BROADWAY’S THE LION KING ROARS INTO LAS VEGAS

Jersey Boys, Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia and now The Lion King have all made a name for themselves on the Las Vegas Strip.  One would think Broadway shows would not have a place in “Sin City” but these shows have proven that tourists are doing more than just gambling on the strip.  The Lion King is the newest Broadway spectacular to hit Las Vegas and it’s now playing seven shows a week (including two shows on Saturday and Sunday) at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.

A magnificent thing happened to The Lion King on the way from animated kid hit movie to a Broadway musical.  A shimmering blend of puppetry, song, dance, fairy tale and add Disney to the mix creates a glistening outing for the entire family.

Although everyone is probably familiar with the show here is a short synopsis.  In a jungle named Pride lands, all the animals live calmly as the lion and Simba’s father Mufasa manages the jungle.  When Simba’s Uncle Scar becomes jealous because he wants to be King he has Mufasa killed and tries to kill Simba as well.  He succeeds in killing Mufasa but not Simba, he then convinces Simba that he was the cause of his father’s death and Simba runs away. 

In the jungle, Simba grows up under the care of Timon and Pumbaa, two free loving spirit animals.  As Simba matures, he eventually comes back to the Pride lands where he finds Scar has taken over.  There is poverty in the land and evil rules as the hyenas under the control of Scar are in charge.  Simba battles Scar in a duel to the end and Simba injures Scar and Scar’s own hyenas kill him.

The visual effects, costumes and dancing will keep your eyes glued to the stage and all around the theater for that matter, as the actors come up the aisles in certain parts of the show.

I’d recommend running, not walking to the box office to purchase your tickets to The Lion King.  I’m not a gambler, but I feel secure in predicting  that this spectacular show will be dazzling audiences on the strip for quite some time.  For more information visit www.lionkinglasvegas.com and have a roaring good time.