The Lion King on Broadway

[HasiraKali]

Oh yes, You knew it was coming. ;)

Here's a Simba picture to get us started...

http://i54.tinypic.com/345lidt.jpg

Dashaun Young in NY

[Azerane]

I thought about starting it.... but I knew it would just get me in trouble :p You're the best person to start it anyway :lol:

Really hoping to see it again. I've seen it twice now, over here in Melbourne when we drove eight hours each way to get there just to see it (birthday present!) and in Orlando, when I went with Pat and we got lost on the way home in some seedy neighbourhood :p If our planned roadtrip goes to plan, should be getting to see it in Vegas :D Thank goodness they extended the season there!

[Nuduli]

I don't think I'm ever gonna get the chance to see this show. :( It's always so far away in other states and such, time and money would play a big part of that too. Maybe some time it could be on dvd.

[King Simba]

I've seen it twice now. The first time in London for the Lea meet in 2006, and the second time with Leor last June, also in London. :D It's a real awesome show, and I would definitely see it again at some point. I would recommend it to anyone, not just TLK fans. ;)

EDIT: Oh, and first post here! Yay! :lol:

[nathalie]

I saw it in London 2006.
I thought the first have was "boring", not really boring, but definatly not as good as the second part.

Mainly because of the youngsters who played Simba & Nala.
Nala totally had an attitude, haha, probably because of the Brittish accent she had, lol, and the singing wasn't all that eather from those 2.

But the second half had all the beautiful songs in it :D

[Leorgathar]

I saw it with mah KS in London last year, of course :love:
One of the best times I've ever had :D

[HasiraKali]

But the second half had all the beautiful songs in it :D

Not to mention other things. ;) :lol:

[nathalie]

I wanted to answer that one, but I'm not gonna :lol:

[HasiraKali]

I'll do it for you. ;)

http://i55.tinypic.com/1zfodmu.jpg

[nathalie]

Haha, not what I was thinking about, but still great picture :D :lol:

[HasiraKali]

Well I couldn't find a picture of Danny Yanga and his strange teeth.

[nathalie]

With his mouth closed, he's actually a handsome guy ...

But when smiling, he freaks you out :eek:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3448/3231837399_a153236d43.jpg

[HasiraKali]

:lol: They're so. White.

And hey, I have that CD.

[Simbaspirit]

I've been lucky enough to see it three times :D the first time, my family and I drove 8 hours to see it - we saw it that night and drove back the next day. The second time I saw it in NYC and was extremely lucky - I got to go on a backstage tour! I help Rafiki's stick, sat on the sets, all sorts of stuff, it was awesome and very thorough. The costume rooms are stuffed! Most recently I saw TLKoB in Vancouver, where I live, and it was amazing as always, however they did cut out the morning report for some reason, probably because it was a smaller stage. I've noticed differences in every performance, which is kinda cool. Hoping to see it again in about a year in NYC again when I go visit there with my boyfriend :)

[HasiraKali]

When did you see it in Vancouver? They recently cut Morning Report from Las Vegas and Broadway.

[Simbaspirit]

They did whaaaaaat?

Why did they cut it? I mean, it wasn't my favorite scene or anything, but do you know what made them to decide to remove it? I saw it in August so that's probably the reason why.

[HasiraKali]

I don't think they ever said exactly why it was cut. I remember reading about them wanting to keep it "fresh" and, for some reason, cutting Morning Report was the way to do that.

[Simbaspirit]

huh. That's kinda strange. Everytime i've seen the play, they've choreographed the fight scene differently, but I guess more change was wanted. I don't really see how the removal of a song is keeping it fresh though - especially one they went and put into the movie's revised version :P

[Revo]

I saw the show once on Broadway in Detroit. My host mom got the tickets as a Christmas gift. It was amazingly awesome, and I'm happy I got to see it at least once. I don't hold high hopes about being able to see it again.. But given the chance I almost certainly would.

[HasiraKali]

New Nala in London.

http://i56.tinypic.com/wi683r.jpg

Ava Brennan

[Simbaspirit]

When I was a kid, all I wanted to do was audition for young Nala. I was 12 and with lots of singing and acting experience. My dad told me that if I practiced real hard, we could go on a road trip during the summer that would involve me going to a scheduled kids audition that was about a bajillion miles away. I was soooo excited... until I realized that I was a 1/4 inch too tall and that they didn't make any height restrictions. I cried myself to sleep :(

[Azerane]

You mean that there were height restrictions? Because if there wasn't, there is no way you could have been a 1/4 inch too tall. I wouldn't have thought that would be such a big deal though. Would have been awesome if you could have done that though. Then again, in a few years, maybe you can audition for adult Nala ;)

[nathalie]

Some body parts look really weird on that picture :lol:

[HasiraKali]

Because I feel like it...

http://i54.tinypic.com/25gv0ns.jpg

Anyone seen the show lately? Going through serious withdrawals myself.

[lionkinglover]

i'm gonna see it when my dad takes me to the big apple ! : D

[Azerane]

Not recently no... hopefully going to catch it on its vegas run though... :D

[HasiraKali]

I feel like posting a gif.

http://i55.tinypic.com/2i4077.jpg

Also, the show is going to be in Austin in January. I think I posted before we lost all of those posts, that it's going to be in Dallas late next year as well. That's what the schedule did both times it came here. So I think it might be coming back here sometime in 2014. :D

[HasiraKali]

TLKoB is 15 today! Next year, it can drive! :D

I found a picture of Danny Yanga for Nathalie. ;) http://www.flickr.com/photos/official_danny_yanga/6893107457/

[HasiraKali]

TLKoB is 15 today! Next year, it can drive! :D

I found a picture of Danny Yanga for Nathalie. ;) http://www.flickr.com/photos/official_danny_yanga/6893107457/

[cleargreenwater]

Damn, 15 years on Broadway, holy crap. I missed the Good Morning America feature this morning!

[nathalie]

Oh God, Danny Yanga -_- haha
Apperently he's the German Simba now. (if I'm not mistaken)

Is this GMA thing somewhere to be found online? Nothing on youtube (yet) :(

[KanuTGL]

Double posts, double posts everywhere :gasp: It's kinda interesting how both HK and Nathalie managed to do it xD

Anyway...

Turns out TLKoB is coming to Birmingham on their UK tour next year!! :D Me and Adam have already bought tickets :P They were really going fast as he was booking them as well. So awesome, haha!

[King Simba]

Less than two months 'til me and Leor see it! :D We've had tickets since like April. :p

[HasiraKali]

Double posting... :hmm:

The GMA thing was super disappointing. I'm glad I didn't watch it live, I'd have gotten really pissed off. I was getting mad and I was just fast fowarding. It was literally the last 10 minutes of the show. They had a short segment of the hosts being stupid and then a performance of Circle of Life. That part was cool, but the part before was so dumb.

Videos are on this site.
http://gma.yahoo.com/video/music-26594262/lion-king-cast-performs-circle-of-life-on-gma-31109478.html

[nathalie]

Can't seem to watch that video if you ain't from the US -_-

[Nafisa]

Late congratulations for TLKoB! I'm going to watch it in London next summer! :D
Oh I just can't wait to see it!
:relax:

[HasiraKali]

Sexiest Puppet?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmAgh_jomKY

And I can't wait to see that dude as Simbas... Hell.

[nathalie]

Dwayne from Who's line is it anyway, should have gone through with it, lol.
He'd be awesome for it!

[HasiraKali]

Wayne Brady? He should have, yes. I'd love to hear him sing Endless Night.\

Edit: Yay! I didn't double-post that time. :D

[nathalie]

Oh, Wayne, lol, for some reason I thought his name was Dwayne.
I always loved it when he sang on the show.

[KanuTGL]

^ Oh, yes, me too! Wayne Brady singing TLKoB would be pretty cool :lol:

[cleargreenwater]

...I don't know if anyone's around NYC December 1-16, but I heard on the radio this morning they're putting up a free little exhibit of some of the puppets & things at 42nd St & 6th Ave by Bryant Park.

I'd check it out, but it's a $28 dollars for a round trip train ticket & train station parking plus the subway fare. If I had something else (affordable) to do in New York once I got there it'd be one thing but that's a little salty for one quick excursion :-/ I dunno.

It's there though, and something to see, if someone else is passing through in the next 2 weeks!

[Sharifu]

Personally, I'd be willing to pay $28 to travel to see that exhibit, but that's because I would love to be able to see some of the costumes and puppets up close. But that's just me.

Hopefully you can find something else to do in New York so you can go.

I've never been to New York, but I would like to go there some day...

[HasiraKali]

I was honestly thinking of going up there just to see that. There aren't any good weekend airfare deals from here right now though.

[cleargreenwater]

Personally, I'd be willing to pay $28 to travel to see that exhibit, but that's because I would love to be able to see some of the costumes and puppets up close. But that's just me.

Hopefully you can find something else to do in New York so you can go.

I've never been to New York, but I would like to go there some day...

You guys are good for me <3 :hugs: I'll see if maybe I can lure someone into going to see the Rockefeller Center christmas tree along with, or play hooky from work one day during the week when the crowds are less & just go myself.

New York is cool, but it's also overwhelming and exhausting, and when you live in the suburbs an hour outside of it, it's easy to loose sight of how much it's worth it sometimes.


I was honestly thinking of going up there just to see that. There aren't any good weekend airfare deals from here right now though.

Wooooooow, $28+ doesn't sound so bad now!! I almost wish you could, if there is a best person who should get to to see something like this you're it!

[Simbaspirit]

That sounds sooo cool! I wish I lived closer to new york -_- I'm really lucky though, as the time that I saw it in New York I got to go to all the backstage rooms/on stage so at least I've seen a good part of what they might show. I hope all of you who are trying to get down there are able!

[Dare]

Gaaaaah, so close....but...NYC is quite exhausting, especially during the holiday season - I can barely stand being there when it's not the holiday season. Though, if I did go, I could hit up the AMNH too. I've been meaning to go there for a while.

I shall have to ponder this.
:hmm:
Maybe I'll flip a coin.

[Sharifu]

That sounds sooo cool! I wish I lived closer to new york -_- I'm really lucky though, as the time that I saw it in New York I got to go to all the backstage rooms/on stage so at least I've seen a good part of what they might show. I hope all of you who are trying to get down there are able!

I am curious, how did you get to go backstage?

[nathalie]

I managed to get backstage at the Dutch production, and we were all allowed to touch a mask, lol.
We were on stage aswell, to see where Pride Rock pops out and stuff, and where the chorus is sitting behind the scenes.
Was really cool.

No pics allowed then though :(

[HasiraKali]

They used to have a theater tour when they were at the New Amsterdam.

[KanuTGL]

I've heard about this exhibition too. I'd really love to go, but, alas, New York is a tad far away... xP If any of you end up going, I'd love to see some photos... :)

[cleargreenwater]

Speaking of TLKoB festivities though, the Empire State building's lights are in yellow tonight in honor of 15 years of TLK on Broadway!

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b288/cleargreenwater/P1020551600x800.jpg

(....No, I don't live that close, I took a drive for the occassion XD)


Empire State Building lights guide/schedule: http://www.esbnyc.com

[HasiraKali]

So I'm listening to the South African cast right now (Thanks again Nathalie!) and I'm just now noticing, possibly due to the huge amount of caffeine I've had today, that Endless Night's tempo is significantly faster in this than any other recording. Anyone else notice this? It's literally 23 seconds shorter than the OBC.

Also, Andre Jackson accepted my friend request on Facebook. :D

[Simbaspirit]

I am curious, how did you get to go backstage?

Ah sorry just saw this!

I was very fortunate - when I went to NYC they were having a once a year fundraiser where if you donated some money to AIDS research you could go on a backstage tour. It was very extensive and one of the conductors lead my tour, which had only one other person besides my dad and I in my group. I got to see everything, touch the fabrics and the mask and (my favourite) hold rafiki's stick! It was really really cool.

[cleargreenwater]

Wow, SimbaSpirit, that was a freakin awesome tour :O

And HasiraKali, that's really cool. I can't say I think a little zippy-er verion of Endless Night would hurt sometimes on occassion, I get impatient at the very beginning of the song every once in a while listening to the OBC recording sometimes.


....Well, I was able to go to the "Inside the Lion King" free exhibit, and took *some* pictures before my phone ran out of juice (I didn't want to lug a regular camera around on the subway,) but I still have to import them, I'm terrible with posting pictures in a timely fashion.

The one thing that disappointed me was that the actual named character costumes, with the exception of the Adult Simba mannequin at the entrance and a wax figure of Rafiki, were all IN THE WINDOWS, that is, facing outward from the display room, and on the other side of partitions for the sake of the window display. So if you wanted to see those you had to stand out in the 30-40 degree weather and squint/peer through the tinted windows and sun & glass glare made it difficult to see and impossible to photograph. I would have really loved to see those much better and as close as some of the other props :C

Did you know though, the big elephant puppet's name is Bertha? Probably old news but <3, I love it. XD I guess what else does one name an elephant? XD

[nathalie]

I got my newsletter today from Disneystore UK, and TLKoB will now also be touring Schotland!

[nathalie]

Any news on the Brazilian production? It's almost March ...

Cast CD ??

[ThiagoPE]

The Brazilian version will premiere in 28of march and I WILL BE THERE!!!!
Usually they dont make a Portuguese version of the musicals shown in theatre, let's hope this be different with TLK

[HasiraKali]

I haven't heard anything about a cast recording either. It's possible.

[nathalie]

Thiago, if they should have it by then, feel free to pick up a copy, hehe.
(or a double disc if they got one, France and Holland made a double disc version with a bonus DVD)

[shadowland]

Saw it at the Lyceum on the 22nd with my gf, damn good show

[nathalie]

Only 4 more days for the Brazilian show!

[ThiagoPE]

I will try post photos of "what they allows us to take"

[nathalie]

How was the show ???

Did they have any special merchandise, a CD ?

[s-tlk]

I'm also curious about the show and hopping they create a CD soon.

It is the same as the English version (from performance, setting and script point of view)? And it is the shorten, or the long edition?

[ThiagoPE]

I will post my opinion as soon I arrive at home (its hard type in English in my mobile as it kept changing English words to Portuguese), for a while, enjoy the pics I could take at theatre in my Facebook

[nathalie]

Seems they changed the lyrics for "Can you feel the love tonight" here aswell.

There are some clips on youtube, I'm guessing it was all promotional stuff they did before the actual show.
(that's what they did in France aswell)

Maybe Thiago can translate the text given with the clips :p

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9kETirOgpo

http://youtu.be/QXd0bt358y0

[ThiagoPE]

those clips are bit old, it was recorded six months ago, just showing some lryics of the songs(some even were changed for the final version) it was just a press conference amouncing the show.

more stuff:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Znu1MWbOevs brazilian cast singings circle of life for the press
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbp7TbB27F0 Promo vídeo by t4f
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXou34qVP6M Can you fell the love tonight (t4f)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG5jVx6IpMM Press day

[Leorgathar]

Man, it does sound really gorgeous in Portuguese. I'm glad you had the chance to see it, Thiago :)
It must be awesome to see TLKoB performed in your own language, the only way I can do that is by travelling to Madrid :p

[King Simba]

Sounds awesome, Thiago. I'm glad you could have this opportunity. :)

I feel somewhat lucky that I can just watch TLKoB performed in English anytime... Maybe someday I'll fly across the pond and watch it in a different language. :p

[ThiagoPE]

For who are interested in see the photos we took there (sorry, no fotos of the show itself, its forbidden take pictures of it) i posted them here http://oreileao.com.br/?p=3099

[nathalie]

That's a nice looking theater!

:o I would love that umbrella! haha

[ThiagoPE]

I just posted the book they give when you go watch the show, basically it shows some info about the show and the cast of characters, for who interested : http://oreileao.com.br/?p=3109 (sorry only in portuguese)

@nathalie: they don´t sell similar things there?

[HasiraKali]

That umbrella is awesome. I have one, but it's not that cool. Maybe it'll show up here soon.

[nathalie]

No umbrellas when I was at the Dutch theater back in 2006 and also not last year in London.

[This Land]

I don't normally post anything because i Dont have anything interesting to say, Until now xD

Well today was the very last performance in Birmingham of Lion King UK Tour. After the show i asked one of the staff about meeting any of the cast, they said i could try the stage door but everyone may be in a hurry but im allowed to try. I followed the directions the staff gave me to the stage door and Indeed loads of cast were coming out but was in a hurry, i didnt want to try and stop any of them because i didnt want to feel annoying, i wanted to respect their privacy if they just wanted to go home/get going.

BUT

One guy walked out the door and started talking to a girl that was also waiting but it seemed they already knew each other. After a couple of minutes he looked over to me and said a friendly "Hello", I intoduced myself and then he did the same.
It was Stephen Carlile the main cast of Scar ! 8D.

He was more then offering to hold out his hand to greet me and offered to have my picture taken with him, the girl also lent me her silver pen so he could sign my TLK shirt.

Gets better, he was getting the train and i mentioned i was off to the train station too to catch my train. Just before i was about to say my final good bye and be on my way (going a different route as i didn't want to seem too clingy), he just casually went "Ah you can help me with my suitcase if you want and we can have a chat". inside my head i was like "I would be honoured! xD"

He was mainly the one doing all the questions which i thought was nice as i think he could tell i was getting shy (i was paranoid asking him too many questions) xP. He asked what i thought about his performance and he mentioned about him missing a line but Zazu covered him up so well xD he asked me what i do for a living and how many times i have seen it, all sorts of stuff xD.

But yes, one very memorable night =)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/addy_neale_wkd/98153583-f21f-47f6-bcea-417a48b4f922_zpsfb0f2047.jpg (http://s10.photobucket.com/user/addy_neale_wkd/media/98153583-f21f-47f6-bcea-417a48b4f922_zpsfb0f2047.jpg.html)

He is very tall, makes me look short xD
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/addy_neale_wkd/DSC_0193_zps0d896cef.jpg (http://s10.photobucket.com/user/addy_neale_wkd/media/DSC_0193_zps0d896cef.jpg.html)

[Azerane]

I was wondering how long it would take for you to post here ;)

That's a very cool experience Adam, so cool that you got to meet him and hang out, hopefully his suitcase wasn't too heavy :lol:

[cleargreenwater]

Oh how cool is that! :D I think it takes a certain kind of very gregarious personality to play the villain on Broadway/in musicals, and this just about proves it in my head. Super neat that you got to hang out with one of the players like buddies walking back to the train!

Beyond cool/extra awesome :D

[This Land]

I know :D

He was just so laid back and casual, if i ever went to see the UK tour again he said feel free to say hello again too ^^.

[Leorgathar]

Just in case someone missed this (which I kind of doubt xD)

The Lion King on Broadway: Australia cast sings Circle of Life on a plane (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgSLxl1oAwA)

... :D

[Guntur]

That's a freaking cool experience Adam.

I just love that any broadway or west end actor and actress are humble enough to greet their fans.

By the Adam one question: does he ever do Scar's voice to you while you had the conversation? I seen a lot of actors do that for their fans.

[Kasei]

That's so stinkin' awesome! I would've loved to be on that flight! Can you imagine being serenaded like that, walking down the isle throuh the voices of the the broadway cast as you find your seat? So cool. x) I love the little kid scampering down the isle to come up and look at them. x3 We feel you, kid!

[nathalie]

That sure would put me at ease when flying for the first time in November :lol:

[Leorgathar]

They should have lifted that kid up at the very ending of the song :lol:

[s-tlk]

Hi all,
did someone of you were in the musical in London recently?

I saw it an hour ago for the second time in London and I might be wrong, but they changed a lot of things. It was shorter now, which is not surprising because they announced to cut some scenes a few years ago, but did they include a new song? It was after Rafiki's mourning. I never heard this before whether in Hamburg, nor in San Francisco or New York. It is also not on the Broadway recording CD. Maybe they added this because we were such a nice audience or something went wrong in the backstage and they needed additional time? After the show they also did some singing, which I never saw before. That was very cool. :-)

Every time when I watch the musical I realize that it so dense full of symbolic I sometime can't get the hang of it. For instance when Mufasa taught Simba "a lesson" after the elephant graveyard he puts down his swords, which is somehow clear, but what is it suppose to mean that he also put his wood lion head down to them as well? Perhaps that he wants to talk to his son in private as a father not as a king? I don't really get this.
And do you ever noticed that the hyenas has military boots on? This subconsciously emphasize the dramatic point during "Be Prepared". This goes in the same direction as some people see in the movie resemblances with some Nazi propaganda clips.
There is a million things more of it, so if you notice something, I guess this is the right place. I usually forget most of it after a few hours. -.-

[Simbaspirit]

I have never seen the London performance, but I've seen in in Vancouver, Spokane, New York and today I'll be seeing it in Toronto!!! Can't wait!!

Anyways, I always notice some changes between the performances. Usually about 2-4 years had passed between each showing. The first time I saw it was in Spokane in 2005 and it was the most true to the soundtrack and to my expectations. I can't remember all of the differences, but I Spokane was the only time I saw the extended CYFTLT (which was my favourite part so I was sad to see it go), and in Vancouver the stage was a little smaller so the final fight scene took place backstage a lot with just shadows. The New York one was the most spectacular as no other theatre is able to do the rising pride rock or even the stampede in the same way.

I was just looking online and apparently the morning report was cut (it was in all of the productions I saw) and they now only have 1 US touring group instead of 2. Also, apparently the chase scene between the hyenas and the cubs was cut in Chow Down.

I'll report back after tonight in Toronto and see if anything else has changed that I notice :goopher:

[nathalie]

It has been a known-fact that there have been things cut from the show a few years ago.
Morning Report being one of them (*yay*, haha).
Also, Can you feel the love tonight didn't had that instrumental part anymore in it already back in 2012 when I saw it last time in London.
(the Spanish cast recording doesn't even have the instrumental bit during the song on the CD)

And indeed, little bits were missing, I can't really tell which ones anymore, it's been just over 2 years now since I saw it the last time in London.

Amanda should be able to fill you in, I believe she has seen the show 20-21 times :)

[HasiraKali]

Yeah, a lot has changed since the show opened. It makes sense, all shows that have been open awhile do it. It's how they survive, even if it's just little things.

Anyway, Morning Report has been the biggest and most obvious change. I think it was cut in 2011 or 2012. The CYFTLT bit was cut earlier than that I believe. It's been a long time since I saw it. I think the last time I saw that was in 2009. "Madness of King Scar" was shortened as well sometime before that, sometime after 2007.

As for the little bit with Nala, Rafiki, and Sarabi after "Rafiki Mourns" and "Be Prepared reprise", it's always been there, and now I have it in my head. >.> It makes me teary every time.

They've also shortened the bit with Timon and Pumbaa and the bugs during "Hakuna Matata" in the last few years.

PS: Thanks for getting me to listen to my "wine" to find this info for you. ;) I forgot how much I enjoyed Wallace Smith's Simba... Still mad my dad deleted the one from last February. :(

[KanuTGL]

The last time I saw Morning Report and CYFtLT "in full" was in New York in 2010, so I think it's right that they removed those bits in 2011, because I remember it being announced quite soon after I'd seen it on Broadway.

It's understandable that they make changes to keep the show "alive", but I think it's a shame that they just cut things out and don't add in new bits to make up for it D:

[Azerane]

The show is coming back to Melbourne next year so I'm hoping that Pat and I can go and see it again then. It's been a long time since I've seen it, late 2006 or early 2007? To be honest, I never liked the extended CYFTLT scene, I found it a little boring, but that's just me. Will be interesting see what it's like again, that being said, it's been so long since I've seen it that it's unlikely I'll notice the changes.

[nathalie]

I hadn't seen it in 5 years. Definitely noticed, lol.
I also find the part in Can you feel the love boring. And yet it was strange when I saw it last time without.

[HasiraKali]

And I'm thirding the part in CYFTLT as boring. :P I liked it when it used to have the four dancers in the background on flight. But they stopped doing that and then it got kind of boring fast.

[Guntur]

This is an old news but it's kinda related to TLKoB, During the re-released TLK movie on 3d, The Australian production brings The Lion King on Broadway at Singapore. I wasn't sure if I wanna go to Singapore to watch TLKoB over lack of money but one of my aunt offers her deal to take me there. And i politely DECLINE the offer. :naladisappointed2:

But as soon I read the old TLKoB Thread, I kinda regret for not accepting the offer. -_-

But I'm sure and hope they will bring the production to Palace of Culture here in Malaysia as Fame did back in 2002.

[Leorgathar]

I'm not sure how I missed this before, since this is 4 month old news, but it seems that we're finally getting a version of TLKoB in Mexico! :wow:

http://waltdisneystudios.com/corp/news/1429

Disney Theatrical Productions celebrates the announcement of two world premiere productions of THE LION KING at Shanghai Disney Resort and Mexico City, in partnership with Disney Parks and Resorts and OCESA, respectively. The announcement was made today by Thomas Schumacher, president and producer, Disney Theatrical Productions. The two productions will be the 23rd and 24th mounted around the world since the show's Broadway debut in 1997.


"It is especially exciting for us to premiere at the purpose-built theatre at the Shanghai Disney Resort, marking our first collaboration with our partners at Disney Parks and Resorts," said Thomas Schumacher, president and producer, Disney Theatrical Productions. "This uniquely Chinese production will be our most ambitious yet, featuring the very best of local talent, who will perform the show for the first time in Mandarin as they bring Julie Taymor's singular theatrical vision to life."


"We are equally thrilled to bring THE LION KING to Mexico City with our partners at OCESA," Schumacher continues. "This entirely new production will be created especially for the glorious Telcel Theatre. I am proud to continue our long history presenting our productions in Mexico."

MEXICO CITY:

THE LION KING's Spanish-language premiere in Mexico City will be produced by OCESA and will be the largest theatrical production ever to be mounted in Mexico. OCESA also produced successful productions of Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and most recently, The Disney and Cameron Mackintosh production of MARY POPPINS in 2012. The production will be performed in Spanish and will begin performances in May of 2015 at the Telcel Theatre in Mexico City.

I really like the sound of it being the largest theatrical production ever in Mexico. I'm also curious about how it'll be watching it in Spanish, I especially look forward to hear Shadowland, The Madness of King Scar and Endless Night (I already heard a version of those in a tribute that was made here in Chihuahua long ago, but they were nowhere near official, more like a fan translation, really).
Needless to say... I'm excited :cheese:

[nathalie]

I'm hoping, just like the animated movies, there'll be a Latin-Spanish cast CD. Maybe knowing Disney, and saving money, they'll use the regular Spanish one?
I don't understand why they didn't make one for Korea and Brazil.

[Leorgathar]

If they do release a CD, they'll most likely do a new Latin-American Spanish cast one. The difference between both dialects is very notorious for us, and they might even write new and different lyrics than the European Spanish one, just like they did for the movies.

[lionobsession]

What can I say about The Lion King musical? That it is my all time favourite musical! (That's saying something because I love all musicals!) The costumes, the additional songs and the atmosphere are amazing!
I saw it first when I was 6, then at 10, then 13 and finally 14! Wish I could've seen it for my birthday this year though, but I got given a theatre voucher and I really want to go again! Is 5 times too many?

I saw it in London 3 times and once on tour and i loved the way they changed the entrance of Pride Rock for the touring version!

What's everyone's favourite song/s? I love Shadowland, He Lives in You (reprise), Hakuna Matata and Endless Night. Endless Night and Mufasa's death has made me cry every single time!

I was lucky enough to see all the costumes in detail as they were on show in a gallery whilst on tour and I loved all the masks and the bead work!

Never have I seen a musical as stunning, unique and moving as The Lion King!

I wish they do a live screening of it! Did any of you catch the live screening of Billy Elliot when it was on? Hoping they'll do a Lion King version! That would be awesome!

Or if you are unable to see the Lion King, but Matilda is available definitely go and see it! Second favourite musical and is perfect for everyone - even non musical fans like my brother!!!

Anyway, back onto Lion King, go and see it!!!

[ThiagoPE]

Probabily, the mexico version will use the material of the Brazilian show, that will finish this season in 14 of december, and, as was stated in the contract Disney signed with t4f (the brazilian company that brought us the show) that the season could not last for more than two years.

re-using the materials of the musical in several versions is a usual with those musicals, the material used in brazilian version was previousily used in another version, australian if im right.

for us, what only is left to us is that feeling that a lot of brazilians lost this show because how we live in a so big country and they only showing it in only one city. is not everyone that can afford so much amounts of Money in plane ticket, hotel, and the ticket itself, that are not cheap.

I hope they come back someday, specially if they make a tour by the country, i would love bring my friends that could not go to são Paulo to watch it here in Recife.

[nathalie]

Yeah, when the musical ended in The Netherlands, all the stuff was transferred to France for the show.

[HasiraKali]

I found an awesome site with lots of really nice photos. :p http://busasimba.tumblr.com It's awesome and has produced much squealing from me tonight.

[Guntur]

That is really a good set of TLKoB photos. I really diggin it. That should be on it's own thread. ;)



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBuyZuMjDkg

When Nala graduate from Highschool with 2014 Class medal. From a Adult Nala to a full grown Broadway actress.

[HasiraKali]

Stumbled on this site while looking for something completely different. :p

It's a site for schools performing the Kids and Jr productions of the show. It's actually pretty cool, even though you can only see the Introduction segments without a license. I looked at the license, and it's really freaking expensive :lol: It's a really cool thing though. If I ever decide to move to theater, we will definitely do this.

http://www.lionkingexperience.com/

[nathalie]

Its almost May!
Any more news on the Mexican production? Merch, cd?

Its also in Basel now.
The person I know who was in the UK touring company, has been in Basel now for a while to play there.

[Leorgathar]

Hmm I haven't been aware of many news on the Mexican production, but I know who some of the cast members will be :) here are some of them:

Carlos Rivera (http://vang.blob.core.windows.net/images/2013/03/26/carlosssssss-rey-leon.jpg) will reprise his role as Simba from the Spanish production (he's Mexican, though)
Fela Dominguez (http://www.excelsior.com.mx/media/pictures/2015/03/07/1168753.jpg) as Nala
Jorge Lau (https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B5TpFiOCEAE3IjU.jpg) as Mufasa (Not sure if I like him for the part xP but I'll wait and see)
And Flavio Medina (http://elmundodetehuacan.com/~elmundod/images/n2pfile/1594168.jpg) as Scar (I think he does have a Scar-ish look xD)

I also heard that the actress playing Rafiki is of South African origin, which I guess isn't uncommon in other productions, but I still find it kinda cool :D

I haven't seen anything related to merchandise, but hopefully I'll be able to go check it out myself sometime ;)

[nathalie]

The French Rafiki didn't know 1 word of French and she got casted anyways, so I guess with the Rafiki part they focus on the voice the most.

And yes, keep an eye open for the merch! I need to know if there's a CD :lol:

[Kirauni]

Yes, so do I :D

I'm really curious if there'll be a mexican CD. That would be great!

@Nathalie: Many people of the German TLK-musical cast didn't know a German word either *gg*. There's a promotional CD with a few songs that has been released before the musical started in Hamburg and there you can hear clearly that they had some problems with the pronunciation. However, they greatly improved for the Musical CD. That must have been an awful lot of practise and I know that German can be pretty hard.

When the musical in Hamburg celebrated their 10 years anniversary, some other fans and I went backstage to give the cast a banner some of our fan-artists designed for them. They were really touched and as far as I know the banner still hangs somewhere in their canteen. Back then, we actually managed to talk to some of the artists/actors. Unfortuantely not all of them, but it was great anyways. It was a lot easier to do that a few years ago. Today, I think that has become quite hard. We soon found out that we had to speak either English or French so that we could understand each other ;) I had to dig out my rusty French for Lungi (who has played Rafiki), but it somehow worked. What a funny experience XD

I'd love to see the Musical in Basel, Switzerland. I used to live near Basel a few years ago, but we had to move. Unfortuantely, they only play there until sometime in fall. That's too bad and I don't know if I'll be able to make it.

[nathalie]

Gino Emnes did an amazing job as Simba in Germany.
Is Danny still Simba? He scares me ... :lol: Many Dutch performers have been in the German version aswell. The languages aren't that far apart.

I only "know" this person who plays Mufasa, because a friend of mine knows him.
And she thought I actually saw him back in 2012, but she didn't know he was in the touring company, and I only see the show in London.
She then told him I was in a bad shape and how much I love Lion King, 10 minutes later I'm talking to him on video chat, him ready for the show with make up on and all, it was so amazing!

[Guntur]

A CD merc should be good, I don't know if there's a South East Asia/New Zealand/Australia edition of Broadway cast soundtrack, or else I would know about it 3 years ago.

Gathering all of the Original Broadway Cast on every continent is a very good gift to enjoy on.

[nathalie]

No.
As far as Asia goes, only Japan made a CD. China, Korea & Signapore never made one, and apart from Korea they were in English.
Austrailia sold the regular original Broadway CD.

[ThiagoPE]

The Mexican version will premiere in may. Just for curiosity i looked for tickets for it, seems that there is no more tickets for entire month of may! Seems it will be a huge success as it were here in Brazil.

[Leorgathar]

I just read an interview with Carlos Rivera. He said he kept getting the Castilian Spanish and the Mexican Spanish all mixed up during rehearsals, or in other words, he got his lions crossed :lol: He contributed a lot in making the translation :)

[Azerane]

Good chance I'll be seeing this for my third time in June :D Unconfirmed as yet, but very likely. Going to have crappy seats because I can't afford anything better, but will be so amazing to see it again. :D

[nathalie]

Only 3 more weeks for my 3rd time in London with Adam!
My sister-in-law decided she didn't want to see it, and I have to agree, even the crappiest seats in the last row all the way in the top are bloody expensive :o

[Azerane]

What sucks is that is there isn't even any in-between pricing here. It's $50, or $118 and then I think there's some super crazy ones right at the front. But I'll take the $50 seats thanks very much :p

[nathalie]

They got like 4 different prices in London I think.
Payed about 100 € for 5th row now. I think the most cheapest was about 70 €, very last row, upper balcony, that's just ridiculous.
So I was like: let's add 30 € then for the 5th row.

[Azerane]

Well, it's official. Pat and I will be seeing TLKoB in Melbourne in less than 5 weeks! :D I'm so excited.

[Sharifu]

Yay! 5 weeks! That is pretty soon!

I just bought tickets for TLKoB for me, Petteri and our room mate. It's in San Jose, California and we're seeing it on September 25. :) So about 4 months away now...

[nathalie]

The show today was great in London!
It has the Simba we had during the meetingin 2006, he's the main Simba now, he was just awesome!
And Mufasa, we saw him in 2012 also, so amazing.

The new jokes were really great, even a Frozen & Ikea one.

I got the new plushie (that looks like the Simba thar Rafiki holds up), earbuds, the fleece blanket and a deluxe picture book from the London production.

[Leorgathar]

So awesome that you and Adam got to see it today, I'd have loved to hear the new jokes, xD.Good to hear the cast hasn't changed much, I miss them, hehe.

[nathalie]

Without knowing it from each other, both me and Adam posted the Frozen joke last night on FB, lolz

[HasiraKali]

Who was Mufasa?

[HasiraKali]

Who was Mufasa?

[nathalie]

Shaun as Mufasa, Jonathan as Simba (when we saw him in 2006 he was Brian's understudy), Lindiwe as Rafiki (she's been doing it for 9 years now that I know of)

I love them both ... I kept telling Adam: it's Shaun, he's cute ! It's Jonathan, he's cute ! haha :lol:

[Guntur]

Wait, Simba as Simba? 8O

[nathalie]

The earbuds are so cool, and the plushie is so cute!
Everything moves, it's arms, tail, legs and head.

[HasiraKali]

They didn't have the plushie when it was here sadly. I want it so bad. :lol:

[nathalie]

It was all expensive though, blah. But since I was there, haha!

[Leorgathar]

Hey, you guys remember Jead? You know, a fellow Mexican TLK fan? Well, she went today to see TLKoB in Mexico city! :D (It was her first time seeing the musical, so she had a blast xD).
I asked her about it, and she thought the song lyrics were pretty well adapted, with some minor changes. Shadowland, for example, here now it's called Tierra Gris (Grey Land).

In regards to merchandise, she said there was plenty (she got a t-shirt and a coffee mug), and I asked her if she could see if they were selling a CD album of the Mexican version. She couldn't find any though, and later found out it hasn't been released yet, buuut it has been confirmed in the main site that there will indeed be a CD released soon. Rest assured, I'll be on the lookout for that.
I suppose it will be available everywhere in the country, so I might end up buying it here. I'll let you guys know when I hear more news :)

[nathalie]

Ooooo, don't even think about it when you see it, please get me one and gimme your paypal !! :D

[Kirauni]

Wpw, that's great news! Thanks for sharing. I'd also be interested in the CD. :D

[Leorgathar]

Haha alright, I'll get it for you both xD
In the main site they only say it'll be released "in a couple of weeks", with no specific date yet. But that's from May 14th, so I still expect it pretty soon ^^

I also noticed some changes in other song titles, like The Circle of Life, in the movie version it's El Ciclo Sin Fin (The Endless Cycle), but now in the musical it's El Ciclo Vital (The Vital Cycle).
In the same way, Can You Feel the Love Tonight was changed from Esta Noche es Para Amar (This Night if for Loving) to Sientes Este Nuevo Amor (Can You Feel This New Love).
I personally welcome this change, it does sound much better :D

EDIT: oh and there's also this
780

[Kirauni]

That would be awesome! Many thanks :)

I think the French, Japanese and Spanish lyrics were changed in the musical, too. And I know the German version also had some changes compared to the version shown in theatres. So it's quite common and not really a big surprise, I'd say. But I' really curious about the changes :)

[HasiraKali]

Don't forget me!

[nathalie]

Dutch was also changed.
That's the season I never went to see it in Holland.

Who wants to hear 'can you feel how the love is growing, in this jungle night' and 'everything breaths and is alive' (circle of life).

Its terrible in my opinion.

I believe I just can't wait to be king translates into 'ill will be the boss of this land' (if I remember the title correctly).

[Leorgathar]

Don't forget me!
Noted :ayecapn:


Who wants to hear 'can you feel how the love is growing, in this jungle night' and 'everything breaths and is alive' (circle of life).

Its terrible in my opinion.

I believe I just can't wait to be king translates into 'ill will be the boss of this land' (if I remember the title correctly).

Whoa, those changes sound quite drastic :lol: Here I Just Can't Wait to be King translates into I Would Like to be The King Now (which is sort of the same thing, I guess, but more polite xD). They left that one unchanged from the movie version.

[nathalie]

I love the Dutch movie translation, I believe it could have worked just fine keeping it that way for the musical.
It's understandable they wanted to go a bit of a different direction, but it needs to make some sense.

First part actually translates into "can you feel the love growing", which still sounds OK in the Dutch version, but then "in this jungle night" ? And that's a 100 % accurate/literaly translation, it's laughable, lol.

[ThiagoPE]

I also want the CD if it really be released.

Well, I just can say Emilio you should not lose the opportunity to see this show in your language.
Do as same as i done: get a plane and go to mexico city watch it there as soon as possible. It's an unforgettable experience.

[Leorgathar]

Oh I really want to go see it in Mexico when I get the chance, of course :D I think that around July/August may be a good time to travel there.
I'll get a CD for you too :)

[nathalie]

I've bought the deluxe picture book 3 weeks ago in London, and in the back it shows where the musical has been so far.

It only goes until Brazil, so Mexico from this year isn't in the list.
But it does say, it was already in Mexico in 2008!

[Leorgathar]

Ah yes, I remember that. I found out that they had come to Mexico only a few months later :lol:
In my defense, I had only been a TLK fan for about one year. It was the same year I joined Lea, if I remember well :p

[nathalie]

I think Mexico is going to release that cast album when the show has left the country :lol:

Have you seen the show yet Leor? (or did I miss this somewhere)

[Leorgathar]

Eugh, I know, they're taking embarassingly long -_- worthh mentioning that when I contacted them to ask about it they told me to be patient and that it would be released sooner than I expect. I don't know, I guess it's just politics xP

I haven't been to Mexico City, so no, I haven't seen it yet :( I'm still hopeful that I'll go there soon before the year ends. I don't have many chances to travel lately

[nathalie]

I'll just post this here.
This is actually the promo-single they made in France for the musical.
As you can hear, you can definatly hear the actors playing Mufasa & Simba singing along.
The guy has that typical Mufasa voice.

This is one of my favorites in every single language out of every song.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp8IjALi-Lk

[nathalie]

Here's my favorite Simba *sigh*.
Jonathan Andrew Hume, he's now the lead in London for quite sometime again, and was also in Signapore.
Those of us who were at the London meet in 2006, he was the understudy we got that evening.
He's definatly grown in his performances, me & Adam saw him last May he made me cry, haha, this clip from Signapore is already "old".


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-VqmsPXZ8I

[Leorgathar]

SEPTEMBER 11!!! :roar:

Finally! There's now a release date for the CD of the Mexican production, and it's September 11 :cheese:

I hope I'll be able to order all your copies soon, or maybe I can preorder them in stores here, I'll investigate ^^
They posted a picture of the covers being printed. Maybe as... some kind of proof xD

807

[Guntur]

Excellent, are you going to buy all of the soundtrack for Lea members or they accept international shipping? ;)

[Leorgathar]

Well, so far 4 people here have requested me to get it for them, so I plan to buy them and send them to each of their countries :)
But I could ask if there'll be international shipping, I guess

[Kirauni]

Wow, thanks a lot Leor!
I'm really looking forward to the CD now! :D

[s-tlk]

Can you get me one as well, pleeeaaase? :cheese:

[nathalie]

Is there a website with merchandise then, that also will sell the CD?

My guess would also be, ordering from a website would have more shipping costs to a foreign country ordering it directly.

[Leorgathar]

Can you get me one as well, pleeeaaase? :cheese:
Sure thing! I'll get one for you as well :) when the time comes you can PM me your address and I'll give you my Paypal account ^^


Is there a website with merchandise then, that also will sell the CD?

My guess would also be, ordering from a website would have more shipping costs to a foreign country ordering it directly.
Hmm yeah, this would be it: http://www.elreyleon.tienda
The CD isn't listed there yet, but I guess they'll sell it there eventually too.

[nathalie]

Oooh, these are cool!

http://www.elreyleon.tienda/esp/item/5/1/playera-hienas

http://www.elreyleon.tienda/esp/item/13/5/cilindro-metalico-el-rey-leon

[Guntur]

I could order it from Leor but I believe the international shipping will cost more than the CD itself. >.<

[HasiraKali]

Yay! I should play it in class and see how my kids react. :lol:

[ThiagoPE]

Emilio, when you have an exact price of it, please let me know before getting my copy, as right now Brazil is suffering a serious economic crisis, the dollar exchange rate "exploded" (was 2,20 now 3,70 and still rising) and I may not be able to buy mine right now :(

Was because of that I didn't participate in this year secret Santa. As every thing here are tremendously expensive right now.

[Leorgathar]

Aww I'm sorry to hear that, Thiago :( the dollar exchange rate has quite rised here as well in the last few years, and it has us concerned here too, so I can somewhat relate.

I'll tell you the price as soon as I learn about it. But if you want I could keep a copy safe for you, and send it your way whenever you're ready for it, zero pressure :hugs:

[ThiagoPE]

Thanks Emílio, I really want it but I need to see if it fits in my incoming, as beside the exchange rate, everything here almost doubled its price, but my wage is the same. I never saw a so huge economic crisis as this one...

I will get it, if you can secure one for me, I think in the end of year, when we receive a extra money for Christmas, sure I will get it.

[Leorgathar]

Alright, nathalie;, HasiraKali;, Kirauni;, s-tlk; and ThiagoPE;
Sorry that this took me a few days, since I went on a little trip this past weekend, but I should let you guys know that I have purchased all your CD's, and they should arrive at my home within these days :D
They each costed 126 Mexican pesos, which is about 7.50 USD. I have yet to see about shipping costs, but for the time being you can send me a PM with your address. Once I know the shipping costs I'll let you know ;)

Thiago, I got an extra CD just in case you wanted it. I'll keep it safe for now :)

[Kirauni]

Thank you so much!
Whooow! I think s-tlk will get in contact with you about the address, since it's easier to send the CDs to one address in Germany. He'll then pass everything on to me. I hope ;)

Man...I'm so excited! :timonrockon2:

[ThiagoPE]

I'm crossing my fingers for the shipping costs not be so high.
But less than 8 dólares of the CD was surprising cheap in my opinion.

If it ends being less or near 15 dollars, I may get next month.

[s-tlk]

Thank you very much, Leor. :-)
I think I already sent you the address.


Whooow! I think s-tlk will get in contact with you about the address, since it's easier to send the CDs to one address in Germany. He'll then pass everything on to me. I hope ;)
Of course, if you're keep being a nice and friendly little white lioness...
:zazuduck:

[HasiraKali]

Yay! I'm PMing you right now. :)

[nathalie]

7,50 $ seriously??? That is uber cheap, haha!

Lets hope they won't release a double disc later on.

[Leorgathar]

It actually costs around 9 USD, I just got a little online store discount ;)


Thank you very much, Leor. :-)
I think I already sent you the address.

Yeap, you already had indeed, thanks :)

[Sadiki]

Me, Audra (Sharifu) and Eric (Vidan) are going to see TLKoB next week in San Jose. I haven't seen the show in states in over 10 years since my first visit here and even the last time I saw it was in 2010. Rather excited actually. :cheese:
I should probably re-buy the black Tshirt from there as mine has gotten real worn out. :lol:
It also will be furthest away from the stage I ever been, the 10th row, which is still not very far...

[nathalie]

Still, 9 dollars stays cheap when in Euros and comparing what the other languages costed originally.

[nathalie]

There's a clip on the site from the recordings.
http://www.elreyleon.com.mx/disco-oficial

[Leorgathar]

Oh wow! I hadn't seen that :wow: thanks for sharing!

I'm still waiting for the package with the CDs to arrive here. Today's Mexico's independence day, so most businesses are closed xP hopefully it'll get here tomorrow.

At least I know the shipping costs now, it's 4.28 USD for Europe and Brazil, and 3.11 USD for San Antonio. So really cheap :)

[Sharifu]

It was fun seeing TLKoB again a couple of nights ago, that was my eighth time seeing TLKoB. :p But, before that it was over five years ago that I saw TLKoB last, so quite a bit of time has passed since then.

I don't think the actor who played Scar that night was that great, but oh well. Still enjoyed the show of course. I always love the beginning, seeing the Circle of Life with all the animals. :cs_surprise_2:

Oh, and Nathalie, just wanted to let you know that I remembered to pick up an extra Playbill for you. :D

[nathalie]

Thanks ^^

I've ordered mine and Adam's tickets a few days ago for London.
We decided to go with the cheapest tickets this time, and we have seats now on the upper balcony, first row, so it's still good, hehe.
It was that, or 4th row. But now we actually got 2 tickets for the same price of only 1 ticket on row 4.

[nathalie]

The show will return to Holland!
Wish it was Belgium, we got musical theaters over here.

Auditions will start in the next 3 months.

I may only go if I can get a ride from someone and the cheapest tickets.
Otherwise, if the translation stays the same : no thank you

Lol

[Vidan]

I just came across this article:

http://time.com/4051165/lion-king-musical-alternate-ending/

Apparently Julie Taymor's original concept for TLKoB would have ended quite differently from the show we've come to know and love.

[nathalie]

Anyone else got the CD from Leor yet? Mine actually arrived yesterday, but no one was home so got a slip in the mailbox and just picked it up :D

[Leorgathar]

That was pretty quick compared to other things I've sent to Europe :lol:
Great that you got it! I hope you enjoy it :D

[HasiraKali]

Like I said on Facebook, it hasn't arrived here yet. Which I think is so strange. The postal systems are so screwed up :lol:

[nathalie]

Rafiki's voice is very soft, it's very different then what we are used to, but it is beautiful the way she brings it.

The thinggies in the middle that you press to get the CD out all broke, thank God not completely otherwhise the CD would have danced around the entire journey.
Will just get a replacement for that.

Haven't listened to anything else yet, will do tomorrow.
Just had to hear "He lives in you [reprise]" first, hehe.

[s-tlk]

I received my packet yesterday, but it was already at the post office for a few days. Thank you very much for the shipping, Leor and the nice Christmas wishes. Although it is a little early so I'll keep them to read when the time comes. :)
When I go this weekend to Paris I will listen to it on the train. I'm very curious about the difference between the Spanish and Mexican one. :)

[Leorgathar]

It's great to hear you received too! I hope you enjoy it :)

Also, you'll notice there's a short extra song called 'La Bamba'. That goes instead of the hula song, it's a parody of a popular Mexican song, and it's... very Mexican :lol:

[nathalie]

Haven't noticed that yet, is it the 'la bamba' we all know?

(Ritchie Valens)

[Leorgathar]

Very similar, yes, but it replaces 'Bamba' with 'Pumba', and it's about how to eat him :p

[ThiagoPE]

Mine arrived in Brazil quick as expected, now it's about 60 days for it arrive in my hands... How terrible.816

[HasiraKali]

My CD arrived yesterday. :D I haven't had a chance to listen yet, but I plan to this weekend. Thanks again, Leor!

[Kirauni]

I finally got my CDs thanks to Leor and s-tlk. I can't wait to unwrap my CD, but I have to wait just a little bit longer so that I'll have a quie minute to listen to the music. But that's okay, I'm really looking forward to it :)
And I'm also curious of "la bamba" :D

So thanks again for making this possible, Leor! And than you also for your little note. That was a really cute idea :)

[s-tlk]

Instead of watching this movie we should have listened to the CD. ;-)

Is it just me, or is the "Be Prepared" version very short? Did they cut something out there in Mexico?

[ThiagoPE]

I can't answer, still not received mine :(

[Leorgathar]

Yay! Great that you finally got it too, Kirauni :D my mission is complete :ayecapn:
No problem, I hope you enjoy it ^^


Is it just me, or is the "Be Prepared" version very short? Did they cut something out there in Mexico?
Hmm really? I haven't noticed that. One song I noticed it's a bit shorter, though, is 'Can You Feel the Love Tonight', it seems that they cut the instrumental part in the middle (shame, since I quite liked it ><)

Speaking of Be Prepared, here's another bit of random info. In the Mexican version, the hyenas speak in a dialect only heard in Mexico City, which oftenly comes across as annoying for the rest of the country, they even mock it themselves as such for dubbing dumb/uneducated characters. We call them "chilangos", and in fact Mexico City is jokingly referred to as "Chilangolandia".
Pumbaa speaks in this dialect as well :p

[HasiraKali]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKurYZtLC6U

I wish they'd do the whole show guys. :p

[s-tlk]

That is a very cool idea. I was always wondering what happens when they decide to stop the show. But with this we can at least watch it whenever we want. Maybe this is, in long terms, a preparation for this step.

I'm in NY next weekend and want to see the show again. Did they change/cut something in the last few years or it is still the same performance?

[cleargreenwater]

Maybe this is, in long terms, a preparation for this step.

Oh nooo, don't say it! Knife in the heart!

[KanuTGL]

Here's the full video :cheese:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7T57kzGQGto

Best thing I've seen today <3 I loved the "on stage" cameras, especially the view from Pride Rock :P Gives you a hint at what it could be like to be in the show :D

[HasiraKali]

It's best viewed on a phone or tablet so you can get the whole 360 thing. You can look all the way around and up and down and oh it's so cool. :lol:

[ThiagoPE]

Very nice thing this video in 360°, I though that you needed to move your phone to see the whole thing, but actually you move it using your fingers. Very cool indeed.

[ThiagoPE]

Speaking of Be Prepared, here's another bit of random info. In the Mexican version, the hyenas speak in a dialect only heard in Mexico City, which oftenly comes across as annoying for the rest of the country, they even mock it themselves as such for dubbing dumb/uneducated characters. We call them "chilangos", and in fact Mexico City is jokingly referred to as "Chilangolandia".
Pumbaa speaks in this dialect as well [emoji14]

It seems that everywhere the show plays, they try to get local things to insert as funny jokes, here in Brazil it was not different, most of them at least works for entire country people, but some are very Paulista (people of São Paulo state, where the show played when it was here), when those was said, I just laughed because the people that laughed of it, but I didn't understood it.

Btw, I need to register that I received the CD that you sent to me last week, it took exactly 30 days to reach me, which is a very good speed of delivery to Brazilian standards. I loved it, even tough it also made me sad because we didn't got our own version...

Thanks Emilio.

[s-tlk]

Yesterday evening I saw the musical in NY. It seems to me that it was way shorter than last time, but still very nice to watch (also the Friday evening traffic at the time square). Zazu sings now in the "little bounce" song "Let it go" from Frozen. xD
And... I managed to make a picture with Sarabi. ^^

Ah, and they sell now an exclusive new Christmas CD with music from the cast. I bought it but I can oonly check it when I'm home. My laptop has no CD drive anymore. :-(

[nathalie]

New Christmas CD? So not that same one they sold a few years ago?

Darn it ... will these CD's ever stop? Haha! It's hard to get them all when they keep producing new stuff, lolz.

[s-tlk]

No it is not the same. I didn't listen to it yet, but it may contains the same songs. I will verify it when I'm home. It coasts 20 USD, which is quite a lot for a compilation like this, although they say all of the money goes as donations to different projects in Africa.

[nathalie]

I swear, every time I see the show, it gets funnier!
I've only seen it 4 times now (compared to others), and I find myself laughing louder and longer, and cracking into tears from laughter more and more every time I see it.

Adam almost didn't came out of his laugh at some point, when seeing it 3 days ago, haha!

[nathalie]

s-tlk you happen to have a picture of that Christmas CD? I haven't seen it anywhere online. Thought by now a picture here or there would have popped up.


Oh, starting in October, the musical is back in The Netherlands! It stopped in 2006 I believe.
Auditions started a while ago, but I haven't read anything about a cast yet.
Won't be hard to get better Simba's though. The ones they had in the days were OK, in my opinion, but not the best ones.
Even though, Danny Yanga (remember him, the creepy smile, Amanda, haha), I think is still playing Simba in Germany (he played in Holland about 10-11 years ago).

[s-tlk]

It's this one: http://broadwaycares.stores.yahoo.net/caforcu20vo15.html
So far I didn't even unwrap it, but maybe next weekend.

[nathalie]

Oh, it's not only by the Lion King cast, like that other CD was they once made for charity.

[HasiraKali]

They put one of those out every year. They're fantastic. Phantom and Les Mis used to do parodies like "12 Days of Phantom" and "12 Days of Christ-Miz", but everyone seems to be going more traditional and serious these days.

Wallace Smith (fifth Simba in my signature) is the second soloist on the Les Mis track.

[nathalie]

Jonathan has announced that today will be his last performance.
I'm so sad :(

He has been part of it since 2001 in London (so the beginning).
Started as Simba understudy, worked up his way to lead Simba, and also was Simba in some other countries were it only played for a certain amount of time.

I'm going to miss him, he's my fave.

[Leorgathar]

Aww that's sad to hear :( But I guess it's understandable. He surely had a good run

In brighter news, TLKoB in Mexico recently celebrated their first anniversary on May 4th, they made a special presentation for it :D
The bad news is that our Simba here, Carlos Rivera, injured his leg today and won't be able to perform for a while ><

[HasiraKali]

NOoooooooo! To both of those. Carlos is fantastic and so is Jonathan. As is the case with a lot of Simbas, maybe he'll back soon. I can't wait for a Simba to return to play Mufasa. :lol:

[nathalie]

I probably posted it alreayd, but I'll post it again, it's so beautiful ... hehe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_7FpIr6qLU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-VqmsPXZ8I

It's amazing to have seen him in 2006 as an understudy, and then in 2015 + 2016 as lead, as you could just hear & see, how much he had grown in his performances.

And ... He's our age Amanda! I'm so jealous ... haha


And just something to fill our Simba needs ... Here's a few Simba's doing a song, haha

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kuZZkJsNA8

[HasiraKali]

This thread suddenly reminds me of the Simbas thread and website we did back in the day. :lol:

[nathalie]

Haha, I still have it online :lol: http://moorhunhe.webs.com

[nathalie]

Say hello to the new London Simba lead.

Great choice!

Now I *am* exhited again to see the show in London, haha!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFmQaOw_vbI

[Guntur]

Wow, he's great for the part, his voice and attitude is just priceless. I'm sure it will live up the expectation. :D

[nathalie]

I really like this performance from the clip, you can see him putting emotion in it.

[HasiraKali]

Nick Afoa is awesome. He's my avvie. He's also covered in Maori tattoos on his right arm and chest. I saw a clip from when he was in Australia showing how they cover them up.

[nathalie]

Dutch Nala & Simba have been announced too.
I have better hopes for Simba this time. Etienne was alright, he's on the cast album from back then, but his voice sounded a bit "cracked", and even though it sounded good (well, he had to be, otherwhise he wouldn't have made the lead), he would sing too strong at times when he shouldn't have.

Nala is very different also.
I'm actually quite curious to hear them sing!

For the press conference in Holland a couple of days ago, cast from the UK & Spain actually came to Holland, including Jonathan, I didn't know :( Guy tweets about *anything*, but not when his this close to me ????????

:lol:

[Leorgathar]

Hey guys, I might finally be able to go see TLKoB in Mexico City next month :D

There's an art contest going on here where the first place will win a trip to Mexico and VIP tickets for the show, so of course I participated and submitted a drawing. I can't wait to see if my drawing gets to be a finalist (the theater will put the 5 best works in exhibition).

Buuut, in case I don't win anything, I'll still be going to Mexico City by the end of July anyway, so I could still take some time to go see it :cs_grin:

[HasiraKali]

That's pretty cool! I hope you'll win. Also can't wait to see your entry. :)

The Shanghai production opened this week as well. They apparently added a monkey character to make it more relatable to the Chinese people. I couldn't find anything other than that about the character. I'd like to see it at least.

[Leorgathar]

I just submitted it to the art thread (http://leahalalela.net/showthread.php?5-Post-your-TLK-fan-art!&p=199533&viewfull=1#post199533) ^^
It's highly unlikely that I'll win, it's a contest for all the country after all, but I had to give it a shot xD

I'm very curious about that new monkey character, and how will it fit in the story :D

[nathalie]

That's cool Leor!

Keep us updated on merchandise :p haha

[Leorgathar]

Just an update from the contest thing. I just got word from the results, and just as I expected my drawing didn't make it to the final round. I saw the winning entry and it's just a realistic portrait painting of Nala :rolleyes: other entries I saw are just like that, I hardly had any chance when all the drawings are realistic portraits, and there I thought they said they would judge based on creativity. Oh well xP

At least I gave it a try, it was still a great experiment for learning how to paint with pastel, and I'm satisfied about that :)

I'll still go to Mexico City by the end of July, so I'm thinking about making some time to go check it out, although I might have a tighter schedule then. If not, I guess I could still at least go to the theater to buy some stuff :p

[nathalie]

Aww, that's too bad :(

But yes, you should just go to the merchandise stand, haha!
Did that in London one time aswell, while the show had already started, I just asked if I was allowed to take a look at the merch.
They told me as long as I didn't go through the doors, it'd be fine :p

[ThiagoPE]

I really suggest you Emilio to make a space in your agenda for it, it really worth. I would love to see it in Spanish, the songs in the CD are great.

I hope you manage to go, I only had one opportunity to see it in 2 years, remember to get your ticket the soon as possible (here, there were a time that you could only get the ticket two months before the show date because all other exhibitions were full.).

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[nathalie]

Here is the very first performance of the 2016 Dutch cast.

I'm not really impressed by the guy singing Simba. Maybe he'll sound better at the actual musical. And he kind of looks like a "show-man" to me, too much swang, lol.
As for Nala, I'm finding her voice sounding a lot like Carolina, who was the 2004 cast.

https://www.facebook.com/AVROTROS.Musical/videos/1144475465591344/

[arjupraja143]

First time saw it in London 2006.and the second time with Leor last June..

[Leorgathar]

Umm.... No I did not watch it last June, I haven't seen it in years... Who are you? :wtf:

Edit: Or is there another Leor you went with that I don't know of?

[Kossu]

I've been wanting to travel to London for years to watch the musical, but the time and my finances were never right for such a trip...

However, I'm finally going to watch it for the first time this December, in the Circustheater in Scheveningen (Netherlands). Quite looking forward to it! :smile3:

[nathalie]

I'm only quite interested to see what merchandise they'll have selling in Holland, hehe.
I was temted on wanting to see it there, but my lack of love for the Dutch translation still makes me not wanting to see it.
I saw them perform on that live show a while ago on TV, and I don't know ... I wasn't all that much impressed. Maybe my expectations were too high, because it's getting a lot more publicity then it did back in 2004, when it had an actual superb musical-star cast.

[Kossu]

I don't really know what to expect to be honest. My friend was lucky enough to watch the musical in 2005, so I expect him to point out any differences in this adaptation. I watched a karaoke video that they released in August, with the actors of Simba and Nala singing "Voel je hoe de liefde bloeit". I thought it was nice, though the lyrics seemed a little weird.... I've listened to the songs from the first adaptation and they were really beautiful, so I wonder...

And I'm looking forward to the merchandise for sure! I hope they'll have some interesting stuff.:)

[nathalie]

Voel je hoe de liefde groeit in dezejungle nacht, in my opinion is not a nice translation from the original, haha

[nathalie]

The 2016 Dutch cast album is available! Already on iTunes, but online to order as of the 21st.

Here's a clip from their first live TV performence a while ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amgEn7pBXvc

[nathalie]

I don't understand why this new production is getting so much more attention than back in 2004. It's like that one never exhisted.

Anywho, here's another clip with the new Dutch cast.

https://youtu.be/oRWqLMRJhKQ

[Kossu]

I watched the new show on Scheveningen with my boyfriend on the 26th of December.:) It was the first time that I watched the musical, so I was pretty impressed from the experience. The "Circle of life" sequence is still very sharp in my mind.


There was one thing I didn't enjoy though. We had the middle seats in the first row and we thought that that was going to be good. Turns out, it wasn't the best of ideas. I was 1 meter behind the conductor and could see the orchestra, which was cool, though a little distracting at the same time. The really annoying part was that it wasn't possible to see all of the stage, I missed about 2/4ths of it, if not more. I had a really good view of the actors when they came on the edge though. :p

As for changes, there was no "Morning report" and they removed the building up music from "Can you feel the love tonight".

[nathalie]

As for changes, there was no "Morning report" and they removed the building up music from "Can you feel the love tonight".

This was done years ago on Broadway, and adapted into every country the musical is playing ;)

It's such a shame that on the Facebook page of the Dutch musical, people scream to be the nr 1 musical fan, and then whine and complain about these pieces gone missing.
If you're THE NR 1 MUSICAL FAN, how did you not know? :psst:

[Kossu]

This was done years ago on Broadway, and adapted into every country the musical is playing ;)

Oh, I didn't know that. But then again, my only experience of the musical, prior to watching it this Christmas, was the CDs from the original cast, hehe.:zazublush:


It's such a shame that on the Facebook page of the Dutch musical, people scream to be the nr 1 musical fan, and then whine and complain about these pieces gone missing.
If you're THE NR 1 MUSICAL FAN, how did you not know? :psst:

Agreed. Some people love to exaggerate I guess.:p

[KanuTGL]

Cast of TLKoB at D23! :D


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0DBHAv2PJ8

[Littlefoot]

I've seen it twice. The first time, I was seven and it was in New York at Minskoff Theater on Broadway, and the second time was in Albuquerque a little less than a year and a half ago as an 18th birthday gift from my mother.:fina::smile3:

I really love it! I'd see it a million times if I could.

[Leorgathar]

OMG!!! Ok, I'm booking tickets right away :cheese: who's with me?


https://youtu.be/M6TDQq5eywg

[nathalie]

Nice joke for this year. Lol

[Nit]

I'm in! : O





























I actually believed it for like 8 seconds or so. xD

[HasiraKali]

I am so excited! I've always wanted to go to Antarctica and this seems like the perfect reason to actually go! :D

[KanuTGL]

Yess, I'm going too! Bloody brilliant :lol:

[Guntur]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAHCo0BdotQ

This video deserve a lot of viewers. It's Medley of Can You Feel The Love Tonight in 2 language.

[Kirauni]

I love it. I really like the mexican cast and the mix between those languages is quite nice. And I really love the guitar... I'm currently learning the basics myself and I just love how everything goes together in this video. Thanks for sharing!

[ThiagoPE]

I really enjoyed this video, actually, I would love if they had done one of those with the Portuguese version but...

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[nathalie]

We're still pretending ... OK :lol:

I do like how they made a video espcially for this, haha.

[KanuTGL]

That duet was really nice :) Good find!

[pridelands]

Rafiki 's click story/ Grassland Chants - OBC Broadway 1997

I'm wondering what are the words Rafiki says at the Click story part of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63InXkNPUrA&list=PLRFu5rSIbtPVNZCTAqhJVu-thz2oFm_Ju&index=1

[nathalie]

It looks like every place where the musical has a residency have brought out a special pin set, customized to the city it's at.

All sets have 4 pins.
New York has a yellow cab with TLK on it.

London has a London bus, and an underground logo as part of it.

[nathalie]

We saw the show yesterday in London, and I have to say, it was quite dissapointing.
I don't know if it's because of the British accent, though I've never experienced that before the 4 previous times I've seen it, but last night, it sounded like everyone was just rambling their lines, to make them squeeze in, in the time they had.

Especially the kids, they talked so fast, that I kept thinking to myself "breath, for crying out loud".

Nick Afoa as Simba was good, good voice, but my favorite will always be Jonathan. Understudy since 2001, lead Simba later on (and sadly moved on to other projects after more then 10 years).
Nick has been Jonathan's replacement.

When Simba and Nala meet again, it didn't even take Simba half a second to say "Nala, is that you??" and I thought, could have at least waited another second, or stumbled a little.

It just all felt very rambled, cramped and jammed into the time they had.
I don't remember it being like this the previous times.

The one change we noticed was, Timon actually did the hula!

Also, the "Let it go" that Zazu sings, please change it back to Supercalifragilisticexpialidosious, or something else.
I'm so sick and fed up with anything Frozen, and that line has been in there ever since the movie came out. Time for a change again.

[nathalie]

For all UK people who plan to see the show on it's national tour as of/after April, they announced that Nick Afoa is leaving the West End, and will replace Dashaun Young as Simba on tour.
No word on who will be replacing Nick at West End.

I asked Jonathan 2 days ago, he thinks he knows who, but technically not allowed to say anything, tsssssss :p

[nathalie]

We saw the show yesterday in London, and I have to say, it was quite dissapointing.
I don't know if it's because of the British accent, though I've never experienced that before the 4 previous times I've seen it, but last night, it sounded like everyone was just rambling their lines, to make them squeeze in, in the time they had.

Especially the kids, they talked so fast, that I kept thinking to myself "breath, for crying out loud".

Nick Afoa as Simba was good, good voice, but my favorite will always be Jonathan. Understudy since 2001, lead Simba later on (and sadly moved on to other projects after more then 10 years).
Nick has been Jonathan's replacement.

When Simba and Nala meet again, it didn't even take Simba half a second to say "Nala, is that you??" and I thought, could have at least waited another second, or stumbled a little.

It just all felt very rambled, cramped and jammed into the time they had.
I don't remember it being like this the previous times.

The one change we noticed was, Timon actually did the hula!

Also, the "Let it go" that Zazu sings, please change it back to Supercalifragilisticexpialidosious, or something else.
I'm so sick and fed up with anything Frozen, and that line has been in there ever since the movie came out. Time for a change again.


Quoting my own post, WOOHOO! LOL


So, I still stand by that comment I made back in January 2019.

Adam has seen it again in January 2022, and I simply didn't feel the need to pay a lot of money (show and travel) for something I hadn't enjoyed at all anymore (the musical was also never really my thing, I mainly go for the songs/singing from the actors).
The new Simba on West End sounds very good, there's a clip of him from West End live 2022 (or was it 2021? I forgot).

I did however, thought it might be a nice change to go and see it on tour.
Now, every city they are doing now, is at least a 2 hour drive. On the bike, it's really not as fun as it sounds :s
I was frozen when we got there, because, typical, sun was shining all week, but then goes away the day you need to travel for about 5 hours in total.

I checked Bristol, Manchester and Bradford tickets, and because it was quite last minute + we didn't had to sit next to each other, we managed to get amazing seats for only 22 £ each for April 27th!
Row 4 (5th seat from the right) + row 5 (4th seat from the left).

I must say, there were so many scenes I simply forgot (that's how big of an impression the last time I saw it had on me).
And, as you all know, I love my Simba's ... and this one, was great! Very soft voice. When he started "Endless night", I thought to myself "oooh, I can't see this going anywhere great". But, you had to look at him. His expressions, together with his singing, and his voice going up and stronger towards the end of the song, he was simply great!

The entire cast was amazing! The guy playing Mufasa has been doing it for years (not on the West End though).

The kids I always find are hit or miss. And I'm never really impressed with them in London :/ (sorry), but the 2 kids we had for this show now, again, great. I do think little Simba was singing lower then he should, but he wasn't out of tune or anything like that.

It wasn't just one big ramble, they all said their lines decent without "looking at the time, to make sure they finish on time" kind of thing, which is what I very much felt the last time I saw it.
So I very much enjoyed this cast, and the show in total ^^

But, Frozen ... Please, LET IT GOOOOO *ugh*.

After, we managed to meet the Simba actor, such a sweetheart, and his girlfriend, she even went back inside to get us a pen so he could sign the program.


Bit of a shame, they didn't really have anything nice with the name of the city on it, apart from a large totebag.
In London (and New York), you have the denim jacket with patches, and they come with a patch with the name of the city. Since Adam bought the jacket when he went to see it in January, we were hoping for a Bradford patch, but they didn't even had the jacket itself among the merchandise.