THEATRE REVIEW: "The Lion King" at the Minskoff Theatre (New York, NY)



      On the afternoon of July 18th, 2026, in the midst of air quality alerts and inclement weather, I made my way to Broadway's Minskoff Theatre and saw the first act of "The Lion King."  The day before I won the ticket lottery for the July 18th matinee and was eager to go see "The Lion King" again.  The first, and only other time, I saw the Broadway musical was in July of 2009.  I had intended to stay for the entire show (even though the opening number is the best part of the musical, in my opinion), but I had a change of heart during intermission.  But the cast was amazing during the first act, as was the show itself. 






     At the performance I saw, the cast of "The Lion King" included Ntsepa Pitjeng-Molebatsi (Rafiki), Gavin Lee (Scar), L. Steven Taylor (Mufasa), Cameron Pow (Zazu), Ben Jeffrey (Pumbaa), Fred Berman (Timon), Mduduzi Madela (Simba), Pearl Khwezi (Nala), James Brown-Orleans (Banzai), Bonita J. Hamilton (Shenzi), Sam Linda (Ed), and Daphne Marcelle Lee (Sarabi).  The cast was amazing, and wasn't the reason I left the show at intermission.  With an air-quality alert that had been going on for days, and thunderstorms in the area, I just thought that the earlier I returned home, the better.










     My favorite part of "The Lion King" is the opening number, which is the song "The Circle of Life."  I am glad I got to see that number before leaving.  I had also forgotten how extravagant the scenery was.  I remembered how intricate Julie Taymor's costumes were, but Richard Hudson's scenic design was a sight to behold as well.  Even the lobby of the Minskoff Theatre is visually stunning.  To reach it, you ascend an escalator that goes up under a giant wood carving of a lion's face.  Running along one side of the lobby are floor-to-ceiling windows offering a gorgeous view of Times Square.  In 2009, I took in a nighttime view from that window.  This time around, I saw the view during the day.  











      While the multi-million dollar touring productions of "The Lion King" have closed, there is still a North American Tour of the show that still captivates audiences and receives rave reviews.  Yet the Broadway Production of "The Lion King" is the only English-Language Production remaining with the original extravagance as far as production values.  Full scale productions still run in Madrid, Spain and Hamburg, Germany.  




     






     While I haven't seen "The Lion King" in its entirety for about seventeen years, I can still remember parts of Act Two.  While they might pale in comparison to the show's beginning, I would like to see the entire show musical again at some point.  That was simply not meant to be this time.  The same goes for seeing "Ragtime" at Lincoln Center before it closes.  Thank goodness for cast albums!  










     With that being said, there is nothing like seeing a show in person, even if familiar with the cast album.  I've listened to the Original Broadway Cast Album of "The Lion King" so many times since I saw the show last, and forgot so many aspects of the live musical itself.  I'm sure I'm missing out on seeing the Broadway Revival of "Ragtime," but am thankful there are now not one, but two great cast recordings of that show I can listen to instead.  The irony is not lost on me that the Original Broadway Production of "Ragtime" lost to "The Lion King" in the Best Musical category at the 1998 Tony Awards.  Yet as great a success as "The Lion King" has been on Broadway and Worldwide, no show runs forever--which was another reason I wanted to see it at least one more time.








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