The Lion King at DPAC!

            I have been remiss about posting lately, but I have good excuses.  January was a slow theater month for me.  After my Broadway whirlwind at the end of December, I didn’t have any theater tickets at all until January 26^th, which is when I saw The Lion King national tour at the Durham Performing Arts Center.  Also, I’ve been so busy that I’ve been falling asleep before 9 pm most nights – atypical for a theater devotee, I’m sure.

At first, I was skeptical about whether I actually even wanted to see The Lion King.  I think the Disney production credit through me off track, and I was worried it wouldn’t be entertaining for adults.  Logic set in, however.  I thought to myself, if I love Ragtime, and this show beat Ragtime for the 1998 Tony Award for Best Musical, then it has to be beyond amazing.  I’m so glad I listened to logic. 

Anyway, after my recent revelation that I’m totally willing to pay the extra $60 for orchestra-level seats, I managed to get a killer seat for The Lion King, right in the front row, in the center section on the aisle.  It was awesome, and also a little bit scary.  I’m sure I looked quite silly with a giant grin on my face for about the first thirty minutes as I tried to take in the splendor of the show.  When the curtain came up, it seemed like Rafiki was singing right to me.  I could see everything so wonderfully.  I loved every second of it.  Except for the hyenas – they were slightly frightening.

                Sitting in the front row was perfect and completely worth every penny I spent!  There were only one or two occasions when I thought that sitting a little further back would have been beneficial, specifically to see the tableau created by the masterful puppetry, but overall, I wouldn’t have traded that seat for anything.  Simply put, it was phenomenal.

                I keep wanted to compare the quality of The Lion King to other shows I’ve seen, but I really don’t have a basis for comparison because it is such a different kind of musical than anything I’ve seen.  I suppose I could try to compare it to Avenue Q because they both have puppets, or to another musical produced by Disney.  Ultimately, comparisons of this nature are unfair to both parties because what The Lion King offers is truly unique.  I was in awe of the bird puppets flying inches above my head, startled by the giraffes who leaned all the way across the orchestra pit to look me in the eye, dazzled by the wickedness of Scar, touched by the friendship and love of Simba and Nala, and I identified with the quest for belonging.

                I can’t wait to see it again.