Successful stage musicals are designed to deliver maximum impact. The Lion King: The Musical is no exception. Broadway, NY, and the West End, London, are highly competitive environments. If a production doesn’t cut it in the fight for bums on seats, it falls by the wayside. In this mighty jungle, The Lion King is currently the apex predator. The production has earned over $8 billion globally, making it the biggest musical box-office earner in history.
Produced by Disney Entertainment, The Lion King shows attention to detail. Much of the music is written by Elton John for goodness’ sake! So what happens when you get the well-drilled, highly experienced Lion King cast to practice one of the production’s most popular numbers with a 200-strong world-class men’s chorus? And what happens when you put them all outside the front of the Lyceum Theatre, where the London staging of The Lion King is based? As we can see, the delightful spectacle was larger than life.
As you might expect, many social media comments focus on the charisma and singing of cast member Lindiwe Mkhize, who plays Rafiki. Y Majesty quips: “That woman is mother nature herself and you can’t convince me otherwise.” Dayse B says, “My God! When she sings it vibrates inside your soul.” Zachary W writes, “OMG!!! This lady makes me want to buy a ticket to the show.” Tele Opinions looks at the bigger picture: “Love how diverse that group of singers was. Music brings people together.”
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The coming together of the Lion King cast and the London Gay Men’s Chorus (LGMC) was to mark London Pride 2017. Mark Kember, chairman of the Chorus, commented: “Disney and The LGMC both have such wide and eclectic audiences, so we were tremendously excited to work together on this celebration of hope, diversity, and pride.” There are plenty of great videos of other LGMC performances. This little gem from 2011 features Dolly Parton with a stripped-down version of LGMC. Enjoy.
LGMC traces its origins back to 1991 when the AIDS crisis was at its darkest. Nine friends gathered at Angel Underground Station to sing Christmas carols. They donated their tips to the Terrence Higgins Trust. Today, the LGMC has over 200 members, making it the largest gay male choir in Europe. LGMC regularly performs at prestigious London venues. As we have seen with the Circle of Life video, the chorus still relishes singing on the streets of London.