Director Julie Taymor, who also designed the stupendous costumes and co-designed (with Michael Curry) the amazing masks and the 200+ puppets, has the wildest imagination in the business. Having seen the original Broadway production, and the first visit of the show to the Civic, I had forgotten just how mind-blowing the creative elements are. Now, for the third time, the national touring production has brought Pride Rock to San Diego, for an extended run (well, by Civic Theatre standards, anyway: nearly a month). Worldwide, the show has been seen by more than 85 million people, for whom it’s been translated into eight different languages. The North American tour has been seen by more than 17 million theatergoers and grossed over $1.2 billion. With more than 6700 performances under its furry belt, it’s still running - after 19 years. The theatrical production, winner of six Tony Awards, is also the third longest-running musical in Broadway history, and Broadway’s top-grossing musical of all time. Whether you view it as a riff on “Hamlet” (though the show’s got that weird ick factor of the nefarious uncle pawing at his nephew’s girlfriend as his future wife, instead of his sister-in-law, as in the source material) or a prime example of Social Darwinism (assume your legacy, your rightful position in the food chain stay in your class, your caste, and don’t muck with the hierarchical system the outcasts should always remain outcasts, etc.), Disney’s “The Lion King,” as animated musical film (1994) or stage musical (1997) is an epic eyeful. VENUE: Broadway San Diego at the Civic Theatre
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