The Lion King rules

Ten out of 10. That’s the rating my two mesmerized companions gave to The Lion King Musical now playing at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium.

This was their second viewing, yet they were just as captivated as the eight-year-olds sitting a few seats from us.

Repeat viewings do nothing to diminish the power of this simple Disney tale about growing up and accepting responsibility. In this hero-mythology, the young cub Simba is duped by his power-hungry uncle Scar into believing he is responsible for his father, King Mufasa’s death. Simba bolts and Scar positions himself as king.

Much of the credit is due to the experimental vision of director-designer Julie Taynor’s use of masks and puppetry. She focuses on the storytelling aspect and fills the production with global influences that broadens a person’s outlook of the world at large.

Right up there with Taynor is the pop music of Elton John and Tim Rice amplified by Lebo M’s distinctly African musical traditions. This music is unlike any other Disney production with its primal, hypnotizing percussive sounds heightened by the presence of two drummers visible at each end of the stage. And the choral arrangements, some chanted in Zulu, are simply stunning. It’s a new height of theatre magic.

Whether you’ve seen Lion King or not, the opening scene is a spectacle that may catch you unprepared.

As the first notes of Circle of Life are played, a huge shimmering orange sun rises on the African plain. While Pride Rock majestically rolls on stage, Rafiki, the mystical shaman-baboon summons all the animal life.

In Noah’s ark fashion, dozens of life-sized African wildlife puppets process from the back of the Jubilee Auditorium. All are manipulated by visible actors using poles and wheels.

Each creature wears a headdress and mask that does not cover the face and creates two focal points that are at times disconcerting yet completely in tune with the character.

Several bodies are needed to manipulate an enormous lumbering elephant shell. A graceful giraffe appears as an actor with his legs on stilts to create the back end while two longer poles stretch out from his arms to make the front legs. A long mask sits on his head to create the unusual neck effect.

Graceful antelope, ram and gazelles leap nimbly through the aisles while birds swoop along passages, terraces and mini-balconies creating an almost 360-degree experience.

But this parade is just the first of numerous cascading special effects that leave audiences wondering, “how did they do that?”

This is a great theatrical reboot of the Disney film and leaves audiences enchanted in no small part to the acting. Mukelisiwe Gobo was a temp replacement for Tshidi Manye’s Rafiki on opening night.

An audience favourite, Gobo’s wild-looking Rafiki switches easily from glowering balefully to full-on mischievousness and has a voice that soars to the rafters.

The buff Aaron Nelson as adult Simba is a ball of energy while Nia Holloway as Nala is a sleek lioness that doesn’t take crap from anyone –especially Simba.

Gerald Ramsey as Mufasa is at his best when passing on kingly wisdom about the delicate balance of nature and Patrick R. Brown as the poisonous Scar is a bit campy, but definitely the villain you love to hate.

Supplying the comedy is the smart-mouth meerkat Timon (Nick Cordileone) and the flatulent warthog Pumbaa (Ben Lipitz).

There were a few irritating moments throughout the production, but overall it was so easy to suspend our disbelief and revel in a story of universal truths.

There is magic in the animal kingdom and The Lion King is for both 10-year-olds and the 10-year-olds that live in us.