![]() Against a midnight-blue sky, Rafiki (Tsidii Le Loka), the baboon (here presented as more shaman than simian, and, unlike the movie, made female), begins a call-and-response African chant song with singers perched high up in the New Amsterdam Theater’s opera seats. ![]() The first seconds of the show are as simple as they are stirring. Richard Hudson’s exquisitely streamlined sets and Donald Holder’s deep, rich lighting contribute to a production that wears every penny of its $15 million-plus cost. Disney and Broadway have found a box office bonanza that in every likelihood will run for years.Įmploying her trademark mix of various puppet, mask and costume techniques, Taymor presents a “Lion King” that is true to the look of Disney’s animation while incorporating a stronger African design, somehow blending her influences into a style that is uniquely her own (in addition to directing, she designed the costumes and shares a credit with Michael Curry on the masks and puppets). No such chilliness here: Playful and warm, funny and exciting, “The Lion King” will enchant children and adults in equal measure. A MacArthur Foundation “genius,” Taymor has long been known in New York theater circles for her eye-popping puppetry and visual effects, yet her previous work, including last season’s “Juan Darien,” seemed more than a bit taken with its own cerebral heft. ![]() And “ The Lion King” is a victory for Taymor as well (or perhaps above all).
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