Date Night | The Lion King Musical in Toronto

Two weeks ago the hubs and I snuck out to soak in the fabulousness that I heard The Lion King musical was. When we watched Aladdin, the hubs told me how much he loved The Lion King production which he had caught during a visit to New York with his parents a few years ago. So when I found out that The Lion King was returning to Toronto, I bought us tickets months ago. Our seats weren’t fabulous but we had a great aerial view and was looking out to the centre of the stage.

I had picked up the cheapest tickets on offer since we had already splurged on Aladdin and I wasn’t blown away. Plenty of $45 tickets are still on offer and I definitely think they’re great for a regular night out. Only draw back is that we had to climb about a gazillion stairs to get to the very top! My only workout in the last month so I shouldn’t complain.

Nothing but rave reviews is all I have heard over the years about this multi-TONY award winning production so needless to say, I was pumped for our date. We grabbed a pint of Steam Whistle each and some popcorn to sustain us through the first half and relaxed into our seats. It was a crazy busy week for me and I was looking forward to relaxing and not thinking about work. I noticed quite a few young kids around and while I did wonder if the Little Monkey should have joined us, I knew the answer was a big fat NO! I saw some very well behaved two year olds but that isn’t in the books for us yet.

So what did I think of  the musical? The set was fantastic and there’s no denying that the swaying grass, stunning sunsets and the elephant marching up the aisle, are ovation worthy. This is a true Disney production and there’s no shortage of the visual theatrics. It was fascinating how humans were dressed as the animals without being smothered under a heavy costume, a la elmo style. I did find it a bit annoying that Simba and Mufasa would pop their masks down and then up again, numerous times, but I got used to it quickly.

The acting was fantastic, definitely better than the Aladdin production and Rafiki stole show, much like the Genie did with Aladdin. However what left me a bit wanton here was that the music did not leave a lasting memory. The songs are what I love the most about The Lion King and I left the theatre wondering if I had even heard some of my favourites. The answer is yes, I did hear them. However they weren’t memorable. There’s a tiny chance I may have dozed through all of them,  but I highly doubt that.

Given that I was tired I pulled out some heavy hitter snacks to get some energy and it definitely did the trick. Also I will give full credit to Timon and Pumba for making me giggle and sit up straight for the second half of the act. As we all know, the plot is fairly simple to follow and you definitely know that good will triumph over evil. There’s no suspense or chills – is this because we all know the story too well? or is it because the drawn out script fails at tugging at our emotions?

All in all it was a good production and I’m even trying to book a date into my parents’ calendar to get them to the Princess of Wales before the last run on June 14th . However I must say that it all feels much like a parade versus a musical at the end of the day. We see the stellar cast run through the emotions and the plot unfold but there’s not much play for the songs to pull at the heart strings or raise our emotions.

 So should you go? Yes, for the amazing sets and costumes to sway you to Africaland but not for the musical ensemble. Also because, if you don’t, you’ll always wonder what the rest of the world is talking about when they rave on and on about The Lion King Musical.