{"id":106166,"date":"2025-12-08T13:13:04","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T21:13:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/?p=106166"},"modified":"2025-12-10T10:22:59","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T18:22:59","slug":"the-lion-king-seattle-paramount-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.seattleschild.com\/the-lion-king-seattle-paramount-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Parent Review: ‘The Lion King’ returns to Seattle with stunning costumery"},"content":{"rendered":"

Note: Seattle\u2019s Child readers receive a 10% discount on tickets<\/a> to any show during the run!<\/em><\/p>\n

Seattle Theatre Group and Broadway at The Paramount present \u201cDisney\u2019s The Lion King<\/a>,\u201d winner of six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and one of the longest-running shows in Broadway history. On stage now through the new year, the family-friendly production is based on the beloved Disney animated film, told with a unique storytelling approach that underscores this wondrous tale of childhood folly, heartbreak, and redemption. If you haven\u2019t experienced the marvel of the musical\u2019s opening number, \u201cCircle of Life\u201d, then don\u2019t let this chance stampede by.<\/p>\n

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(Image: Matthew Murphy)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Synopsis<\/h4>\n

Life at Pride Rock is bustling and beautiful, a microcosm of beasts living in synergistic harmony. Mufasa is the king of this land, and his reign oversees a multitude of creatures: leaping gazelles, swooping birds, stomping elephants, towering giraffes, and, of course, his own pride of lions. The Serengeti surrounds the theater, drawing viewers into the story of Mufasa\u2019s son Simba, a rambunctious cub looking to explore the world around him. Zazu, an African red-billed hornbill and his father\u2019s right-hand wingman, is his glorified babysitter, though even Zazu can\u2019t contain Simba and his best friend Nala, who like to venture to elephant graveyards and tango with hyenas.<\/p>\n

Mufasa\u2019s brother, Scar, is salty about his brother\u2019s power and position. He uses Simba\u2019s naivety to set up the \u201caccidental\u201d death of the king. Heartbroken and guilty, Simba flees the kingdom he should be overseeing, meeting new friends Timon, a meerkat, and Pumbaa, a warthog, who teach him their motto for a stress-free life: \u201cHakuna Matata.\u201d<\/p>\n

Time passes. Scar\u2019s reign proves fruitless. Water runs dry, and food is scarce. Nala leaves Pride Rock to seek help, only to find Simba, a grown lion, eating grub with animals who should be prey. With the help of soothsayer and mystic baboon Rafiki, Simba realizes that the right thing to do is to confront Scar, uncover the truth about his past, and take his place as the rightful king of the jungle.<\/p>\n

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(Image: Matthew Murphy)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Cat\u2019s Meow<\/h4>\n

This is not just a faithful rendering of the Disney film. Tony Award-winning director Julie Taymor co-designed the masks and puppets, which are the stars of this show. It would be a different experience if the lions were merely actors in furry, yellow cat suits. Instead, the performers and the costumes operate together in symbiotic harmony, highlighting the humanity of the story, without losing the wild beauty of the animal kingdom.<\/p>\n

The production features songs from the original film by Elton John and Tim Rice \u2013 bops like \u201cCircle of Life,\u201d \u201cI Just Can\u2019t Wait to Be King,\u201d \u201cBe Prepared,\u201d \u201cHakuna Matata,\u201d and \u201cCan You Feel theLove Tonight\u201d \u2013 as well as a few iconic additions, namely the soulful number, \u201cThey Live in You.\u201d
\nThe dazzling set design and artful choreography will keep viewers young and old entertained from start to finish.<\/p>\n

There are some difficult or troubling concepts that may upset younger or sensitive viewers. Mufasa\u2019s death, while tastefully portrayed, may be emotionally triggering for those easily upset by the loss of a parent. Scar, as a villain, provides plenty of levity, though many of his jokes are geared towards adult viewers. His heartless intentions \u2013 to kill both Mufasa and Simba, as well as to manufacture an uprising amongst the hyenas \u2013 has the potential to frighten delicate spectators.<\/p>\n

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(Image: Matthew Murphy)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Meta Meaningful<\/h4>\n

The morning after opening night, I was given a backstage tour of the Paramount Theatre. Winding through tight hallways strung with bits of costumes and disassembled set pieces, the tour led us to possibly the most exciting and important room in the building: the puppet shop, where puppet master Michael Reilly keeps his menagerie of lions, warthogs, and hornbills.<\/p>\n

Zazu is the fowl of the hour and one of three puppets in the production. Mufasa\u2019s majordomo is an intricate build. His neck is comprised of a slinky in a sock. Hundreds of individually painted feathers are then individually applied to his body. Reilly says Zazu needs a complete overhaul every 6 months to keep him fresh, and is the only puppet with a backup they have lovingly christened Clyde.<\/p>\n

The masks worn by the lions \u2013 Mufasa, Scar, Simba \u2013 are also wonders of artistic prowess. They aren\u2019t heavy because they are not made from the wood they are meant to emulate, and the hydraulics used to move the masks from the top of the actor\u2019s heads to their faces require finesse to make their operation appear organic.<\/p>\n

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(Image: Matthew Murphy)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

But the most interesting thing Reilly said, a throwaway comment that got me thinking, was about the set-up of the musical at large, the macro element\u00a0 I\u2019d never processed, despite seeing \u201cThe Lion King\u201d on stage a handful of times in my life: the production\u2019s aesthetic is meant to look hand-made, and we are meant to view the animals as people pretending to be animals. This is a story told by humans, using the resources (wood, grass, feathers, etc.) available to them. They aren\u2019t meant to be transformed into the creatures. The intention is not for the performers to look like real animals. They are humans who know they are acting, which contributes to the overarching allegorical themes of self-discovery and the duality of the human and animal worlds.<\/p>\n

Like I said, I\u2019ve seen \u201cThe Lion King\u201d on stage at least 5 times prior to this run, but it felt completely fresh with this newly discovered objective in mind. There is so much to take in; it would require dozens of viewings to fully appreciate the artistry, timing, and technical wizardry that goes into the show, both on and off stage. My companions to the performance had never seen this musical, and their excitement by the opening number felt like watching my children on Christmas morning: there is an undeniable spark of joy and incredulity that this production inspires, and there is no better time than the holidays to experience anew.<\/p>\n

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(Image: Matthew Murphy)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Know Before You Go<\/h4>\n