The Lion King

Who: My mom, brother, and I

What: The Lion King national tour

When: December 2017

Where: Hippodrome Theatre, Baltimore, MD

Why: Family fun, and I'd finally been convinced this show was worth seeing.

Thoughts: Full disclosure: I'm a Disney Princess kinda girl, and The Lion King was never among my favorite Disney films. I paid no mind to the Broadway show until a few friends caught on and insisted that the show was a completely different experience that was well worth my time. Thankfully, the tour was coming to Baltimore the very next season, so I made sure I was there. Most touring shows come to Baltimore for about a week. The Lion King was in town for THREE WEEKS and it was still incredibly challenging to get tickets. My family and I actually sat in two separate rows.

The bottom line is this: my friends were right. The Lion King is stunning and an experience all it's own. While most Disney theatrical productions are just the movie thrown on stage with a few extra songs, The Lion King is it's own piece of cultural art. The visuals, the score, and the overall tone really set the show apart from the film while still nodding back to the original source and keeping some fun moments for younger viewers. Really, "experience" is the best word to describe the show. It's just as much emotional journey as it is story, and I don't know that I've ever seen a show where the cast is as clearly happy and at home with a show as they are here - the ensemble contributes as much, if not more, than the principle roles in this extravagant production (holy costume changes!).

I'm so glad we had the chance to finally see this (better late than never; I know the show opened in 1997 and I'm 20 years late), and my family all loved it!

Have you seen The Lion King or another Disney on Broadway show?
Share your thoughts in the comments!

Give The Lion King original cast recording a listen here and check out other shows I've seen here.