The strength of the opener alone warrants seeing 'The Lion King' on stage at least once. This was at least my third time to see the musical, and I was still captivated when the mandrill Rafiki (the spirited Gugwana Diamini) called out “Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba (roughly translated from Zulu as “There comes a lion”) to start the “Circle of Life” rolling.Ī quarter-century after the musical bowed on Broadway, it's not a spoiler to reveal that the crowd-pleasing opening number sends a veritable menagerie - including an enormous elephant and its adorable baby - parading down the aisles toward the stage, where towering giraffes, leaping antelopes and soaring birds surround the lions' Pride Rock.Īlthough the performers seemed to spend less time lingering among the audience than on previous tours - perhaps because of the coronavirus - the magic of these moments lives up to the hype.

Happily, 'The Lion King' never fails to move audiences, even after multiple viewings. The winner of six Tony Awards, including best musical, the Mouse House's Shakespearean tale of feuding feline royals again packed the Civic Center for this run's May 12 performance. 'Circle of Life' still moves on musical's 20th anniversary tour This big cat must closing in on nine lives, but with no signs of slowing down as younger generations are introduced to the most successful entertainment franchise of all time. Since the the musical last played OKC, the movie has been rebooted into a realistically computer-rendered 2019 blockbuster, and the debut of Disney+ has given children and fans free rein to catch both movies, the sequels and the television shows. Read more: When tour of record-breaking 'Lion King' hits OKC, it'll have an OCU alum in the cast

Seen by more than 100 million people around the world, the long-running adaptation of the beloved 1994 animated film previously made wildly popular stops in OKC in 20.

'The Lion King' has returned to Oklahoma City, and even 20 years into its North American tour, the most successful musical of all time still rules.Īs OKC Broadway winds down its 2021-2022 COVID-19 comeback season, the local presenter of nationally touring Broadway shows has brought Disney's regal king of song-and-dance spectacle back to OKC for its third reign here, with performances continuing through May 29. Watch Video: 'Lion King' performer 'appreciative' for masked, in-person audiencesįind your place at the Civic Center Music Hall.

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