The Lion King

Loved this show… it definitely lived up to expectations, one of the best productions I’ve been to!

It’s my 2^nd day in London of a 4 day vacation, and I’m leaving Trafalgar Square and see a huge line of people at a ticket booth.
Curiosity got the best of me, and I walk up to discover it’s a ticket booth to the many shows that are in London.
On a spur of the moment decision, I saw the signage for The Lion King, it is truly my favorite Disney film and bought me a ticket for the matinée show for the next day.
The next day, it’s show time and I’ve already purchased my Lion King tee shirt from the gift shop, it was 12.00 Euros, and I found my seat I’m ready!
WOW! From the costumes, the set designs, the dancing, the music, from start to finish, it was a very elaborate and amazing show.
I’ll be honest, I think I was louder than the kids!
I was very pleased that I was spontaneous and bought my ticket to see the show, it was well worth taking time from my vacation to go see The Lion King!
On a side note, I can now tell people, «Oh, I saw it in London!»
:]

Ok so, definitely feeling like I’m going against the grain here, but honestly, I think this show is overrated. I’m sorry to everyone else, especially those who love it enough to go multiple times, but I just didn’t think it was that great.
I LOVE the movie, and my girlfriend is one of the biggest Disney lovers ever, and she knows the words for all the songs — just to help set the context in case you think I’m a hater.
The show itself is pretty much a carbon copy of the film, including about 80% of the dialogue which means you’ll know almost every single line and joke that the actors use — which isn’t a huge problem in itself…
The props are fantastic, absolutely loved the entrance and seeing the birds flying around the theatre and above us, and the dancers on stage with the revolving mountain. Cannot fault that for a second, nor the singing or acting prowess of the cast who do an incredible job of embodying the animals they represent!
BUT! London shows and stage shows in particular have come a LONG way from when Lion King was originally released on stage, and I think it’s starting to show. The scenery and background is pretty dull (which may have been exacerbated because we were higher up and could see everything), the lack of anything particularly new in the show was disappointing, and the rehashing of the same jokes is inexcusable, in my opinion.
For the same amount of money we paid, you could go watch Book of Mormon for a similar view and still have some money leftover to buy a drink/​put towards dinner — and is probably one of the more disappointing stage shows I’ve actually ever seen in London, especially given the price.
Worth seeing once, but not again, and definitely for no more than the cheapest price tickets! We came out of the theatre just wanting to watch the movie again, instead of the show, which to me, says it all!

I LOVE THIS SHOW!!! I have seen it three times now and everytime I go back I just get more and more excited! One of the best highly recommended shows in London!!! If you haven’t been, GO NOW!!!
I love the movie too, the opening scene just takes your breath away… the cast are so great, the stage is ahmayzing!!! Managed to get mid level stall tickets, looking straight onto the stage, no neck aches from sitting in weird spots: p I love the costumes, its just a magical story which also related to realtime.
So lucky to live in london and have amazing shows at your doorstep, tickets are fairly expensive, but who cares, its so worth it!!!

Lion King My favourite
What a fantastic show!
The beginning is so amazing and the song ‘he lives in you’ bring tears to my eyes every single time, wonderful must watch!
I recommend to take sits at the balcony, ask for the surprise trust me it’s worth it! Love it too much I’ve seen it 7 times can’t wait to go back and watch it again!
It Just makes me so happy

As if anyone could leave this theatre show a bad review, it’s such a beautiful show. The visuals and effects are spectacular and the cast were great. I’d recommend seeing The Lion King in theatre.
Tickets are, as most shows are, fairly expensive but you surely won’t regret it. Probably the best show I’ve seen, far better than Chicago, We will Rock You or Miss Saigon.
For the best available seats book in advance. If you can sit in the stalls then even better as at the start of the show the actors walk through from the back.

Great show! Full of art… Singing, dancing, decoration, lights, acting, sound. All wonderful great experience! and the theatre it self was really beautiful. Strongly recommended for anyone that enjoy art! although expect drinks and food to be expensive…

I love going to London and I love going to London mainly for the shows. I have seen The Lion King in NYC eons ago and got a chance to see it again here and still loved it. The acting, singing and the sets were top notch. I especially love the opening act. Two thumbs way up!

Ah-​mah-​zingly AWEsome. A definite must see show. I was gutted to miss it in Edinburgh a few years back after going to see the exhibition.
When we realised we had time to go see a show last night this was top of my list. I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to see it.
We popped into the theatre box office & manage to snag a couple of excellent seats in the stalls at a fraction of the price that online agents were selling them for (& no booking fee!)
The costumes are fantastic. The set designs really capture the colours & atmosphere of the African plains & it brought back many happy memories of my Masai Mara safari.
The music was great. Lots of great classics — from the film — & some new ones.
You don’t need to be a fan of musicals to enjoy this show. It really is a feast for the eyes and the ears.

Do it. Go.
But, if you are short (I’m 5’3″), don’t sit in the front row of the royal circle. Even though the website shows that your view will be unobstructed, it doesn’t show the scaffolding holding the light displays there. It does say that the seats are not suitable for anyone less than 5′ tall. I might say 5’6″? I had to make a booster seat from coats to see the edge of the stage (where may of the solo acts occurred).
There were tons of kids. Tons. They sell snacks in loud packages and people eat them no matter what is happening on stage. Be ready for this.
The atmosphere is quite casual and the cocktail drinks beforehand were wonderful (2 for 1 between 6−7pm, do it).
Don’t expect a fine, uppity theater experience, but do expect the best show of your life.

W… O…W TO THE MILLIONTH POWER!
I mean where do I start? thi s has to be one of the best shows london has to offer hands down… the costumes are fantastic and the music is breath taking!! I I saw this a few years ago but I can see it now! * reaches into the past* …
the beat in the music had me all nostalgic regarding the mother land… almost booked a one way ticket to africa after I’d seen this just hoping to recreate the whole mufasa scene. worth every penny!!!

Hakuna Matata! What a wonderful phrase!
It was a great show! I’ll admit, I haven’t been to too many shows in my life, but I’m glad that I went to this one. Now I’m not the biggest Lion King fan, but I am a fan. I was pleasantly surprised with this. I loved the music, being a big music fan, all the percussion and orchestra and was awesome. The costume design here was fantastic, adding another layer of immersion, trying to take you to Africa and your childhood. The acting was actually better than I expected! When I saw that there were child actors, I groaned in my head. But they were actually better than I thought! Not to say they were perfect, by no means, but they are better than your typical child actor! It was awesome to hear all the sound effects and music and singing blend together into a single show.
So why didn’t this get a 5? Well for two main reasons. The first being the price. Man! This place is expensive! I understand that they have a lot of people working on the production and since it’s such an extravagant play, they want to pay everyone at least somewhat well. But we I wouldn’t say the worst seats, but they were pretty bad and they costed about £120 a pop. I know this is probably an unfair comparison, but we had just come from Stomp, which the whole family was about £150. The whole family!
Secondly, had to do not with the show, but more of the security and the people who maintain the crowd (I don’t know what exactly you call them…) About halfway through the second act, a Chinese girl about I would say the age of 3 or 4 started crying hysterically. I’m not trying to be racist, I’m full Chinese myself, but it has been my experience that Chinese tourist aren’t very courteous to others. So the mom didn’t really do much about her child except try to shush her. After about a good 45 seconds it finally occurs to her that she should take her child out to the lobby to calm her down. Because they were sitting right smack in the middle of a row, it took them an extra 15 – 20 seconds to get to the aisle before the left to the lobby. All this was happening during the middle of a song that I couldn’t hear because of the excessive crying! I thought someone should have told her 10 or 15 seconds in that she had to go to the lobby to quite her child before it became a major disturbance to the people around her. But that never happened and it now sticks out as a depressing memory in what should be an exciting memory.
If you read through my rant, great! Overall, if you love the Lion King and a love for music, costumes, or just a good show come give this place a look! But if you don’t have money flowing from your pockets and you aren’t the biggest fan, maybe taken into consideration all the pros and cons. But if you have some extra cash and want to drop by, by all means!

An absolutely fantastic show! The costume design is incredible, and is particularly mind blowing in the opening sequence. I’m not a huge fan of the movie so viewed this as a completely different entity, but it must be great for fans of the film.
The only reason I’m not giving 5* is that I gave that rating to Wicked, and it doesn’t quiiite match up in my eyes.

So much fun! Amazing production, some new songs that are not in the movie, obviously they tweak the script with current jokes so you feel it is a fresh production!
The way that the animals have been created is just incredible. It is an amazing experience!
This is a must see!

This is a must! I was wondering how they were planning on presenting the animals and was amazed amd fascinated by the results! ypu don’t have to be a fan of musicals to enjoy this show. The costumes are probably the best I have seen. Everything was just beautiful!

Oh! Dear! I am not a theatre person, and this show didn’t help me. I was forced to take the wife and kids, and they enjoyed it all, but me? Nope! Just not my cup of tea.
Yep, the singing was good, and I suppose the costumes were good too.
We had the best seats, costing just short of £500 for the family. Drinks and snacks were well overpriced.
Sorry folks.

Best musical I’ve ever seen! Great attention to detail and really entertaining and well performed!

Hakuna Matata, what a wonderful phrase
Hakuna Matata, ain’t no passing craze
It means no worries for the rest of your days
It’s our problem free philosophy, Hakuna Matata
One of my FAVORITE songs in the LION KING! I loved the movie SO MUCH that when it became a PLAY and was STOKED! How were they going to re-​create all those ani-​malies on stage! Then I saw a small clip of the paly on the boob-​tube and just had to see it!
When the tickets went on sale peeps snatched them up like hot cakes and I couldn’t get one. They were buying the max and scalpers were making hand over fist! I was also planning a trip back London so I figured WHY NOT try to see it there if the play was going to be traveling in that area! I went on line and BAM London dates for the same time frame I would be there. I quickly bought 3 tickets, printed them out and waited for my trip.
We flew in to London and arrived at night just before the play. We got rid of our bags, had din-​din at my fav restaurant and headed over to the theater. The air was electric with EXCITEMENT not to mention we were there for New Year’s so it was FRICKEN ICY COLD! People talking and sharing their favorite moments in the movie and how much they LOVED it and could NOT wait to see the PLAY! So sunny how you can make quick friends just standing in line all trying to huddle together for warmth so your eyeballs don’t freeze.
We didn’t have to wait too long before the doors popped open and the crowd filed in, showing their tickets and finding their seats! Our seats were REALLY GOOD! PRRTTY CLOSE for play standards so we could see EVERYTHING!
Slowly the seats filled in and the lights lowered and the PLAY started just like in the movie! Ani-​malies were everywhere. I’m getting goose bumps just remembering and my scalp is tingling! IT WAS GREAT! The two little ankle biters that played Simba and Nala were EXCILLENT! And they could REALLY SING and ACT WELL. The make-​up and costumes were EXTRAORDINARY and made you really think that two legged person had four legs. You didn’t think you were watching people act like animals you were REALLY taken to some far off African country. IT WAS GREAT!
Years later I have NEVER forgotten about that play. And I stated to see commercials that it was back. Christmas was looming and I was trying to figure out what to get the parentals. LION KING Tickets was it! They had to wait a few months to enjoy their gift but THEY LOVED IT as well.
If you’re NOT a PLAY person this is the play for you. It’s NOT boring and there is ALWAYS something going on. YOU’LL LOVE the costumes and makeup and be taken on a journey through Africa animal style! PREFECT for the ENTIRE FAMILY and the ankle biters with LOVE IT! Try to see it in any city but if you’re travelling here see it here! Makes your trip EVEN BETTER!

What a great show. As an avid show lover this was a great choice. As we were in London for a short time only had time to fit 1 West End show in-​this was the best choice we could have made by far. My fiancé who is not the show frequenter, even thought it was great. A wonderful experience and without giving it away for future attendees, it definitely has some unique aspects that make it better than shows I’ve seen before. Can’t recommend this enough when you are in London. AMAZING!!!

If you see one show in London, make sure it’s the Lion King. A truly sensational show at the majestical Lyceum Theatre just off of Covent Garden. The theatre itself is beautiful. The seating is really steep so you have a great view where ever you sit. It’s a bit of a slog to the loos but the bar is handy, if a little expensive.
The show itself is truly magical and suitable for all ages. I don’t want to give too much away but I had tears in my eyes within the first five minutes. The costumes are fantastic and the music fully draws you in — taking you away from rainy London and transporting you instantly to an African savanna. The acting is great, particularly the kids, true stars of the future.
I cannot recommend this show enough — go, but don’t forget the tissues, you’re going to cry!

Spectacle superbe, plein d’émotions, de poésie et de prouesses scéniques (tant physiques que vocales) ! Un show à voir absolument une fois !
Le théâtre est somptueux, spacieux et très confortable.

Super Vorstellung! Mehr muss man dazu nicht sagen. Nervig nur ein paar Zuschauer die während der Vorstellung ihre Emails checken. Kulturbanausen ist noch sehr höflich ausgedrückt.

Wir hatten für etwa 80 Pfund wirklich super Plätze, aber ich fand das Musical echt nicht so gut. Die Kostüme, Songs etc. waren wirklich toll, aber irgendwie kam mir alles so träge und schwerfällig vor. Was GENIAL war, war die Szene in der Mufassa stirbt, weil die Büffelherde genial dargestellt wurde. Meine beiden Begleiter waren total aus dem Häuschen und konnten es überhaupt nicht nachvollziehen, dass ich es nicht so toll fand, aber ich hatte wirklich das Gefühl, die Schauspieler ziehn die Nummer halbherzig ab, was ich echt schade fand. Es war eine Donnerstagabend Vorstellung, vielleicht war die Woche lang, aber für den Batzen Geld hätte ich mir ein bisschen mehr Begeisterung gewünscht, aber vielleicht hatte ich auch nur zu hohe Erwartungen.

Einfach genial!
Hab es mittlerweile 3x in London gesehen und würde jederzeit wieder hingehen!
Kein Vergleich zu Hamburg, Darsteller und Sound sind um Klassen besser!

Lion Kind im Lyseum Theater war DAS Highlight meines London-​Aufenthalts!
Tickets gibt es ab etwa 25 Pfund. Ich habe 37,50 bezahlt und komplett in der Mitte des mittleren Rangs (Grand Circle) gesessen. Von da aus hatte ich einen super Blick auf die Bühne, ich empfehle euch aber trotzdem ein Opernglas.
Während es am Anfang noch etwas ungewohnt ist, dass alle Tiere sehr menschlich aussehen (besonders die Löwen), vergisst man das spätestens nach dem ersen Song.
Die Bühne ist drehbar und dauernd kommen Treppen und ähnliches herausgefahren und zurück etc. Die Bühne ist also ständig in Bewegung und verleiht dem Ganzen viel Leben.
Die Kulissen sind grandios, vor allem der Elefantenfriedhof und der Sonnenaufgang in der ersten Szene. Die menschlichen Grasbüschel, die die Savanne darstellen sollen, wirken dagegen etwas albern.
Die Schauspieler machen ihre Arbeit sehr gut und auch der Gesang weiß zu überzeugen. Besonders Rafiki und Scar, aber auch die Puppenspieler von Timon, Pumbaa und Zazoo machen eine gute Figur. Und erst die Hyänen!
Albern ist allerdings der Ballettanz zweier Tänzer in grün während des Songs Can you feel the love tonight. Das soll wohl sexy und romantisch wirken, ist es aber nicht.
Die Songs sind alle aus dem Film. Neu ist The morning report, den man auf der Neuauflage der Film-​DVD findet sowie He lives in you, der im 2. Lion King Film verwendet wurde. Fans der Filme werden also nichts neues finden, aber das ist auch völlig ok.
Die Zeit geht wahnsinnig schnell um, und schon ist alles wieder vorbei. Zu schade!
Aber wenigstens kann man am Ende noch Merchandiese kaufen. T-​Shirts gibt es ab 12 Pfund, Schlüsselanhänger ab 3 Pfund. Die Plüschtiere und die CD sind allerdings unverhältnismäßig teuer.
FAZIT: Ein Genuss für Augen und Ohren zu relativ fairen Preisen — die manchmal seltsamen Tanzeinlagen schmälern den Genuss kein bisschen ^^