'The Lion King' Offers a Feast of Color and Movement
Disney's The Lion King
Book by Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi
Music and Lyrics by Elton John and Tim Rice
Conceived and directed by Julie Taymor
Review by Loraine Lawson
Entire contents are copyright © 2026 Loraine Lawson. All rights reserved.
The Lion King is back in Louisville as part of this year’s PNC Broadway Louisville season. It is, quite simply, a feast of color and movement, with every scene offering beautiful dance and puppetry set to its African-inspired score.
I saw the Friday showing, and even though I’d seen it before, this production felt fresh and new. If you’re unfamiliar with the story, it bears striking similarities with William Shakespeare’s Henry V.
In both, the young princes reject their roles as monarchs to pursue a responsibility-free life among the “common” “man,” which in Simba’s case, it’s a carefree meerkat and warthog. Eventually, each prince returns to his kingdom and usurps a usurper — taking their rightful place as monarchs.
Adult Simba is played with youthful vigor by Gilbert Domally. The talented Anthony Fraire (with Jaxon Ipapo-Glass sharing the role during different performances) brought a fun energy to the role of the young Simba.
Scar, played by Peter Hargrove, is the evil uncle who kills Simba’s father, Mufasa, but somehow manages to convince Simba that he was responsible for his father’s death. He urges Simba to run away, sending three hyenas after him. But the hyenas are lazy and scared and decide not to hunt Simba down.
Hargrove is delightfully sinister as Scar. He brought a biting wit and made great use of his costume to make Scar imposing yet inept at the role he’s stolen. How good was Hargrove at playing villain? At curtain call, audiences seemed uncertain whether to cheer or boo him, a sure indication of a successful stage villain.
David D’Lancy Wilson played Mufasa, Simba’s father and king of Pride Rock. He was imposing as a monarch and father figure, but he also delivered a lot of heart to the character.
Nala is Simba’s best friend growing up, and when they re-meet as adults, they promptly fall in love. The actress who plays young Nala also varies by performance. I saw Anaszia Kelly but during some performances, she’s played by Journey Compas. Syndee Winters brought the adult Nala to life with her beautiful voice. She really shone on “Can You Feel the Love Tonight.”
Another great vocalist in this production is Zama Magudulea, who plays a baboon and shaman named Rafiki. Her vocals were outstanding on "Circle of Life", "Shadowland" and "He Lives in You."
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the three main hyenas, played by Forest Vandyke (Banzai), Martina Sykes (Shenzi) and Sam Linda (Ed), who switched between being incredibly creepy and comic relief.
But The Lion King is more than the lead characters. What really makes the show is the entire ensemble of dancers and puppeteers who bring the savannah of Africa to life. The stage craft provided an extra layer of texture to the production through clever use of fabric and lighting.
Bottom line: You can’t go wrong with this production, which offers a great theater experience for all ages.
The Lion King plays at The Kentucky Cemter through Nov. 29 with 7 p.m. weekday performances, Saturday performances at 2:00 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday showings at 1 and 6:30 p.m. There’s also a 1 p.m. matinee Nov. 25.
Disney's The Lion King
PNC Broadway in Louisville
Novemeber 12-29 2027
Kentucky Performing Arts
501 W. Main St.
Louisville, KY 40202
502.584.7777
Comments