Being a '90s-born Millennial, The Lion King was an essential and ever-present part of my childhood, and I feel confident in saying it's absolutely one of the best Disney films ever made. Because of this, I was very excited to see the renowned stage production when it toured through Texas a few years ago, but unfortunately past the opening Circle of Life that left me in tears I was fairly underwhelmed by the show. Now I will absolutely give credit where it's due: this show has mind-blowing costuming, hair, and makeup, and many of the actors in our production were incredibly talented. As much as I wanted to love the show, though, I just didn't, and will gladly choose the original animated film any day of the week.
The Lion King is a musical with a book by Roger Allers & Irene Mecchi, music by Sir Elton John, and lyrics by Tim Rice, Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor, and Hans Zimmer. Based on the 1994 Disney animated film of the same name, the show opened in 1997 at the New Amsterdam Theatre (located on W 42nd Street) before moving to the Minskoff Theatre (located on Astor Plaza) in 2006, where it remains in residence to this day as the third longest-running (and highest-grossing) Broadway show of all time. The original Broadway run was nominated for eleven Tony Awards in 1998, winning five of them: Best Direction of a Musical, Best Choreography, Best Scenic Design, Best Costume Design, and Best Lighting Design. Apart from Broadway, the show has enjoyed success in London's West End since 1999 and has seen three North American Tours (2002, 2003, and 2017), two UK tours (2012 and 2019), and one international tour (2018).
For this post, I will again focus on one song for each main cast member. I will be discussing the original live cast recording, but not officially comparing it to the original soundtrack since many of the songs were written for the musical itself. There will be honorable mentions again because, duh, it's The Lion King, and Elton John and Tim Rice are a songwriting dream team. Let's get started! Warning: potential spoilers ahead.
Simba (Tenor)
Spotlight Song: Endless Night
Honorable Mentions: The Morning Report; I Just Can't Wait to Be King; Hakuna Matata; Can You Feel the Love Tonight
Original Broadway Cast (1997): Jason Raize
Adult Simba doesn't sing much in the movie, so I did like getting some extra music in for our main character on stage. OG Simba Jason Raize has a great Broadway voice, and really gets to show it off in the Act 2 number Endless Night. It's a new song for the show, but anyone who's seen the movie will recognize bits of the classic film score throughout it, particularly near the end. It's a great song that gives us insight into Simba's headspace as he wrestles with what is easy and what he knows to be right.
Where has the starlight gone, dark is the day/How can I find my way home, home is an empty dream/Lost to the night, Father, I feel so alone/You promised you'd be there whenever I needed you/Whenever I call your name, you're not anywhere/I’m trying to hold on, just waiting to hear your voice/One word, just a word will do to end this nightmare
Nala (Alto)
Spotlight Song: Shadowland
Honorable Mentions: I Just Can't Wait to Be King; Can You Feel the Love Tonight
Original Broadway Cast (1997): Heather Headley
First of all, I just have to say how much I love that Nala is an Alto role - that's still not the most common occurrence to have a female lead be an alto instead of a soprano or a mezzo, and altos are so incredibly talented. Heather Headley is a perfect example of that, especially in Act 2's Shadowland, which is my favorite original number for the show. Like Endless Night, the melody draws on themes from the original film score, and the lyrics are incredibly emotional and heartbreaking as Nala leaves the pride to find help to bring down Scar. It's a really beautiful number, and a great one for altos to have in their showtune repertoire.
Shadowland, the leaves have fallen/This shadowed land, this was our home/The river's dry, the ground has broken/So I must go, now I must go/And where the journey may lead me/Let your prayers be my guide/I cannot stay here, my family/But I'll remember my pride
Scar (Bass)
Spotlight Song: Be Prepared
Original Broadway Cast (1997): John Vickery
Scar is a Top 3 Disney Villain for me (up there with Dr. Facilier and Ursula), and he hands down has one of the most iconic villain songs ever. While I admittedly prefer film Scar Jeremy Irons's more refined and controlled (until the end with that incredible evil laugh) performance over John Vickery's much more dramatic approach, Be Prepared is undoubtedly Scar's best number in the entire show. It's sinister while still being fun, it's catchy and clever, and the staging of it is awesome. Scar sucks, but he also rules at the same time.
I know that your powers of retention are as wet as a warthog’s backside/But thick as you are, pay attention, my words are a matter of pride/It’s clear from your vacant expressions the lights are not all on upstairs/But we’re talking kings and successions, even you can’t be caught unawares/So prepare for a chance of a lifetime, be prepared for sensational news/A shining new era is tiptoeing nearer/And where do we feature/Just listen to teacher/I know it sounds sordid, but you’ll be rewarded/When at last I am given my dues/And injustice deliciously squared/Be prepared
Rafiki (Soprano or Alto)
Spotlight Song: Rafiki Mourns
Honorable Mentions: Circle of Life
Original Broadway Cast (1997): Tsidii Le Loka
I'm sitting here covered in goosebumps just at the memory of hearing Rafiki open up the show with that iconic chant in Circle of Life. Rafiki can absolutely make or break this show, and the original actress Tsidii Le Loka cemented herself as an all-time great, especially with Act 1's Rafiki Mourns. Le Loka actually wrote the lyrics to this particular song, and the emotion and grief it portrays is incredibly powerful. A rough English translation of the original Tswana lyrics is below.
Spilled blood/Try courage so the beasts may fall/Those who defy mountains are, in truth, cowards//Even in anger, you do not speak against wrong
Mufasa (Bass)
Spotlight Song: They Live in You
Honorable Mentions: The Morning Report
Original Broadway Cast (1997): Samuel E. Wright
If you think it's weird to imagine anyone but James Earl Jones play the King of Pride Rock, wait until I tell you that Mufasa's original stage actor is Samuel E. Wright, who will always and forever in my (and many others') mind be Sebastian from The Little Mermaid. Now it's not like Wright sings Act 1's They Live in You in Sebastian's signature Jamaican accent, but once you know it's him it's hard not to hear it. Wright had an incredible, powerful voice, and he performs this emotional song beautifully. If you haven't seen the show but have seen The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride, this is a song you already know - it was so beloved in the stage show that they made it the opening number of the film's sequel.
Night and the spirit of life/Calling, "Mamela"/And the voice with the fear of a child/Asking, "Oh, mamela"/Mamela/Mamela, iyo/Hela/Wait, there's no mountain too great/Hear these words and have faith/Have faith/Hela, hey mamela/Hela, hey mamela/Hela, hey mamela/Hela/They live in you, they live in me/They are watching over everything we see/In every creature, in every star/In your reflection, they live in you
Timon (Tenor) & Pumbaa (Baritone)
Spotlight Song: Hakuna Matata
Honorable Mentions: The Lion Sleeps Tonight
Original Broadway Cast (1997): Max Casella & Tom Alan Robbins
Hakuna Matata is a bonafide gem of a Disney song, and if you disagree... wait, is it even possible someone may actually think otherwise?? While Max Casella and Tom Alan Robbins are not Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella, they don't exactly try to be, and it's okay because they do a great job finding the essence of Timon & Pumbaa on their own. Hakuna Matata is Act 1's closer, which is a perfect halfway point for this story. The stage version is every bit the banger that you would expect it to be, so no worries (lol, I accidentally made a joke) there.
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
Zazu (Tenor)
Spotlight Song: The Morning Report
Original Broadway Cast (1997): Geoff Hoyle
Zazu and Sebastian gave me the same energy as a kid, is that weird? Again, Geoff Hoyle isn't Rowan Atkinson, but he brings his own anxious, hoity-toity attitude to the character and he truly feels like our hornbill majordomo. Act 1's The Morning Report is a short, fun little song that's much more of a bonding moment for Mufasa and Simba, but it's Zazu's shining moment so we can't really take that away from him. This is another song that may sound familiar to you: while not in the original film, it was added as a new, special scene when the movie was released on DVD for the first time in 2003.
Chimps are going ape, giraffes remain above it all/Elephants remember, though just what, I can't recall/Crocodiles are snapping up fresh offers from the banks/Showed interest in my nest egg, but I quickly said, "No thanks!”/We haven't paid the hornbills and the vultures have a hunch/Not everyone invited will be coming back from lunch/This is the morning report, gives you the long and the short/Every grunt, roar, and snort, not a tale I distort/On the morning report
Shenzi (Alto), Banzai (Tenor), & Ed (Tenor, Baritone, or Bass)
Spotlight Song: The Madness of King Scar
Original Broadway Cast (1997): Tracy Nicole Chapman, Stanley Wayne Mathis, & Kevin Cahoon
Oh, the hyenas. They're pretty fun in the movie thanks largely to Whoopi Goldberg and Cheech Marin, but the musical gives them a bit too much stage time and some really subpar (sorry not sorry) songs (looking at you, Chow Down). Act 2's The Madness of King Scar is the closest we get to a good song featuring the hyenas, and while Chapman, Mathis, and Cahoon sound like they're having a blast whenever their parts come up, it's just really not my vibe. Ok, I'll be done triggering my husband now, but at least I didn't pick Chow Down, right, bud?
Yeah, you're our savior, thanks a bunch/But how about some lunch/It doesn't matter if it's fresh/I need a fix of flesh/My bones have moved to where they've never been/They are on the outside looking in
The Lion King is a show that I think everyone should experience at least once, because it is visually stunning and is now such an important part of Broadway history, so I hope you found some new (and old) music to explore today. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!
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