How the Lyceum Theatre has been transformed by The Lion King! Henry Irving's old venue, restored to its glory, is certainly a great place to view a show that's basically a thing of artistic and technical beauty. "The Circle of Life" that begins the musical encompasses the percussionists in boxes, the imposing animals swaying down aisles, the great giraffes lumbering across the stage before a gigantic hanging-flower-like sun, insects galore. Villain Scar tries to cast shadows, but a secret lurks inside Rafiki's Tree. Talented kids, Young Simba and Nala, just can't wait for him to be King, but of course, the path isn't easy to learn or eventually to experience, and Simba can only be King after the sadness of his fathers death. "Hakuna Matata" is as powerful on stage as on film and joyously ends Act One.
However, Act Two holds such powerful downer scenes (those awful hyenas and deadlands!) that it's hard to get back into the feeling of joyous life. "He Lives in You," showing the father in a sense resurrected in the son, never quite compensates for his death. When "King of Pride Rock" is proclaimed and "Circle of Life" reprised, the novelty felt at the start has worn off. However, realizing that the show's main attraction is its spectacle, you won't find it more spectacular than at the Lyceum.
