Even as a writer, there are some things I struggle to put into words. The Lion King musical is one of those things. Minutes into the show I had goosebumps and I spent the next two hours sitting on the edge of my seat with my mouth open.
London and New York are home to the world’s most famous theatre districts. In New York it’s Broadway and in London, it’s the West End. Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square are seas of billboards, ticket booths and people. This isn’t just a weekend thing. This is an every night thing.
There are so many classic stage productions I haven’t seen such as Phantom of the Opera, Cats and Les Miserables. I’m not a huge theatre buff. I was part of the anonymous chorus in a some school musicals and saw a few too many community productions of Grease and Annie as a newspaper arts reporter, but I’ve been to some great shows I’ve loved such as Billy Elliot (amazing). The Lion King was staged in Australia a few years ago, but I never got to see it. I love the movie and I’d heard the musical was incredible so I put it on my to-do list for London.
I looked for cheap tickets before I got to the UK, but the websites I visited showed no availability for the three days I was going to be in London. I’d resigned myself to not seeing it when I went past the Lyceum Theatre while walking The Monopoly Board. The woman at the box office told me there was space for the show the following night. “But we’ve only got one ticket left.”
That was all I needed.
As the opening number, Circle of Life, began, the hairs on my arms stood up. It was magical. I was curious how a story that features only animals could be performed by people and the answer was all in the costumes. The cast members weren’t completely disguised – they weren’t wearing full-body outfits like Mickey Mouse – but the makeup and costume materials were captivating. I never felt I was watching people. I was watching lions, elephants, hyenas and giraffes.
I won’t give anymore away, but there is a reason you hear so many good things about this show. It really is incredible. Although I was high up in the Grand Circle (even at £40, my ticket was back), I still had a good view. It was a little hard not to sing along actually, but I refrained.
When I came out of the theatre at 10pm, it was dark and the street was full of black cabs. The bright billboards on the nearby streets, lit up with flashing bulbs, advertised a mind-boggling range of shows. Legally Blonde The Musical anyone?
Tickets to London theatre productions can be bought online, from the theatre and from third-party sellers. There are lots of discount tickets available and many youth hostels will offer a cheap night (often mid-week). If you can’t find tickets for the show, look around. As I found out, it’s worth contacting the theatre directly.
