Over the weekend, I went with my family to see the Lion King musical. It was playing at the Orpheum Theatre, just blocks from my apartment…so I convinced my parents to try MUNI instead of driving. This worked out well, since it started pouring rain as soon as we left my apartment.

But I digress. The show was incredible. It was a solid play in its own right, and the cast was great, but the real stars were the costumes and the music. They had people in giraffe costumes on four-legged stilts, soaring birds on impossibly tall poles, massive elephants that dwarfed the stage, and that’s just the beginning. I was also impressed at how well the costumes – and the actors! – portrayed animals that don’t look or move remotely like humans.

The music was similarly unusual and cool. It included most of the familiar songs from the movie, but with a distinct African flair, It also included other African music, dancing, and authentic instruments, all well executed.

On a diferent note, I was happy to see that a big, traditional entertainment company like Disney had the guts to produce something like this. To say it’s not their standard fare would be an understatement. :P I’m glad they did, though, since we all had a lot of fun.