The Lion King Review
★★★★★
Review by Callum Stott.
"One of the best nights out you will ever experience in a theatre."
All eyes are on the Edinburgh Playhouse as the theatrical juggernaut musical that is “Disney’s The Lion King” returns for a highly anticipated summer season. As audience goers young and old marvel at the beauty and excitement of this production, seeing this show live remains one of the best nights out you will ever experience in a theatre.
Running in London for over 22 years and having carried out two successful UK tours, The Lion King remains the show for every generation. As soon as you sit down and look at the audience around you, you see a mix of audience members, from children experiencing their first-ever musical to couples on a theatre date night and a host of regular theatre goers.
The show is based on the 1994 Disney movie but has been reinterpreted and redesigned for the stage. This transition from screen to stage brings on board stunning costumes and puppetry to transport you straight into the heart of the Pride Lands. The opening number, The Circle of Life, is the highlight of the performance. Hearing Elton John and Tim Rice’s iconic song sung by the company on stage (and off) is a pure goosebumps moment. The pair’s music is the real beating heart of the show. It is as equally as important as the show’s iconic story.
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Also, The Lion King keeps up a good pace. It has equal measures of comedy, drama, and suspense whilst full of iconic songs and characters. This production also has such a talented cast. Their performances are straight out of the West End.
As much as I have tried to summarise the experience that awaits you in a few paragraphs, words fail to justify how incredible this production is.