By Sloane Samberson
Staff Writer
DALLAS – A vast variety of African animals were perfectly depicted through life-sized puppets colored to reflect the vibrant palette of the African sunset last Sunday afternoon at Fair Park’s Music Hall. Minus the 15 hour flight, attendants felt as if they had been taken across the sea to the beautiful African savannah.
Since 1997, “The Lion King” has been performed all across the world.
The production runs about two and a half hours, including a 15 minute intermission, and has all the basic aspects of the movie, including all the same songs written by Elton John and Tim Rice.
The very talented cast includes Steven Taylor as Mufasa, Brown Lindiwe Mkhize as Rafiki, Ben Lipitz as Pumbaa, Nick Cordileone as Timon, Jordan A. Hall as the young Simba and many other superstar actors and actresses.
The relationship between Hall (young Simba) and Taylor (Mufasa) is utterly realistic. It appears as if they are actually father and son. From their joking around to more intimate moments, they always portray their character to the full extent.
Cordileone (Timon) and Lipitz (Pumbaa) are quite a hit amongst the a crowd. They remind me of the goofy Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum from Lewis Carroll’s, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”. They were so quirky and witty, their humor appeals to all ages.
Julie Taymor does a marvelous job designing the costumes and puppets. It is very evident that Taymor spent a lot of time perfecting each costume by adding accents that represented African culture very well. The costumes include a lot of beaded work and feathers, along with wildlife influenced masks.
The handcrafted puppets are beautiful pieces of artwork. The elephants and giraffes are nearly life-sized and had so much intricate detail. All puppets are maneuvered by cast members causing the lifelikeness of the animals to be at a maximum.
It is absolutely incredible when you think about how much talent it takes cast members to be able to sing, dance, act and maneuver puppets all in one live show. If you mess up there are no redos. It is either perfection or bust.
You will have to get your tickets fast because “The Lion King” is only performing at Fair Park until Oct. 20. Tickets can get very pricey, ranging from $60 to $208 per ticket, but this is one show you do not want to miss.
