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The weeping and wailing
should stop now.
For the past several years, the New York
theater community has bemoaned
the encroaching presence of entertainment
behemoth Walt Disney
Productions. Indeed, "Disneyfication'' has
become code for any thematic
attraction that pops up here.
While it's true Disney's retail and
theatrical presence commands
attention in Times Square - the
corporation now anchors the corner of
42nd Street and Seventh Avenue - it is
equally correct that its
long-term commitment has helped rejuvenate
the entire area.
But Broadway's disaffection for Disney
took root when the company
brought "Beauty and the Beast'' to live
theater. Going its own way, the
Mouse House refused to participate in
union negotiations with the
League of American Theatres and Producers
and the company imported its
own creative team to stage the show.
The result is a show that continues to
operate, after nearly four
years, at or above 70 percent of capacity
on Broadway and also does
well with its touring companies. Of
course, the Broadway community
shunned the show at its 1994 Tony Awards
when only the costume designs
were honored. But Disney's television
commercial during the Tony
broadcast helped ensure one of the largest
single-day ticket sales in
history on the morning following the
awards show, although the company
will not publicly confirm or deny the
dollar amounts.
For now, though, the hatchet has been
buried.
With the opening of "The Lion King'' at
the New Amsterdam Theatre on
Nov. 13, Disney has become a full-fledged
member of the New York
theater community. And it continues as the
most successful. The company
reportedly shattered all previous records
when it sold $2.7 million
worth of tickets on Nov. 14, the day the
reviews were published.
Disney still makes its own deals and keeps
its own counsel, but hiring
Julie Taymor, an avant-garde theater
artist and designer with
impeccable credentials, to guide the
production was a stroke of genius.
Stunningly beautiful in its design and
execution, this tale of a young
lion's coming of age seamlessly meshes the
pleasing pop music of Elton
John and Tim Rice with the lush, gorgeous
African sounds of Lebo M.
Reminiscent of the great Hugh Masekela,
Lebo M's music is performed by
a powerful multicultural cast that steals
your breath and makes you
feel your heart will burst with pleasure.
Taymor's use of elegantly ingenious
puppetry - manipulated by gifted
performers such as Geoff Hoyle, Max
Casella and Tom Alan Robbins -
obliterates the realistic theater as we
know it and takes us to exotic
new places. Every performance is a
standout, but Samuel E. Wright's
commanding Mufasa, John Vickery's
deliciously evil Scar, Scott
Irby-Ranniar's plucky cub Simba, Jason
Raize's charming adolescent
Simba and Tsidii Le Loka's wise female
shaman Rafiki all give special
satisfaction.
"The Lion King'' isn't perfect - a ballet
during "Can You Feel the Love
Tonight'' shifts the show into neutral for
a few minutes. But if you're
concerned about getting your money's worth
at a Broadway show, remember
Timon and Pumbaa's big song: "Hakuna
Matata (No Worries).''
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