I went to see the show on Weds 20 August 2003 and watched the matinee. We sat in the stalls ( row K ) and were centre to the stage. Full and magnificent view of every part of the stage.

I have to say I am very surprised by some reviews I have read. This show is magnificent. Having seen several of the "top" shows I would say this is the best. The costumes and puppetry were incredible - the cast were stunning, I have to say that the two children ( young Simba and Nala ) were wonderful. The music is fantastic as you would expect - if at times a little loud !!!
Special effects are obviously designed to be viewed from the stalls as from where we sat they were incredible. The ghost of Mustafa appearing and the site of the stampede was mind blowing from our view.

This musical is a must see and is a huge improvement on the Disney film of the Lion King

Lee Mays
Colchester
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I thought the Lion King musical was brilliant, as did the nine friends I saw it with. 

The costumes were simply amazing, and the production cleverly designed to really get the audience involved with 'animals' filing in along the aisles, and singers positioned in the boxes as well as on stage. 

I loved the music - the Elton John/Tim Rice songs were excellent, and blended beautifully with the more traditional African music. In fact, I purchased the cast recording on the night! 

It's definitely one of the best shows I've seen, and I would recommend it as a great night out for theatregoers of all ages.

Nicola Tapsell
Grays, Essex
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Disney has definitely brought its magic to the West End! We really did not know what to expect from this production as how can you bring a cartoon based on animals to life and maintain the Disney magic convincingly?

It was fantastic! The vibrant colours throughout and the upbeat music will have your feet tapping in no time. I never expected what we witnessed but from the first moment (an animal parade) to the closing number we were swept away. The use of masks and puppets is exceptionally well thought out. 

We were in row B seats 17 and 18 and my only gripe would be we were maybe to close to the stage, but that was our own choosing. 

Go see it if only for the dream scene in the second act, you will talk about it all the way home.

Tristen and Kelly
Bedfordshire.
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We took our two boys 4 & 6 and we were all absolutely enthralled. The special
effects and costumes added to show. Great for the kids and adults. Must go to
the theatre more often!

Steve, Heather, Ben & Sam Weitzel

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This Show is awful. The film has been shoehorned into theatre rather than being reworked for it as was the case with Beauty and the Beast. (still one of my favourite shows).

As such the animals (for they are certainly not deep enough to be called characters) are twee and seem artificially inserted into a powerful story. The spectacle is good, but the climax thereof comes shockingly early (in the first scene in fact. It seems to be a victim of the Disney attitude that if you put enough money into something you won't have to think about it. 

Save your money- for you seem to pay top price for virtually everything but the very worst seats. And see what the West End really has to offer. However, the music is fairly inoffensive, I'll concede that!

I speak as someone who loves the film. Take what you will from that!

William Cooper
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My two cents about the Lion King at the Lyceum.

It's certainly a show filled with eye candy. It's great to look at. I do like the film myself, but having seen it enough to be able to talk along with the people (not saying I did that!) on stage after five minutes was pretty disappointing. I too thought they would put more trouble into a remake of the story and didn't expect word-for-word identical dialogue at least 75% of the time. There have been some new songs added, that personally I found nice.

The voice of the older Nala was magnificent. Though, as my boyfriend pointed out, the singing performance of the younger Simba and Nala was somewhat lacking. It's better on the CD (though I liked London's older Nala better than on CD, on December 26th 2002). Overall, didn't leave with a great feeling, since it was material so known to me already.

Very nicely done but beware those who already know the film well, Be Prepared... for a lot of familiar words....

Karin van den Berg, 
The Netherlands.

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I went to see the Lion King and sat in the Upper Circle, Row A. I could see the stage easily but I could see rather too much in that the effects were ruined by the fact that you could see how they were created. Given that I was at the front of the Upper Circle, I thought this was appalling. 

The stampede was farcical, you could see the rollers the buffalos were on more clearly than the buffalos themselves. The scene was dull, overlong and this could be attributable to the behind the scenes view. During the river scene, the fish were not visible but the people holding the cutouts and the lights very definitely were. And of course the pad on which the character jumped on when he jumped in the river was quite quite obvious for the whole piece.

I took my mother along, who is hard of hearing and she actually asked over her G&T at the interval if there was going to be music during the show. It wasn't that bad, but the sound was poor. Most of the performers sounded desperately flat and the music was more painful than tuneful.

Sounds like I hated it, I didn't, it was good and the animals were lovely. BUT, there was an arrogance associated with selling tickets to something which was clearly substandard. As with all things you have to get it in perspective, I booked late and the seats were way back. One can accept and expects that. Its a bit like having fish and chips in Livebait or having them from the caravan at Clacton. I paid £30 for the seat via Lastminute.

The show was good and I expected to be a long way from the stage but I really didnt expect to be so aware of the way the show was put together. I was very unimpressed by the complete lack of staging for the Upper Circle.
 
Would certainly recommend not to go to Upper Circle. Seats may be cheaper but they are still a lot of money and these 'errors' reduced my enjoyment considerably.
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Saw the show on 21 September 2003 - what a show! The opening in particular just blew you away.

My son who is 3 1/2 just sat there never taking his eyes off the stage, although he did have to keep checking with mummy who the characters were. He was a bit apprehensive about seeing the hyenas beforehand but when they appeared he loved them. Mind you I could hear some other kids around the auditorium who obviously were a bit scared.

We sat on the 2nd row. Possibly might have got a better overall view from the dress circle but you certainly felt part of the show being so near.

Ignore the bad reviews, go see it.........NOW!

Nigel
Yorkshire
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The kids enjoyed it, as for myself I found the whole thing very boring and was disappointed.  It has been over rated.
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Never have I seen such amazing staging! The floor seems to literally move from beneath the actors feet as large portions of set and even characters rise from the stage. What an awe inspiring sight that gives you goose pimples and a lump in your throat!

Not only does the musical embody the same score as the film but also adds new African rhythms and fresh new songs that take the magic of Disney's biggest success to a whole new and even better level.

The costume design for this show is also something not to be missed. Humans are turned into animals not by fury costumes or plastic masks but by using clever puppetry and tribal costume from the African Pridelands.

Do not miss the Lion King! This is a must see for first time theatre goers to because once you have seen this you'll want to go to the theatre every day. 

Ben Wooldridge
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Maybe some people have been disappointed with this show because it is so incredibly hyped in the media. I went in almost expecting to be physically trampled in the stampede and scared to death by roaring lions. Of course this doesn't happen. But it is amazing theatre. 

A vast imagination has gone into creating the African creatures and landscape on stage, whilst not hiding the actors who manipulate them. Occasionally the immensity of the design elements does drown out the performances, but this is to the credit of Julie Taymor, not an insult to the actors. 

I had a perfect view from the centre of row F in the Royal (first) circle. Worth paying top price for. 

The show HAS been adapted for the stage. Much of the script is recognisable from the film, but the new songs are equally credible and add a new dimension to the stage version - managing to find a perfect balance between the familiar 'cartoon' style and the dramatic 'African' atmosphere. I definitely came away wanting more. Go see it!
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My family and I went to see the show on Wednesday 2nd June 2004. We liked it very much and especially my kids (9 and 11 years old) really enjoyed it. I would probably did if I haven’t get the conductor‘s head in front of me (seat A9).
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Well I wasn't planning to see this one until I decided to stay in London with a mate for an extra night and wandered up to the Lyceum to see what I could get. I had the choice of a seat at 40 quid or stand for 10, so I opted for the cheaper ticket. WHAT A BARGAIN!! I stood in 'position 17' at the back of the Upper Circle and had a marvelous view of the stage. 

After bribing a small boy with a pound to use his binoculars I was able to stand back and watch the fantastic big set pieces that make this show so good unfold before my natural view, and when solo songs and speaky bits happened I could zoom in and look at the faces in detail. The only draw back from the standing tickets are that you are not close to all the stalls action that happens but you still see it all and you have to join in the applause simply for the arrival of the animals. 

Stunning costumes and brilliant choreography make this show a sure fire winner for anyone. The staging and lighting is rather fine too. As a grown adult I did find some of the speaky bits rather twee, but I am not complaining as it certainly entertained the little'uns. The show is fab and thats all I can say really. 

However here is my word of warning: It is inevitable that when standing you may be next to annoying Japanese girls who don't understand ' no photos' and talk to one another a lot. Be firm with them and, if they don't shut up, make the ushers do some work. Also, due to the cheap (well cheaper) seats being at the back....school groups are inevitable. This cannot be helped so there is nowt you can do. But my overall impression is that for a tenner you get a great view of a great show. a true spectacle and something really nice to stare at when you have been on the loopy juice the night before. 

Chris May
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7th July 2004: "Lion King" continues its high standards - visual epics and invention. 

Andy Watkins.
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It was my second time seeing this, and wow what a show! Sitting in the stalls normally is not my first choice - I prefer the Dress Circle - but for "The Lion King" I think the stalls are great as the action part takes place in the stalls aisles; so in many ways you are in fact in the show "in the thick of it", as they say.

When in the stalls I would not normally go for Row A as it means a neck ache during and after, but with the "Lion King" the Row A is set back a little due to the fact that the Orchestra pit is large and comes out a good few feet.

Theatremonkey seating plan says A9 is not good due to the view of the conductor but seated just one seat to the side of this I could not see this as being a major problem. The head of the conductor is in view for all Row A and B seats in the centre section for some part, but it's not too bad. 

The show is great - follows the Disney film (very good) - and the cast really do come across as if they are the animals playing out the parts on stage. The effects and technical ability of the "Lion King" shows that it's backed by and had a lot of money put into this show by Disney.

Value? - Yes sort of, I think so. After all, a top price seat is now £45(plus booking fee) and some shows without the major name of Disney are £55 for a Saturday night now.

It's been going 5 years now and still playing to packed full houses, If you ask me, "should you see it?" I'd say yes and take your children too if they will not be scared by the larger animals on stage.

Alun,
Essex, UK.
Performance: Saturday 14th Aug 2004, 7.30pm.
Seats : Stalls A 6,7,8
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Over-hyped, over-priced and over here. Frankly, it is enjoyable, even delightful as a £25 show to take your children, nieces and nephews out for a special treat. The show became annoying because it was completely aimed at the younger audience_ one or two risqué jokes brought knowing laughs from audience members over 6 years old but there was not much there for adults. 

Having said that the animals and staging are brilliant. The best scenes are when there are groups onstage singing and dancing. The worst scenes are of the boring Simba - young and old. In fact, Simba gets worse with age. The young Simba could not hold a tune if his dreadlocks depended upon it and in fact the sound quality was consistently poor when individual characters were speaking or singing on stage. The best characters were the old lady and the young lioness, who gave powerful performances. The rest was average and only saved by the colour and vibrancy of the production which is infectious!

In seats Stalls F 31 and 32 - restricted views at £32.50, I was quite happy that I had not paid full price and managed to see much of the performance.

Hoodlum
7th November 2004 
3pm performance.
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We were in Row V on an aisle. It was my first ever trip to the theatre and I had a great time.  The show was a bit slow in a couple of places but the effects/costumes etc made up for it for me. 
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I took my sons aged 9 and 10 to see The Lion King at Easter 2005. Fantastic show. Great music, superb opening scene and excellent singing. Not a dull moment. Fantastic special effects. We sat in the middle of Row Q which I would definitely recommend.

Caroline Packer
Kent
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Three generations of my family were blown away by this terrific production!!!! The costumes, the music and the performances were all awesome, far more than we could have hoped for.

Our seats were perfect in the centre of Row F Royal Circle, 17, 18 and 19.

The amazing effects of a buffalo stampede on stage and the birds flying all over the venue, actors joining us on the Royal Circle, elephant sized elephants walking down the aisle, giraffe sized giraffes too, and a stage set that moves around so smoothly, I need to see it again to try and take all that in!

I paid top whack for the seats to treat my 70 year old mum and 14 year old son but in total with travel and hotel it came to just under £400 and I would say even THAT was worth it.

It should be made compulsory to go see it.

Pam Coombs
Stockport
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I had bough the tickets for this show for my partner as a Christmas present so we had had the tickets for 6 months. I had seen the show and loved it and he was eagerly looking forward to it as we had enjoyed our foray into the World of Disney in Florida last year.

Our tickets were just off the aisle in the stalls centre block on row E, well what a fantastic view we had!! Lots of legroom and a perfect view. The opening number is breathtaking with the rising sun and all the animals arriving on stage and down the aisles. The costumes and staging are so good that the opening number is quite moving.

To turn an 80 minute children’s cartoon film into a full-blown musical is an achievement in itself, but to do it in such an inventive way, and for it to still maintain its own identity, is all down to its creator, Julie Taymor. The staging is so imaginative and its great that they didn’t revert to the "cuddly animal outfits" as they could so easily have done.

We both thoroughly enjoyed this evening of pure Disney magic. The whole production is very colourful and the animals superbly represented. All the performances were excellent and there were some lovely voices on stage but special mention goes to the actress playing Rafiki as she was very funny and portrayed her character very well.

We both agreed that this was an excellent show and we had had a marvellous time revisiting our childhoods!! We would definitely see the show again and are planning to take our 3 nieces to see it as they would love it.

Messrs Colin and Asa Mccarthy-Burton
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Wow! Outstanding, the costumes, rhythm, energy ensured that we had a fantastic time! The African chants added atmosphere and the performance was mesmerising. No complaints.
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I went on Wednesday 10th May 2006 to see "The Lion King" and it was fabulous. The costumes were very vibrant and the singing was excellent. My view from Row C in the Dress Circle was great and at one point I also had a cast member singing near me!!! The acting and singing was incredible and the energy was superb. It's a must see show and I was sad when it ended. Full of little surprises here and there, the show is the best I have ever seen!!!!!!!!!!!!

Richard Sellens
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We sat in seats 33 and 34, row A of the Upper ( top) Circle. These are marked as partially restricted view ( lowest price ) because they have a rail in front of them. We just leaned on the ( dirty) rail , and the view was perfect, though high up. Not worth it to buy any other seats in the same level at a more expensive price because we had the same view as everyone else . From reading the reviews, it seems as though the viewers who sat in the stalls had a better impression of the play than I did at the top. From up there, we could see layers of dirt and dust on all the wall stucco ornaments and the whole thing looked very shabby. The velvet on the rail was torn to pieces. The show itself was good, though the singing was not spectacular.

I think I had my hopes up for a spectacular show and was let down a little by my expectations. All in all a good night out, though I will not be going to see it again.

Roxana
Surrey
October 2006.
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We have just seen the Lion King. Oh dear what a disappointment, the theatre monkey's review is about right. Only worth seeing for the visual effects. Incidentally, do they ever dust the decor at the theatre?

Richard of Newbury
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We saw the Lion King last week (February 2007), and it was just terrible compared with the first time we saw it about two years ago.  Visually the costumes and the scenery looked great, and we couldn't see any problems with dust or general upkeep of the theatre as other reviewers have mentioned (at least where we were in the stalls).

It was the performance itself that was really lacking. The lead actors were all different to last time and we found it impossible to warm to them, even when we were able to hear what they were saying. The quality of the singing surprised us too, particularly Simba's Dad and uncle. The big ensemble songs left us amazed last time we saw it, but we got the feeling on this occasion that the whole cast was simply going through the motions.

We had real problems hearing the words in a lot of the songs and even during the spoken scenes the actors were either too quiet (usually) or deafening. I asked one of the ushers if there was a sound problem and she said that this was how it usually was. We wondered whether we were alone in this, but after speaking to our neighbours in the interval they too said they had trouble making out the words.

It was a real shame as we were all looking forward to seeing this show again. It shows how much a show can change, and at almost £200 for the four of us we felt we deserved more than this worn-out old show. I'd recommend 'Mary Poppins' or even 'Sound of Music' over this experience.

Tom
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We have just got back from London after seeing 'The Lion King' on 10th April 2007. I found this production almost faultless and don't agree with any of the negative remarks posted here. I'm very particular about sound quality and performance, but apart from Mustafa's voice being a bit quiet in parts, this was an absolutely excellent show - full of colour, enthusiasm, fun, movement and great songs and was well worth the money.

The techniques used to bring the animals to life are superb and the whole production was very atmospheric. I recommend getting seats as close to the front as possible to really appreciate this show. We were in Row H of the stalls which was perfect. You don't need a great book to create a great show and 'The Lion King' is a fine example of this. It's a fantastic show and great fun for adults and children alike - highly recommended!

Andy
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I took two coaches to Lion King about 4 years ago and we sat in the Stalls about 1/3rd back from the stage which was perfect. It was electric, vibrant, and exciting. Most of the group really liked it, some thought it the best show they had ever seen. We liked it so much we had to take our grandchildren . It cost an arm and a leg but we had stall seats on the left side and the look on our six year old grand-daughters face at her first London theatre show when the elephant walked past was worth the ticket price on it's own. It was even more magical than the first time and the perfect days outing for us, a day that will stand out in our memories as one of the best ever.

Yesterday (June 2007) I saw the show again, sitting in the back of the Dress Circle. The seats in row L are comfortable and there is sufficient leg room for even me at 6' 2" but we were so far from the stage we couldn't see faces or expressions and the public involvement with the action is only for those in the stalls so you feel deprived in the circle. When you are quite close in the stalls you can make yourself look at the characters heads and believe in them. From the back of the circle you are mainly aware of the actor working the character which is not the same. At times I lost attention and even felt a little bored, however I put it down to the thought that you can't repeat a perfect experience and we did not have the best seats as we did before so there really was no comparison.

However on reading some of the comments on this website it seems many other felt the same as me in that some of the singing was not great (rather on the harsh side) and the jokes have been gone through so many times that they have lost their humour. I got the feeling they were just going through the motions yet again.

Perhaps it is just one of those shows that you should only see once (or twice in our case) and perhaps it is mainly the repeat customers who don't enjoy it as much as the first time. I don't think it lends itself to repeats in the way that Les Mis, Chicago, or The Sound of Music do .

I do have enough people who want to see Lion King to take a coach party again, so perhaps I should just book it and let them make up their own mind but I do think it has perhaps run it's course - though I hope my group will prove me wrong.
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Went to the 30th of June 2007 evening performance of 'The Lion King,' and after all the praise I had heard for it was extremely disappointed. We were in Upper Circle row M seats 36 to 39 and the view was fine.

The lad playing Young Simba was dreadfully out of tune at some points and was drowned out by the audience at some points. A lot of the other actors/actresses were drowned out as well, apart from Rafiki, who had an absolutely amazing voice.

Found the effects pretty bad after all I had heard. Not sure if something went wrong during Mufassa's death but it just looked stupid, if you hadn't seen the film you wouldn't have known he fell from a rock. He ran up to it and just stood there and lifted his arm up. Scar then appeared and Mufassa just ran into the middle of the thing and fell. Must say the costumes were very clever, although didn't like the Timon costume as I felt the bright green distracted from the puppet.

Good for young kids, but just not my thing.
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