Venue: Lyceum Theatre, London, UK
Date: 19th October 2011 at 14:30
Cast: George Asprey (Scar), Oliver Lidert (u/s Mufasa), Brown Lindiwe Mkhize (Rafiki), Waylon Jacobs (u/s Simba), Ava Brennan (Nala), Stephen Matthews (Zazu), Damian Baldet (Timon), Keith Bookman (Pumbaa), Jacqueline Hodges (Shenzi), Gary Forbes (Banzai), Aaron Morgan (u/s Ed), Tahj Miles (Young Simba) and Serena Grant (Young Nala)
Rating: ***
Review:
Beau and I paid our second visit to The Lion King in London since she was quite impressed with it the first time around and we were in London on a Wednesday so I figured it was a good choice for a Lion King matinee. Overall, the show itself was pretty identical to the one we saw in April so for a more detailed of the show, check out my previous Lion King review.
This time we got very good seats in the Royal Circle which gave it a little twist from the first time. It turned out that we weren't as impressed with the show as we did the last time. Maybe it was because we just saw it not too long ago so we kinda knew what was gonna happen but I also think that the cast that we got this time was far less superior than the previous cast. Productionwise, I still enjoy what I have always liked about the show but it didn't make me feel better about anything I dislike either.
Starting with the old faces, George Asprey was still our Scar and he didn't disappoint at all. He still played the role as brilliant as ever. Brown Lindiwe Mkhize as Rafiki was actually better this time around in her "Circle of Life" though some of the funny parts weren't as funny as the last time. I enjoyed Stephen Matthews as Zazu more this time, largely due to the better sound system of his microphone.
Ava Brennan made her West End debut as Nala and I thought she was all right but still way below the standard set by her predecessor, Narran McLean. Her "Shadowland" was very mediocre and she seemed to be struggling with the high notes.
Damian Baldet (another West End debut) and Keith Bookman were also less superior to their previous counterparts as Timon and Pumbaa. To me and Beau, that took away a lot from the overall impressive of the show. However, I found myself actually enjoy the hyenas a lot more this time around.
We also got ourselves a couple of understudies at our performance. Oliver Lidert was covering for Shaun Escofferey as Mufasa and though he was all right in the role, still couldn't match up to Shaun's brilliant performance. And if you had read my previous reviews, you'll know how much I "love" our Simba last time and guess what, we got him again this time around unfortunately. Waylon Jacobs was stepping in for Andile Gumbi once again to my dissatisfaction. Though he played and sang the role better this time, it was still very amateur-ish and I was actually quite tired getting through each of his song. Nevertheless, I found him to be more attractive in the role, both in his acting and his physical appearance so I guess he has been working hard for the role. Only if he works a bit harder on his voice.
However, I found myself feeling very bored in Act Two. I presumed that it was mainly because the four main songs in Act Two: "Shadowland", "Endless Night", "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" and "He Lives in You (Reprise) weren't performed as well as I had hoped they would be. What really saved the show, in my opinion, was the production, the costumes and the puppetry which were beautiful and perfectly done. I still enjoyed "Circle of Life", "Stampede" and "The Final Scene" a lot.
What I can say is I still recommend the show, especially for first-timers. It is still a brilliant show. My comments are very detailed and more for artistic purposes.
Below are the video clips I found from YouTube featuring, I think, the best Simba and Nala of the West End: Andile Gumbi (singing Endless Night) and Narran McLean (singing Shadowland) at West End Live 2010.
SCENES & MUSICAL NUMBERS
ACT ONE
Scene 1: Pride Rock
Circle of Life... Rafiki and Ensemble
Scene 2: Scar's Cave
Scene 3: Rafiki's Tree
Scene 4: The Pridelands
Scene 5: Scar's Cave
Scene 6: The Pridelands
I Just Can't Wait to Be King... Young Simba, Young Nala, Zazu and Ensemble
Scene 7: Elephant Graveyard
Chow Down... Shenzi, Banzai and Ed
Scene 8: Under the Stars
They Live in You... Mufasa and Ensemble
Scene 9: Elephant Graveyard
Be Prepared... Scar, Shenzi, Banzai, Ed and Ensemble
Scene 10: The Gorge
Scene 11: Pride Rock
Be Prepared (Reprise)... Scar and Ensemble
Scene 12: Rafiki's Tree
Scene 13: The Desert/The Jungle
Hakuna Matata... Timon, Pumbaa, Young Simba, Simba and Ensemble
ACT TWO
Entr' Acte:
One by One... Ensemble
Scene 1: Scar's Cave
The Madness of King Scar... Scar, Zazu, Banzai, Shenzi, Ed and Nala
Scene 2: The Pridelands
Shadowland... Nala, Rafiki and Ensemble
Scene 3: The Jungle
Scene 4: Under the Stars
Endless Night... Simba and Ensemble
Scene 5: Rafiki's Tree
Scene 6: The Jungle
Can You Feel the Love Tonight... Timon, Pumbaa, Simba, Nala and Ensemble
He Lives in You (Reprise)... Rafiki, Simba and Ensemble
Scene 7: Pride Rock
King of Pride Rock/Circle of Life (Reprise)... Ensemble
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