The Lion King | 2011

I watched "The Lion King" years ago when Walt Disney Studios released it way back when. I was not that young when I watched it but I appreciated it as one would a typical Disney flick. Ayaka, our "adopted" daughter loved it so much, she usually walked on all fours growling like a lion around the house. Jakjak, only knew it by the video on youTube of "Hakuna Matata". We were not actually sure how much he would appreciate if we brought him to watch the musical, but we brought him anyway.

The venue, Marina Bay Sands Theatre. The grandeur of it deserves a paragraph of it's own, but that would be talking as a photographer. So on we went, bags checked, tickets checked. Surprisingly, no one shushed children here. Perhaps it's the nature of the show (I haven't the foggiest who would bring their 5 yo to watch CATS), but it feels good not having to look over you shoulder for ushers (or worse, security guards). The theater hall itself was big enough to accomodate a good number of people and small enough to not be overwhelming (I still remember watching Disney on Ice at the Indoor Stadium). On to our comfy seats then waiting for the show.

Some reminders and then the lights dip. The first note immediately hits you, moreso if you are familiar with the original movie. The pride lands come to life from the stage, as well as the aisles. That first big grin from Jakjak's face as a Rhino passed by his seat told me that it's going to be a great show. Not just for me and Judy, but for Jakjak as well.


The transition from silver screen to stage was apparent and expected. However, the costumes, the props, the stage, the drums ... the whole thing just comes together brilliantly. The performances were great, with some being better than the others, Scar in particular was, for me, more charismatic (considering he is actually the antagonist) than Mufasa or even Simba. Which is in direct contrast to the cartoon where I simply did not like him. The whole performance was staged as grand as one would expect from a multi-awarded play. For the show to last more than two hours was unexpected, but for Jakjak to remain glued to his seat the entire time was an even bigger surprise. Sure, he kept talking and asking questions for most of the two hours, but he never once asked to go home or go out (not even to pee!). For him to do that, he had to be really, really interested. To be honest, anybody would be. It just leaves you in awe. The show had even been tailored to connect with people in Singapore with touches of local ingredients like the iconic Merlion and local linggo cast in between lines.

In the end, we bought the CD. We had dinner (a second time) and headed home. Every once in a while we pop the CD on the radio and Jakjak sits on a table, imagines the scenes in his head and sings along to his favorites. It's quite good, until the very last drop.