For Mickey's 5th birthday we got him a new bike - he grew out of his first one so fast! - and tickets to see "The Lion King" on Broadway. He has always been drawn to the story of "The Lion King", first the movie, then a book that is a condensed version of the movie, then a souvenir book we gave him in anticipation of seeing the show, and just recently, the Broadway soundtrack. Tom and I had already seen the show, and when we saw it we said to each other "this would be a great show to bring a kid," and now we have a great kid to take! He's so good when attending movies and live performances - we're very lucky!When I went to the box office to purchase the tickets for his birthday, I tried to get tickets for a day as close to his birthday as possible, BUT they had to be orchestra seats, in front of the balcony overhang and on the aisle. October 11th, the Saturday of Columbus Day weekend, was the soonest we could do. So on that morning we hopped into the car and drove down, having some McDonald's on the way for lunch. I love New York City, but am I glad I do not live in all that nonsense anymore. We saw the show and then treated ourselves to dinner at Suenos, our favorite Mexican restaurant ever, and then we headed back home. A very long day, but very worth it.
The seats were great, and we put Mickey in the aisle seat so he could have the best view. The very first number is one of the most exciting theater pieces I have ever seen. Julie Taymor, the director, created costumes and puppets that fantastically portray all the African animals. The giraffes are my favorite.
The lights went to black, but there were aisle seat lights and orchestra to pierce the dark. Rafiki starts the show with this loud holler in the dark,
and when the lights came up Mickey's eyes were as big as silver dollars. And then the animals started coming down the aisle, headed for "Pride Rock" up on the stage. The most fantastic was the elephant. What I loved about the elephant was the actors inside the legs of the elephant waving to Mickey as they passed by.
When the hyenas finally made their entrance in the show, Mickey made his way onto Papa's lap where he stayed for the remainder of the show - even after intermission.
He LOVED the show and not a day goes by that he doesn't listen to the soundtrack. I must say that some of the music is beginning to get under my skin, in a good way. I'm just so glad that we have a son that loves theater, music and dance and already has such an appreciation for it as well as an incredible grasp and understanding of it. What's next? Mary Poppins?
