THE LION KING
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Captiol Theatre
Tickets here.
I was 11 years old when The Lion King roared its way on to the big screen in 1994.
Like so many others of my generation, it was love at first viewing and I recall spending endless days in front of the TV watching the VHS tape until I could recite every line and every song word for word.
Sure, I grew up and my viewing habits matured (somewhat), but I'd be lying if I said The Lion King didn't hold a special place in my heart as an all-time favourite childhood memory.
And so it was with both excitement and a little trepidation that I sat down in Sydney's Capitol Theatre earlier this month to take in an evening performance of this Disney classic.
The questions were swirling. Had the writers been faithful to the characters? How does one fit an entire African savanna on to an infinitely smaller stage? And, how are they going to deal with that oh-so-sad scene - yeah, you all know which one I mean.
It's fair to say five minutes into the production any lingering doubt I had that this might not live up to expectations had evaporated, replaced only by the wonderful sense of adventure and storytelling that first captured my imagination all those years ago.
The opening scene, set against the movie's most famous song, The Circle of Life, brings the savanna to life as dozens of life-sized "animals" parade down the aisles and on to the stage.
It is here the audience gets its first look at the elaborate, award-winning costumes designed by production director Julie Taymor - and spectacular they are.
From the intricacies of the lion headpieces to the clever use of stilts that give the giraffes their height, there's so much that has gone into the visual presentation of the show it's almost impossible to take it all in in one sitting. Luckily, the visual strength of the production is well and truly matched by the witty dialogue, lifted straight out of the film.
The wonderful characters that added layers of depth to the original movie are back with a vengeance, or in the case of the lovable warthog, Pumba, back with flatulence.
He and trusty partner in crime, Timon, share all the best lines, along with Zazu, the king's prim and proper adviser and all-round stress-head.
Together, they bring moments of laughter to what is, after all, a poignant tale punctuated with loss.
The stampede scene is well handled both visually and emotionally, but pack the tissues just in case.
If you don't need them, then the trip down memory lane might just have you reaching for one as the final curtain falls.