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Disney’s stage version of the beloved classic ‘The Lion King’ is now showing in London’s West End. The show mixes singing, dancing with beautiful scenery and costumes to create a stunning production. Audiences will enjoy hearing familiar songs from the movie, as well as several new songs written specifically for the musical version. Altogether, the Lion King Musical provides wonderful entertainment for all age groups.

In the early 1990s, it seemed that the world of theatre was crashing and burning. With the expenses of putting on a musical theatre production skyrocketing, few people were willing to shell out for high priced theatre tickets when they could just as easily visit the movie theatre for a fraction of the price. Fortunately, Disney rescued the struggling Broadway scene, first with a stage version of Beauty in the Beast, and then a production of the Lion King. Today, this flashy modern musical can be seen at a variety of venues, including the Lyceum Theatre, located in London’s West End. Here are five reasons why you should attend this spectacular show.

1. Appealing to All Age Groups

Clearly, the Lion King is a hit with kids. But the rhythmic music and sophisticated plot makes it an entertaining show for adults as well. Young adults will enjoy relieving memories of the first time they saw the movie as children.

2. Award Winner

The Lion King has received a number of distinguished awards, including eleven Drama Desk awards and six Tony awards. It was also nominated for an additional five Tony awards. Any production that is the recipient of this many awards is clearly worth seeing.

3. New Songs

Everyone loves the songs from the movie version of the Lion King. Favorites such as ‘Be Prepared,’ ‘Circle of Life,’ ‘I Just Can’t Wait To Be King,’ and ‘Hakuna Matata,’ are featured in the West End stage production. But there are also several new songs that were composed for the musical version. These new songs include ‘Endless Night,’ ‘Shadowland,’ and ‘One By One.’

4. Beautiful Costumes

One might wonder how a musical production of the Lion King is able to portray animals such as giraffes and zebras while using humans as actors. This feat was achieved with the help of several excellent costume designers. It is fascinating to see the costumes, which are simultaneously intricate and simple. The amazing thing about these costumes is that they manage to convey human characteristics while retaining important animalistic elements. This anthropomorphic balance between animal and human helps keep the story believable.

5. Unique Scenery

There a number of complicated scenes in the Lion King that could not work without the use of sophisticated scenery and props. One such scene is the stampede, during which wildebeest props on rollers create an effective feeling of danger.

With great music, lovely costumes and unique scenery, the Lion King musical is one of the most entertaining shows in decades.

Author Bio: Find out more information about the Lion King Musical and buy tickets

The Lion King (2 Disc Special Edition) [1994] [DVD]

Be aware, you should ensure your DVD is in a proper Disney blue box - those in clear boxes are inferior seconds and should be avoided. If it doesn't say so in the listing notes, you should always contact the Amazon Marketplace seller to check.Disney's 1994 animated feature, The Lion King, was a huge smash in cinemas and continues to enjoy life in an acclaimed stage production. The story finds a lion cub, son of a king, sent into exile after his father is deposed by a jealous uncle. The little he

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The award winning musical The Lion King, which celebrated its 10th anniversary last year, has now made it to the White House. On September 15, 2008 in the evening members of the cast performed before a group of dignitaries at a Whitehouse State Dinner’ hosted by President and Mrs Bush, in honor of Ghana’s President John Kufuor and his wife Mrs. Theresa Kufuor. The numbers being performed by the cast include “One By One,” “Shadowland,” “Can You Feel The Love Tonight,” and “He Lives in You.” Written from the beautifully animated Disney film, The Lion King, the musical has been winning renown and praise since it first began to appear on stage almost 11 years ago.

The musical tells the tale of a young lion cub, following his epic adventures as he travels into adulthood trying to understand his past and where he stands in the Circle of Life. The movie was excellent, going on to win the Oscar Award for Best Music, Original Score by composer Hans Zimmer. It also won the award for Best Music, Original Song for the song “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” composed by Elton John with lyrics by Tim Rice. But some have argued that in visual beauty, the musical is even more fantastic.

With actors in wonderful costumes, with beautifully designed masks depicting the animals they represent, there is not much that Lion King the Musical can be found to be lacking in. The fact that the masks and puppeteers are not hidden, as the actors and puppets together present this wonderful story to the audience, actually seems to add a level of charm to the performance. With both the presentation of the animal and the brilliant actors revealed together, the melding of imagination with lack of pretense creates a world that is in some ways even more wonderful than the movie.

The idea for the masks that are worn on the head, rather than in front of the face, is taken from traditional African masks, which are meant to be functional rather than decorative. The puppets are Bunraku puppets, operated by a three-man team. The name is taken from the creator, Uemura Bnrakuken, who created the Japanese theatre form at the start of the 16th Century. Shadow puppetry is also used in this production, an art form that may have been around for as long as 2000 years, originated in either Greece or China. The art form uses flat wood puppets behind a screen to create scenes and backgrounds to the musical. All in all, this is an enchanting event, and a must-see production.

The September 15th Whitehouse performance will only include a remnant of the cast: Tshidi Manye who plays Rafiki, Dashaun Young who appears as Simba, and Kissy Simmons will be performing as Nala. Along with them, there will be eight members of the ensemble performing as well. This musical, already famous and gaining more fame during its ten years on stage, will now be known as one of the few such performances to take place at the White House.

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This article is sponsored by stubhub.com and was written by Phoebe Bradley. http://Stubhub.com is a leader in the business of selling http://www.stubhub.com/lion-king-tickets/, concert tickets, theater tickets and special events tickets.