This week we took our two boys to see the Broadway musical smash The Lion King in San Diego at the Civic Theater. We were really looking forward to it, well, my wife and I were at least. We had never seen the musical, and unbeknown to me until the performance ended, the boys had never even seen the movie!
My wife and I love to take our kids to new and interesting things. Especially when they broaden their horizons and educate them too. The Lion King was a great opportunity to accomplish just that, as they had never seen a play or musical before. Attending events like this is something that my wife and I enjoy alot when we can go together, and we hoped it would be something that the boys would enjoy as a family too.
The boys were excited to be going, but I don’t think it really registered with them what we were actually doing. They were outwardly excited to be going back down to San Diego’s Old Town Cafe Coyote for dinner, where they serve great Mexican food and fresh handmade tortillas. We had been there during the summer, and it was a huge hit with them. But I think The Lion King was an afterthought really.
After dinner and some quality walk it off time in Old Town San Diego, we headed down to the theater. We looked around, rented some binoculars and found our seats. The Civic Theater is nice. Good size and pleasant atmosphere. I have to commend the usher staff, because they were the nicest, friendliest and most helpful ushers I have ever encountered. We walked up several floors to our balcony seats, and every usher we met along the way interacted with the boys and talked about how much they were going to enjoy the show. It’s a kind of diffeence maker, really.
So about the show. It was a great family musical all around. Almost everyone is familiar with the score and famous songs by now, and they were well performed. The actors were great, even though the actress playing Rafiki and belting out African-izms got a little hard on the ears. But man, it takes a voice to do that! The highlight of the shows production were the costumes. Some of them were really amazing! They recreated giraffes and elephants and birds in a truly unique way. The main character lion costumes I thought were a little lacking though, as they consisted of mostly a lion face headdress and loin cloth kinda thing which resembled an Egyptian pharoah. But generally the costumes were a must see.
My wife and I enjoyed The Lion King for sure. The boys however never made it through to the end. Our youngest fell asleep before Act 1 ended and couldn’t be roused for the rest of the show. Our oldest was in and out of consciousness, but did see the ending. I think the late 7:00 pm showtime and the 2hr. 50min. runtime didn’t help. They said they liked what they saw, but I must admit I was disappointed they didn’t make it. Note to self: Stick to matinee shows from now on.
Overall The Lion King was a great experience for the whole family. If you have a chance to see it, I highly recommend it.
