There was much excitement when The Lion King re-opened on Broadway on 14 September 2021. Many cast members – including Tshidi Manye who sings the iconic opening lines of Circle of Life at the start of the performance – had been with the show from its Broadway opening in October 1997. With 8 shows a week, that’s a lot of performances before the March 2020 Covid-19 closure. Before the pandemic, there were a few interruptions caused by strike action, severe weather events, and 9/11, but nothing as long as Covid-19.
Even seasoned pros with 24 years of experience in The Lion King Musical need rehearsals after a break of 18 months. Can you imagine the buzz of anticipation when the cast and crew returned for the first rehearsal after so long without work, when they gathered together after the frustration, despair, and isolation of the pandemic? Fortunately, a camera crew was on hand to capture the historic first run-through of the opening number, The Circle of Life. Tshidi Manye isn’t the only one who cried. Let’s have a look:
That was moving, wasn’t it? The clip starts with The Lion King Musical director, costume designer, and mask co-designer Julie Taymor reminding the cast of the emotional power of live productions of The Lion King. Haru SK comments, “The director has seen this music performed thousands of times, but still gets as moved as the first time. That’s the mark of a special song, great cast, and dedicated director who loves the material.” Joel-Steven writes, “I want to work with a director who is THAT emotionally invested!”
Slate reviewer Eliya Smith was in the reopening-night audience. She describes Manye bracing herself for Circle of Life: “She staved off the tears … the crowd cheered so stridently it was impossible to hear anything beyond white noise. Despite her powerful voice, despite the buildup of emotions she released into those opening notes, Manye didn’t stand a chance.” Here’s a clip of that performance (the video benefits from mixing desk audio, so we hear those opening lines better than Eliya Smith in the audience).
The Lion King Musical features the songs that Elton John and Tim Rice wrote for the original animated film, augmented by three extra John/Rice songs, as well as additional music by Lebo M (who sang the opening verse of Circle of Life in the film), Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Hans Zimmer, and director Julie Taymor. It is Broadway’s third-longest-running show ever (more than 10,000 performances) and Broadway’s highest profit maker (more than $1.9 billion). Of course, the Broadway run is not the only production of The Lion King Musical. The Disney press release announcing the 2021 Broadway re-opening refers to 25 global productions seen by nearly 110 million people.