to Vegas for the gambling while others are more interested in the golf, world-class dining and nightlife. I’m not much of a gambler myself. Sure, I’ll put down five dollars here and there to get a free drink but I’m far too conservative with my money to bet big. I usually hit the club scene at least once while I’m there but my main attraction to Vegas is the shows. I love, love, love getting all dressed up and seeing a live performance. I have made it a point to see a wide variety of shows from Thunder From Down Under and Tournament of Kings (think Cable Guy) to Cirque du Soleil’s ever popular “O” and Beatles Love.
Last fall I was scheduled to be in Vegas for a trade show so I started asking friends what shows they would recommend. Almost every person I talked to recommended Beatles Love (which has been my absolute favorite show so far) but I’m not much for seeing the same show twice. I started looking around at tickets and realized that Mandalay Bay was running its last season of the Lion King on Broadway so that made my decision a little easier. It took a little convincing to get my fiance to go but our good family friends (who just moved to the area) were down to join us from the get-go!
We headed to the show early to pick up our tickets at will call and grab a frozen drink outside the theatre (which we were able to bring in). As we were ushered to our seats, I remembered why we chose second level seats instead of first level…in my experience the theatre is always smaller than I envision from the online seating chart. First level seats would have been way too close. The show began with drummers playing West African djembe drums to our right and left while cast members began parading down the aisles in brightly colored tribal outfits. The show officially started with Lion King’s signature “NAAAAAAAAHHH TSIBEENJAAAAAHHHHH” from Elton John’s “The Circle of Life.” The voice of Rafiki was so clear and commanding that it literally silenced the theater and gave me chills.
Photo Credit Disney Lion King
Animals of all types began to flood the stage and surround Pride Rock. I immediately took notice to the way the costumes were designed. It was such an interesting mix between a full on costume and the illusion of a costume. My favorite animal was the giraffe because you could see the human face at the base of the neck but you couldn’t exactly tell where the rest of their body parts were or how they were controlling the fluid walking motion of the giraffe. Super interesting and unbelievably creative!
I won’t go into the remainder of the show because I’d hate to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet but you’re in for a real treat. Talented, energetic cast members, amazing vocalists and creative set changes and costumes made for a truly great live show from one of my favorite Disney movies. Check out the trailer for a sneak peek.
Have you seen the show? Leave me a comment and tell me what you thought! Favorite animal? I’d love to hear from you.
