[wicked_boy]

I'f I rembmer correctly, when I saw the show in London, in the "magic tree" scene, Rafiki magically comes out of the tree.

How do they do this when all that the tree is, is a simple piece of fabric?

[musikal_geek]

Lights. It's dark on her, then when she comes out, the light her up. I think.

There really are no amazing effects in The Lion King. Like, when Timon was in the waterfall - that pissed me off. They had a lighting effect for the actual water, and then a little Timon doll (a replica of the Movie Timon) was lowered down, holding on to a stick.

[wicked_boy]

I don't think it can just be lights. Because the stage is empty, then the tree thing comes down from the fly rigs, then she steps out of the tree. It confuses me.

[Justin-D]

ok here is the deal with Rafiki's tree.

Yes it is a flat drop (although it is wide where Rafiki stands because there is the light with the shadow puppet behind it), but it is infront of a trap door, the same one used for Mufasa's death, when the tree comes down she comes up in the trap and steps through the tree, the projection of young simba is set up before the show from behind the drop and is turned on remotely. during intermission it is lowered again so they can reset the shadow pupped from young simba to older simba.

I believe there is a pic of it either in the lion kind broadway book or the one about the new amsterdam where they show the guys resetting the shadow box.

[wicked_boy]

I understand now.