bean_C4U
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I saw the show in London yesterday; can anyone answer me?I loved it. It was fantastic. I was say in an aisle-seat in the stalls, and touched a Rhino as it entered for "Circle of Life".
The only thing that I didn't get was why the uppeteer of Zazu kept referring to the audience. It really bugged me that he was treating the show like a pantomime rather than a musical. If other characters broke the fourth wall, it would't really have got to me, it was just comments he made.
At the start of "I just can't wait to be King", some oragne curtains closed, and he said "these look like a showr curtain from Ikea". And he also said "this wasn't in the movie" (that one REALLTY annoyed me) and when the puppet of Zazu was stolen by Simba, he kept saying "they've stolen my bird"
You all probabl;y think I'm crazy, but he really irritated me. Does Zazu usually chat to the audience during the production? I could help but feel that he was add-libbing.
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The Very Angry Woman
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I saw the US tour once several years ago, and it doesn't sound like there's much of a difference between what you saw and what I saw -- and I felt very similarly.
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Bellis
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I recently sow it in London and I thought it was amazing. Really.
The costumes were amazing, and I didn't focus so mutch on Zazu. But I can understand your feelings. When you bring it up, it annoys me too.
Loved the shadowland song 
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bean_C4U
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| Bellis wrote: | I recently sow it in London and I thought it was amazing. Really.
The costumes were amazing, and I didn't focus so mutch on Zazu. But I can understand your feelings. When you bring it up, it annoys me too.
Loved the shadowland song |
WHat did you think of the cast?
Raffiki was amazing. Truly outstanding!
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Bellis
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I thought the cast were great
A great experience! Yeah, Rafiki was really good
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wicked_boy
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Yeah, during IJCWTBK, Zazu did talk to the audience, I don't remember the "he stole my bird" line.
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Fantine
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He always does it and I thought it was very funny. In the Dutch production during the sequence when he is being hold prisoner in the skeleton by Scar he started to sing a very well known Dutch song. Stuff like that. I loved it.
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wicked_boy
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I remember him singing Be Our Guest during one point in the show.
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bean_C4U
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| wicked_boy wrote: | | I remember him singing Be Our Guest during one point in the show. |
He sang supercalifragilisticexpealidocious the other night! lol
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missAsha
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On Zazu, it’s in his script, they change it now and then tho. Him turning towards the audience is taking the character out of the play, isolating – so it’s more his thoughts than communicating with the audience. I mean you gotta admit lines like ‘shower curtain from Ikea’ are funny.
Did you see Lindiwe as Rafiki? She is absolutely fantastic, I think she’s the best Rafiki Lyceum had so far. There was an understudy for Nala this week, wasn’t it? Was it Nathalie? How was she?
I remember the last Mufasa performed well too (the bonding between young Simba and him was fantastic) and I liked adult Simba, such a fun guy, with loads of energy and a very special voice.
How did they do then?
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Colle
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When I saw the "Lion King" U.S. tour, I remember the Zazu using simliar add libs. I remember the "this doesn't happen in the cartoon" line and the shower curtain line, although our Zazu(I believe) said K-mart. I don't think we have Ikea in the states, at least in my part of the states.
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mastachen
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^ We have Ikea in the states. I buy lots of furniture from there.
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Fantine
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Ikea rules.
Anyway... Continue 
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wicked_boy
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| Fantine wrote: | Ikea rules.
Anyway... Continue |
I love this kiddies area and the hot dogs in the one hear me.
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bean_C4U
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| missAsha wrote: | On Zazu, it’s in his script, they change it now and then tho. Him turning towards the audience is taking the character out of the play, isolating – so it’s more his thoughts than communicating with the audience. I mean you gotta admit lines like ‘shower curtain from Ikea’ are funny.
Did you see Lindiwe as Rafiki? She is absolutely fantastic, I think she’s the best Rafiki Lyceum had so far. There was an understudy for Nala this week, wasn’t it? Was it Nathalie? How was she?
I remember the last Mufasa performed well too (the bonding between young Simba and him was fantastic) and I liked adult Simba, such a fun guy, with loads of energy and a very special voice.
How did they do then?
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Lindiwe was outstanding. I got goosebumps when she started singing. She performed amazingly all through the night. ALso, her walk I found to be hihly amusing. A proper bum-wiggler! She was (for me) the strognest member of the cast)
I think I did see Natalie as Nala. Stunning voice, and beautiful interpretation of nala
Simba (adult) took a while to warm to me. He has a very different voice. To start with, I found his words over-pronounced, with a breathy voice. However, it grew on me, and he has a very distinct vocal. His energy was amazing. Bouncing around etc
Zazu was quite hard to understand, as were the 3 hyenas. Theyw ere all fantastic, but at times they were drowned out by the orchestra. If I didn't already know the plot, I would have found it hard to follow their story.
Makiko Fukuda played Sarabi. She was wodnerful.
CHild Simba was great, but child Nala didn't have the best voice.
Mufasa was brilliant, as was Scar. Both really got into their roles.
I get the feeling that either Timon or Pumbaa were played by an understdy, but I cna't remember which one. Both were fantastic, especially Pumba. He had me laughing out loud.
Fantastic performance all round. I hope it goes on a UK tour eventually. I would love to see it again.
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missAsha
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I know, Lindiwe is THE strongest of the bunch and really brings the character alive. I love the part Rafiki speaks in Xhosa...do you understand? And the majority of the people is like:"Heck, no!"
So good to hear Natalie did well, I think she's quite new around. And, yes, totally agree, Brian (Simba) has a lil of an american-south african accent, but then again, for someone who's first language isn't English (British) he's much easier to understand.
To be honest I never really liked the hyenas, Chow down part and the extended dances after Be prepaired, but those parts grew on me eventually. All of them are very good actors tho, the person performing as Ed at the moment is Thomas Sangsters (the young actor who played the lil boy Sam in Love actually) dad.
Makiko played Sarabi? Really? I didn't know she was on Sarabi...do you have the program? Is she a cover? Ahhh, sorry for all the questioning
Oh and not to forget, mentioning James Simmons as Scar, he's def. one of the best people in this bussines and it's a pleasure to just be around him!
I think they had a UK tour at the very beginning...not sure tho. The theatre is always "booked and bought" out almost to the last seat so I don't believe they feel the urge to do it atm. Would be cool if the London cast toured Europe tho, so people in the Netherlands, Germany and France (with their own companies) see what a fantastic cast is really about
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bean_C4U
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| missAsha wrote: | I know, Lindiwe is THE strongest of the bunch and really brings the character alive. I love the part Rafiki speaks in Xhosa...do you understand? And the majority of the people is like:"Heck, no!"
So good to hear Natalie did well, I think she's quite new around. And, yes, totally agree, Brian (Simba) has a lil of an american-south african accent, but then again, for someone who's first language isn't English (British) he's much easier to understand.
To be honest I never really liked the hyenas, Chow down part and the extended dances after Be prepaired, but those parts grew on me eventually. All of them are very good actors tho, the person performing as Ed at the moment is Thomas Sangsters (the young actor who played the lil boy Sam in Love actually) dad.
Makiko played Sarabi? Really? I didn't know she was on Sarabi...do you have the program? Is she a cover? Ahhh, sorry for all the questioning
Oh and not to forget, mentioning James Simmons as Scar, he's def. one of the best people in this bussines and it's a pleasure to just be around him!
I think they had a UK tour at the very beginning...not sure tho. The theatre is always "booked and bought" out almost to the last seat so I don't believe they feel the urge to do it atm. Would be cool if the London cast toured Europe tho, so people in the Netherlands, Germany and France (with their own companies) see what a fantastic cast is really about |
According to my programme, Mamikio is a Sarabi understudy
Either Timon, Pumba or Zazu were played by Dvaid Pendlebury, but I cna't remember which one. He was deffinately playing one though.
May I just ask why you are so interested in what I saw? I don't mean that in a bad way, and I'm more than happy to asnwer any questions you have, but I'm just wondering were you once a member of the cats? Or just a huge fan like the rest of us?
But yeah, ask away, I'm more than happy to share my wonderful experience
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missAsha
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So sorry I've been questioning you like in an interview, haha.
I actually wasn't a member of the cast but member of the crew for a while. But I'm missing Lyceum and the show and everyone soooo much now. Plus, most of the people ever working there become fans automatically lol
Usually don't want to actually tell, because then people think they need to be modest and all that and talk only highly about the cast
I'd love to know bout all the props and masks problems, but I'm aweare someone who doesn't know the show from the back won't notice, unless there was something major.
And I just love to hear bout others experiences with the show, especially people who remember and have an opinion about the actors and the way things are delivered. That just makes me think they really appreaciate a good play and the performers
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wicked_boy
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missAsha, being as you worked in the crew, tell me, how did Pride Rock work?
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ActingDude17
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| bean_C4U wrote: | | wicked_boy wrote: | | I remember him singing Be Our Guest during one point in the show. |
He sang supercalifragilisticexpealidocious the other night! lol |
When I saw it on Tour last year Zazu starts singing "It's A Small World" in Scar's layer and Scar says, "NO! ANYTHING BUT THAT!"
I think things like this add a nice touch to Zazu's humor. Sure, it breaks the fourth wall and stuff, but I don't really care. I think it makes the show unique.
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mastachen
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^But that was in the movie though. It wasn't added just for the show. I actually expected that line to come when I watched it.
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missAsha
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wicked boy, the pride rock is pretty simple...floor opens and the revolve underneath the stage makes the piece come up. It's always called to be "one-piece" but it is different from company to company, due to technical capabilites of the theatre. Some expand upwards, others just come out in one piece. That's about it
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wicked_boy
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^ It looks much more complicated than that.
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missAsha
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Well it can be told in a more complicated way But I'm not the one to be able to tell you that into details, I didn't work in the props department
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wicked_boy
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Pride Rock is considered a prop? I'd say it part of the set.
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missAsha
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It is part of the set, but pretty much all the set stuff is "listed" under props. There is also the puppets ad masks and costumes and wigs department taking care of everything else. Then there's sound technicians and stage tehnicians and a whole company of other people.
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Futuretonywinner
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ZazuWhen I saw The Lion King in Seattle Zazu didn't do that. Wow that sounds really annoying
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Jelliclaw
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Yeah, I saw the show on Broadway and the same thing happened. Personally I thought the first two comments - the Ikea one and the movie one - were hilarious, but the "they've stolen my bird" made no since. He's PLAYING "his bird"...so...yeah.
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thirteen
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Ah! I saw it tonight in the U.S., and he did the stolen my bird thing too. That seriously bugged me because it takes away from the whole the actor is the animal thing. I guess they're told to do that. Plus the line was "from Target". haha. I laughed, but it did seem out of place since they're in Africa.
Another part that I didn't understand-- when Mufasa takes his headpiece off to talk to Simba (They Live in You). Does anyone know why this is? The only reasoning I could think of was to be more like a father at that time than a king.
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