Note 2: The Lion King Musical

We could never be more familiar with the opening song “Circle Of Life” from The Lion King Musical, especially the calling of Rafiki the mandrill 

” Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba [Here comes a lion, Father]

  Sithi uhm ingonyama                    [Oh yes, it's a lion]

  Siyo Nqoba                                    [We're going to conquer]

  Ingonyama nengw' enamabala    [A lion and a leopard come to this open place].

Based on the 1994 Disney animated film of the same name, the musical debuted 1997,4 years after the animation. Because of its powerful musical score, extraordinary costumes, and heartfelt story, the musical reign as one of the most popular shows on Broadway and around the world. The global phenomenon is the winner of more than 70 major awards worldwide, including the Tony Award for Best Musical, and the Grammy for Best Musical Show Album.

The musical is an adaptation from the film, so it incorporates several changes and additions to the storyline as compared to the film. First, the mandrill Rafiki's gender was changed to a female role because the director found out that there was generally no leading female character in the film. Second, several new scenes are present, such as a conversation between Mufasa and Zazu about Mufasa's parenting and a scene when Timon finds himself nearly drowning in a waterfall while Simba feels powerless to help him.And of course, the show adds more songs to its stage production, including Morning Report, sung by Zazu the hornbill,  "Endless Night”,  and "Shadowland" , etc. Something interesting I found on the internet is that Chinese elements were included in the musical, during the show run in China,  One of the songs was adapted to a well-known Chinese pop song, "老鼠愛大米" or "Mice Love Rice". The cast even cracked jokes and attempted conversations with the audience in Chinese.

I went to see the musical in London 5 years ago; I can still recall the vivid memory of the astounding visuals.  Marveled at the breathtaking spectacle of animals brought to life by an enormous company of international performers, whose detailed costumes, carved masks, and intricate makeup had transported me to the gorgeous trips of the African savanna. What’s even more surprising is that those animals were actually at the touchable distance, I could see clearly how the actors in costume using extra tools to move their costumes to portray the animals. For example, the giraffes are portrayed by actors carefully walking on stilts. For principal characters such as Mufasa and Scar, the costumes feature mechanical headpieces that can be raised and lowered to foster the illusion of a lion "lunging" at another. It was really a thrill to watch The Lion King Musical.