The Lion King - The Palace Theatre, Manchester - Tuesday 31st January 2023

From the day we arrived on the planet, and blinking step into the sun, there has a been a GIANT Disney musical that has taken the world by storm! Did this show WOW me like it did the first time I saw it 9 years ago? Read on to find out...

The cast of tonight's performance was a mix of swings, covers and principal cast which was very exciting! One thing I love about a cover cast member is the fact that they have SO much information in their had in terms of the different characters and tracks they follow but never let it show when they're on stage!

I managed to get a photo of the cast screen that was up in the foyer. I do love it when the cast are displayed for all to see!

I always find The Lion King to have a very strong cast and this time around was no exception. There was no weak link and every single performer put on an amazing show. A stand out for me were the Young Nala (Harmony Raine Riley) and Young Simba (Daniel Adejola Adesina). They musn't be any older than 10/11 years old but GOOD LORD they are talented!!

**SPOILER ALERT** (like anyone hasn't seen it!!) when Mufasa dies Young Simba did make me shed a tear or 25, not that it takes much to do that these days.

Rafiki (Mamido Bomboko Souchu) was the stand out from the adult performers too. She had an amazing voice and the first line from The Cirlce of Life gave me goosebumps as did the rest of the singing she did throughout the show. Rafiki is a funny character no matter who is in the role but Mamido was particularly good with her comedic timining and I'm very glad I got to see her as a cover Rafiki.

Scar's (Richard Hurst) version of Be Prepared was the epitome of villianous and he really knew how to deliver the evilness of the song. I'd say one of the best versions of the song I've heard (and I've seen this show a good 10 times!!)

As we've come to expect with any big Disney musical, the set is of a very high quality! Although not as many technical aspects as with Frozen (which I saw in December - review link here!) the set pieces worked really well and the Pride Rock that comes in at the beginning and end as well as the Elephant Graveyard are both very intricate.

Another highlight of this show are the costumes. The masks, the makeup, the puppetry... everything about them all are amazing and help you believe that you are watching actual animals on stage rather than humans.

The Hyena outfits are by far my favourite as you can see above!

Overall this show is true to the classic Disney film with added African culture and heritage thrown in! The music, the costumes, the performers and the story make this a show that has cemented itself in Musical Theatre History.

Story ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Set ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Lighting ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Overall ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐