The Lion King musical is riveting. From the moment the curtain opens till the time it closes, the audience is captivated. Perhaps, it is the colorful costumes, or the vibrant theatrics used to portray the characters. Whatever it is that mesmerizes the crowd, makes this musical one of the longest running on Broadway.

Based off of the 1994 Disney Movie, The Lion King, this theatrical version adds song and dance to attract the audience. The costumes are lifelike and makes one do a double take to see if they are not in fact real animals. The first production opened in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1997. Because of its fame, this production has opened in worldwide cities such as London, Toronto and Seoul.

The opening act begins with Rafiki calling all the animals to Pride Rock. They are coming to celebrate the birth of the newborn cub, Simba. King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi, are proud to show their friends their new born son. During the celebration the famous song, The Circle of Life, is played. This is also when the audience gets a first glimpse of Scar, the evil and jealous brother of King Mufasa.

Simba is aged and the King takes him to the top of pride rock and tells him to never leave the safety of the Pride area. Simba and his best friend Nala do not heed the King?s warning and head to the forbidden area of the elephant grave yard. This is where the audience gets a first glimpse of the three hyenas, Shenzi, Banzai and Ed. While the hyenas have intentions on having them for lunch, King Mufasa shows up just in time. King Mufasa becomes involved through trickery from his brother and ends at the bottom of the cliff, to his demise. The crowd witness the fall of the great King Mufasa at the hand of his brother and the deceptive performance that Scar gives, in hopes of being king. Not only does Scar reveal that King Mufasa is deceased but also Simba, thus allowing him to become King.

By the end of the production, Simba takes his rightful spot on the throne. The show down between Simba and Scar is enthralling. Simba has the change to once and for all get revenge for his father?s death. Instead, Simba allows Scar to escape, unharmed, but instructs him never to return again.

With the life-sized puppets, exotic headpieces and colorful costumes, it is not wonder this is a favorite of both young and old.