By Carol Davis

SAN DIEGO-The very first time I saw The Lion King I was on one of my theatre junkets to New York. I thought I was pardon the expression, “the cat’s meow." Broadway, New Amsterdam Theatre, wow! But nothing can compare to the show at the Civic Theatre downtown. It’s so much more up close and personal that you can actually “Feel the love."This is the second go around for The Lion King in San Diego, but that’s not the whole story.

“Look Simba…Everything the light touches is our kingdom ” King Mufasa (Dionne Randolph) tells his young cub Simba (Chaz Marcus Fleming) as they survey their realm together.

How true! Lion King, based on the Disney animated film (I remember watching it with my two grandsons when they were younger) opened on Broadway in 1997 after debuting in Minneapolis. It made its national tour in 2002 and before and after the national tour, the show has been around the world and back. It has won seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Choreography, Best Direction of a Musical, (Julie Taymor), Best Original Score (Elton John and Tim Rice) Best Costumes, (Julie Taymor and Michael Curry) and on and on. And those are just the Tony’s.

This current run is as amazing as if seeing it for the first time that jaw dropping and eye popping are regular occurrences from audience members as the ‘animals’ parade down the aisles. We’re talking bigger than life sized animal puppets (there are more than 200 puppets in the show including rod puppets, shadow puppets and full sized puppets) all being generated by real life sized actors inside and out of these characters. Elephants, antelope, giraffe’s, birds, zebras, and the list of characters are non-stop as they parade past the audience toward the stage. It is one of the most dazzling scenes yet.

Watching it for the first time in New York, I couldn’t help but let the cynical side of me take over after the animals paraded on to the stage and thinking that this is after all the Disney movie version of good winning out over evil. But after seeing it again for the second and third times, I could appreciate both the message and the great Elton John/Tim Rice score and lyrics. Additional music and lyrics by Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor (“Endless Night)” and Hans Zimmer include both Western and African music, which is often more physical, immediate and repetitive than some of the more traditional music heard.

The chanting, the colorful costumes and the great sounds coming from Rick Snyder’s Orchestra with Stefan Monssen and Reuven Weizberg on either side of the orchestra in plain view playing on percussions adds to overall feeling of being in Africa.

It’s a musical wonderland including "Can You Feel The Love," "Circle of Life" (It’s the circle of life and it moves through us all through despair and hope, through faith and love) to "Hakuna Matata." Much credit for the success of this show is due to Julie Taymor who not only directed the original but also is responsible for the colorful and vivid costume designs including the masks and puppets (with Michael Curry). All make this a one of a kind show not to be missed even by cynics like…well. Add to these outstanding dancing Garth Fagan’s energetic choreography and you have a smile from ear to ear wondering if what you just saw was real.

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The North American tour currently at the Civic Theatre downtown is second to none either. Following the story is pretty easy. Young Simba (energetically played by Chaz Marcus Fleming) is getting a lesson from his Dad Mufasa (Dionne Randolph) on how to take responsibility as the next well, Lion King. The story follows Simba as he makes a series of mistakes (by not listening to his Dad) and falls instead under the spell, of his uncle Scar (Timothy Carter), Mufasa’s competitive and evil brother.

Sent away from his birthplace by Scar after a series of missteps, Simba runs into the good, the bad and the ugly as he matures (André Jackson) to take his rightful place on Pride Rock. His guardian angel, if you will, is Zazu the bird (Tony Freeman is a hoot as he steers the bird puppet through his moves) who tries to guide him in the right direction. But as soon as his back is turned Simba strays into unfamiliar territory until he meets up with Pumbaa the Warthog (Bob Amaral*) and his sidekick the skittish Timon the meerkat (Tyler Murree) who take Simba under their wing. (‘Hakuna Matata’: their problem free philosophy.)

Add a little romance as in Simba and Nala (Jamariana Tribble the child/Marja Harmon the adult) who play as children and get separated in the jungle to find each other after they are grown and you have a pretty complete story with one exception, the baboon Rafiki (Phindile Mkhizi is amazing) the storyteller and soothsayer. She’s the glue that holds the story together. Her voice is amazing with clicks and chants; “Nan Ts’Ngonya Ma Bakithi Baba Sithi Hm Ingonya Ma” “This way a lion comes”.

With the talent pool that runs as deep as this and with a story as engaging I can’t imagine anyone being disappointed in this show. It’s worth a trip downtown to see for yourselves this wonderland, this circle of life and love, this amazing and memorable theatre experience.

Lion King plays through Nov. 8th at the Civic Theatre downtown.

For more information visit broadwaysd.com

*Originally, Ben Lipitz was scheduled to play Pumbaa the Warthog but was needed to cover the Broadway role and will be in San Diego for the last week of the performance of Lion King at the Civic Theatre. Lipitz who has been playing the character Pumbaa for over six years calls the Warthog a mensch. Lipitz a forty something Jewish native of New Jersey has been involved in Jewish youth activities since he was a youngster. He was active in BBYO in Congregation Beth El in his home town.

Lipitz who has made his mark on Broadway in between playing Pumbaa in Lion King recently starred in The Producers at the Walnut Street Theatre and more recently performed a special benefit concert for the JCC Camps at Medford, “Broadway Sings for Camp” for children with special needs and financial challenges.

It seems to me that both Pumbaa and Ben have big enough hearts for each one be called Mensch.

Don’t miss this one.

See you at the theatre.

Davis is a San Diego-based theatre critic. She may be contacted at davisc@sandiegojewishworld.com