It moves us all— through despair and hope, through faith and love— and Disney’s The Lion King has found its place on the path unwinding— right here in Charm City at Baltimore’s very own Hippodrome Theatre! The mighty tale of the circle of life returns to Baltimore once more and is the joyful uplifting theatrical experience that everyone in the world needs right now. Directed by Julie Taymor with Choreography by Garth Fagan, this iconic Disney musical is a beautiful blessing to us all at this moment in time.

Visually striking sets, breathtaking costumes, and gloriously imaginative ingenuity hard at work in the show’s puppetry, which is more than 90% of the show, will leave audiences thrilled in wonder and amazement to experience The Lion King. The beloved songs (music & lyrics) of Elton John & Tim Rice are brought to vivacious and vibrant life with a score of talented on-stage performers, pit musicians, and live percussionists who play from the private-boxes that flank either side of the house. Scenic Designer Richard Hudson, Lighting Designer Donald Holder, and Costume Designer (and Director and Mask & Puppet co-designer) Julie Taymor work in perfect syzygy with one another to create the stunning spectacle that is Pride Rock, the grasslands, the Elephant Graveyard, and the other beloved locations that populate the show’s setting. A glorious rainbow of colors infiltrates the costumes and are gloriously of note at the top of Act II when the ensemble floods back in through the house to kick off the second half of the show with “One By One,” led vocally by Sakhile Mthembu, Nhlanhla Ndlovu, Sicel Ntshangase, and Poseletso Sejosingoe.  It’s a joyous visual and aural feast as the ensemble sings and dances and flies their overhead birds, reminding us all that theatre is an exquisite form of joy and should be celebrated and cherished.

Taymor’s puppetry and mask design, co-created with Michael Curry, is the hallmark of this Disney show. It’s even got components of ‘tongue-n-cheek’ hilarity built right into it, particularly for Zazu. (At one point the physical puppet is taken from the actor and he scrambles around panicking trying to find his bird, resulting in a Marx Brothers’ slapstick bonk and a clever little reference to La Cage Aux Folles.) But the majesty and sheer regality of these puppets is second to none. Giraffes— both the elegant moving variety (up on stilts, Maurie Dawkins) and the wicked dance-bobble-head variety, elephants— both large and little— the Gazelle-Cycle (Ellen Akashi) and of course the lion masks/headdresses that are the intrinsic essence of this production are all astonishing in ways that truly defy description. It’s Disney magic; it’s a legacy show with expectations that are well-met in this current tour.

Spirited and enthusiastic are the two words that come to mind when finding descriptors for Garth Fagan’s choreography. Even if there’s a sexy-breakout dance with the hyenas during “Be Prepared” that feels a bit like it wangles its way in from left-field; it’s entertaining and the sheer athletic and acrobatic skillset on display there is impressive beyond compare. The dancing ensemble— featuring Ellen Akashi, Layla Brent, Vernon Brooks III, Sasha Caicedo, Shaquelle Charles, Maurice Dawkins, Marquis Floyd, Valeriane Louisy, Louis Joseph, Yuka Notsuka, Sayiga Eugene Peabody, Jodran Nicole Willis— is bursting with moves that both embody the animals that they are representing and flow flawlessly with the music of the production. The singing ensemble, featuring— Lauren Carr, Reoagile Choabi, Cedrick Ekra, Joel Karie, Gabisile Manana, Sakhile Mthembu, Sarita Amani Nash, Nhlanhla Ndlovu, Jeremy Noel, Sicelo Ntshangase, Maurica Roland, Poseletso Sejosingoe, Ben Toomer, Denzel Tsopnang— match the energy and spirited emotional levels of the dancers song for song. When their extraordinary voices soar through “Circle of Life” at both the opening and closing of the show you get thrilling shivers shooting up and down your spine. The striking harmonies and powerful emotions that the singing ensemble imbues into each of their moments in song, combined with the effervescence of the dance corps makes for an exhilarating theatrical experience for theatergoers of all ages.

One could spend all day praising the individual puppeteers at work, each dancer, each singer, but it’s easier to sing their praises as a company and send people directly to the show so that they can experience the magic for themselves, but it must be said that the four ensemble dancers playing the ‘grass’ (they are unlisted as such) during the ‘contemplation of the stars’ scene where Simba can’t settle down and the infamous “great balls of gas burning billions of miles away” line comes into play, deserve shout-outs of their own. They are sassy, hilarious, and totally in the comedic rhythm of that scene, particularly when it’s mentioned that Simba wants something greener. It’s such a little moment but it’s priceless and they’ve earned their five-seconds of fame in the…. grass-light.

While there may be some curious looks coming at the hyenas as a whole during “Be Prepared”, especially during the odd-yet-intriguing ‘sexy dance in the smoke-geysers’, the trio of stooge-leaders— Banzi (Forest Vandyke), Shenzi (at this performance, Brine Wallace), and Ed (Sam Linda)— give the audience a great deal of chuckles. Of course Ed’s always chuckling but he really riles the audience up during one of the more shadowy moments in transition into or out of a scene, he starts butt-scooting across the stage floor. The trio showcase a little extra silliness and hilarity during “Chow Down” (the number that this Disney fan would love to see swapped back out for Zazu’s “Morning Report” but that’s just personal preference.) Vandyke, Wallace, and Linda are more than serviceable as the low-to-ground, loping hyenas; their physicality is really on-point inside those massive hybrid-puppet costumes.

Squawky and pithy and rife with sarcasm, Zazu (at this performance, Thom Christopher Warren) has impeccable comic timing, particularly when it comes to delivering zippy zingers at Young Simba and when cheekily attempting to back-talk Scar. And of course Warren’s momentary rendition of Elsa’s “Let It Go” is a real hilarious scream. (It replaced the “lovely bunch of coconuts” bit from the animated film.) Warren’s physicality is also a feature of note as he really glides around the stage, feathers all a-ruffled and flustered, particularly when Mufasa is putting him on about being fired.

Precocious, spunky, and full of life, Young Simba (at this performance, Byrce Christian Thompson) and Young Nala (at this performance, Jaxyn Damasco) are the youthful exuberance that the world needs most right now. Damasco and Thompson play extremely well off of one another especially in their adorable little wrestling match. And when they’re singing to bring the house down together in “I Just Can’t Wait to be King” it really inspires the audience to a feeling of wondrous delight. Thompson, as Young Simba, is particularly engaging and the working relationship he develops with Mufasa (Darnell Abraham) is truly heartfelt and earnest.

Abraham, as the king of Pride Rock, presents the character of Mufasa as uniquely ‘human’, which feels so odd to say when he’s the head lion, but his raw vulnerability, especially in that ‘teaching moment’ with Young Simba, after the elephant graveyard scene, is so emotionally exposed and grounded that you feel this humanity flowing through him. Abraham lets Mufasa show both his son, and the audience at large, that being a King is more than just doing whatever you want, being scared is a part of life, and being brave doesn’t mean you go asking for trouble. His voice is powerful; “They Live In You” is a haunting and inspiring ballad which Abraham sings exquisitely.

In a similar vein of powerful sounds, Mukelisiwe Goba brings the character of Rafiki to life with unlimited gusto and indefatigable shenanigans. Watching Goba chant and booty-shake with Simba in the second act of the show is as hilarious as her opening and closing moments in the show are reverent. Goba has a balance to her portrayal as the sagely-but-silly baboon, and she’s just plain fun to watch on stage. Goba brings as much humor to the character as she does respect, and watching her ascend Pride Rock both at the beginning and end of the show is as magical as it was the first time when it happened in cinemas back in 1994.

If you need comedic relief in the shadowlands (of The Lion King or let’s be honest, of the world right now) look no further than that dynamic duo of Timon (Nick Cordileone) and Pumbaa (Danny Grumich.) You won’t be able to take your eyes off of Grumich’s twitchy snout, which looks so playful and silly whenever Pumbaa is at rest. Cordileone is bringing an extraordinary caricature vocal affectation to Timon. (He gets a moment in song somewhere in the show where you hear what he really sounds like while singing, which makes the voice he’s putting on, and with great consistency, I might add, that much more impressive.) Their comic timing is excellent, their witty exchanges are sublime. They play well with one another and incorporate Young Simba and Simba once he grows up into their duo flawlessly. Cordileone’s little “dress in drag and do the Charleston” moment is delightful and humorous; the pair are just perfect together and the spread smiles from ear to ear all across the audience with their version of “Hakuna Matata.”  

Slick, unctuous, seedy, and yet just that simmering hint of silliness that comes along with all Disney villains so that they’re ‘bad seeds’ but not ‘too scary’ for the younger audiences, Peter Hargrave strikes that balance divinely when it comes to playing Scar. Affecting something akin to Jeremy Irons’ British sound, to remind everyone of Scar’s origins from the 1994-animated film, Hargrave creates the novelty of Scar with fluent ease; a little sarcastic, a little nefarious, and just the right dose of evil. It’s his voice that will impress you the most— particularly when those basement-bass notes pour out of him during “Be Prepared.” And although there isn’t a huge belt-blast-sustain at the end of the number, you still get the impression that Hargrave could burst from the top of that elephant skeleton, leap into the audience, and devour you whole. What’s most praiseworthy about Hargrave’s performance, in addition to his silky vocals, is the trepidation with which he navigates “The Madness of King Scar.” That’s a song nobody asked for and doesn’t always situate right with the overall vibe of the show, but Hargrave finds a way to keep it from slipping into dangerously inappropriate territory. And that’s a feather in his cap for certain.

Nala (Thembelihle Cele) and Simba (Erick D. Patrick) are unique characters, in the sense that they don’t arrive until Act II! Well, technically Simba swings into the very tail-end of Act I, but for the most part, the roles are ‘Young Simba’ and ‘Young Nala’ until the second act. When Thembelihle Cele appears and delivers her heart-rending performance of “Shadowland”, it stirs deep within the soul to hear it. Her voice is gorgeous, the emotional gravity that she pours into the number, sublime. And she carries the gestures, movements, and general playfulness of her younger counterpart, so that when she re-meets Simba in the jungle, their encounter is an immediate callback to happier times. Erick D. Patrick as Simba holds his own against Cele, even if she does pin him. Again. For the third time. His voice is equally impressive and as full of emotional turmoil, which you hear in spades during “Endless Night.” His overall interactions with Timon, Pumbaa, and Rafiki are textbook interactions to the libretto’s narrative path and when he finally ascends Pride Rock, you are overcome with how very meaningful of a moment it is for Simba.

Make Hakuna Matata your motto; no worries, just so long as you get your tickets to Disney’s The Lion King while it’s here in Baltimore, where all are welcome to enjoy its splendors.

Running Time: 2 hours and 35 minutes with one intermission

Disney’s The Lion King plays through March 2^nd 2025 at The Hippodrome Theatre of The France-Merrick Performing Arts Center— 12 N. Eutaw Street in Baltimore’s Bromo Arts District. Tickets are available by calling the box office at 410-837-7400 or purchasing them in advance online.