Disney’s “The Lion King” musical came into the heart of Milwaukee, with live performances at the Marcus Center Feb. 5 to March 1. With the performances now finished in town, some Marquette students who saw the show shared their thoughts of the experience.
Emma Roffler, a sophomore in the College of Business Administration, said she got to see the Lion King show with her mom this past February and really enjoyed it.
“(My mom) came in for the weekend to visit me and we had nothing planned for that Saturday night,” Roffler said in an email. “I asked if she wanted to see ‘The Lion King,’ as neither one of us had seen it before, and she said yes!”
Roffler said she was not disappointed.
“I thought that the actors and actresses were amazing in it,” Roffler said in an email. “I did not know what to expect going in and I was pleasantly surprised when it was similar to the movie, with a few bonus songs.”
She said one of her favorite parts of the musical was the opening scene and song “The Circle of Life.”
“I thought it was so cool to see all the people dressed up in different animal costumes,” Roffler said in an email. “They interacted with the audience in a sense that they would utilize the aisles when coming to the stage.”
Brianna Winters, a junior is the College of Arts & Sciences, said she is a huge Disney fan and “The Lion King” is one of her all-time favorite movies, so she wanted to see it while it was showing in Milwaukee.
“I had just seen it when I went to New York City in August, but I liked it enough that I wanted to see it again,” Winters said in an email. “I loved everything (about the show), but if I had to choose, the costumes were probably my personal favorite part. They are so detailed and interesting!”
Winters said if she had to rate the show, she would give the show a 10/10.
“Seeing (a musical) live is, in my opinion, always better than on screen. You feel so immersed in the story, watching it come alive on stage,” Winters said in an email. “I loved it enough to see it twice in one year and I would still go back and see it again.”
Roffler agreed with Winters that the live “Lion King” performance was different than on a screen.
“The characters would make jokes or ask questions, and it was fun to answer and laugh,” Roffler said in an email. “I think that when you see any show in person, you develop a new love for it. It was so interesting to see it live and see how it was similar, yet different, from the film.”
Roffler said she would probably rate the musical a 9/10.
Emily Morrone, a graduate student in the College of Health Sciences, said she decided to see the musical a few years ago in Chicago and “absolutely loved it.”
Like Winters, it was her second time seeing “The Lion King.”
”I told myself that I needed see it again if I had the chance. I’m a huge ‘Lion King’ fan,” Morrone said in an email.
Morrone shared some of her favorite parts about the musical.
“My favorite part is the opening number where the giraffes are slowly walking across the stage while the sun is rising from the floor,” Morrone said in an email.
She said the musical did a wonderful job at bringing the movie to life.
“The actors are so good at their jobs that you don’t even realize they’re people, because they are so in character with the animals or characters they play,” Morrone said in an email.
She said she would give the show a 10/10 or more if she could.
“If you can’t tell already, I am obsessed with ‘The Lion King,’” Morrone said. “Ever since I was little, ‘The Lion King’ has been my favorite movie, and now my favorite musical.”
This story was written by Skyler Chun. She can be reached at [email protected].