The Lion King has taken up residence for the foreseeable future at Edinburgh’s Playhouse and the buzz surrounding the show that has been delighting audiences for over 20 years is palpable in the capital.
From the incredible opening scene where the audience are transported to Pride Rock along with a herd of African animals to celebrate the birth of Simba, it is the mix of unique costumes and creative puppetry that make this show so very out of the ordinary.
The songs have lost nothing over the years and the incredible vocals and performance of Thandazile Soni as Rafiki stand out from the very beginning, with her parts in the Circle of Life making the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention.
Richard Hurst (Scar) and Matthew Forbes (Zazu) (Photo: Disney)
Possibly the best known Zulu lines in history, in case you’ve ever wondered translate as: ‘Here comes a lion, father, Oh yes it’s a lion. Here comes a lion, father, Oh yes it’s a lion. A lion we’re going to conquer, a lion, a lion and a leopard come to this open place.’ More stirring in its native tongue I reckon.
Another costume highlight comes in the form of the hyenas whose delightfully manic styling and performance bring a fantastical air of menace to the stage.
The plot stays fairly true to the Disney classic with a couple of local references thrown in for good measure, which went down well with the Edinburgh crowd.
Sets continue to impress and another highlight comes with the performance of ‘I just can’t wait to be king’, which sees Nala and Simba sitting atop two towering puppets and a fantastic comedy performance from Matthew Forbes as Zazu.
Josslynn Hlenti (Nala), Dashaun Young (Simba) and the company (Photo: Disney)
The arrival of Timone and Pumbaa at the close of the first act brings some delightful light relief following the tragedy that has gone before. Pumbaa proving that your never too old for toilet humour as the children and their grown ups giggle along at his windy jokes.
As the circle of life and The Lion King draws to its conclusion I leave the Playhouse filled with the pure joy of this timeless and irresistibly wonderful show; in awe of the incredible performances of everyone from the young stars to the ensemble cast who put so much energy into their dance sequences and work so hard to really bring this show to life.
For tickets, visit HERE.
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