Draped in cloth, painted with colors of different shades, and placed into cultural garments, the actors take center stage. From head to toe, Tony Award-winning costume designer Julie Taymor has successfully represented Afro-Asian art and culture throughout the Disney musical. As the lights shine down on Pride Rock, we watch as actors throughout the play operate puppets created by Taymor, each handcrafted to help depict the animals on a larger scale. Taymor’s vision pours from the stage and onto its audience, showing off both the physical features of the animal as well as the emotions of the actors with her headpieces and masks. Main characters like Simba, Nala, and Scar are beautifully portrayed with elements of the Wodaabe and Maasai people using unique fabrics and patterns. Other characters like Zazu are represented using puppetry and elements that date back to the African origins of the original story. Throughout the performance, we watched as the characters on stage came to life to give us “The Lion King.”
From Scar’s cane to Nala’s makeup, everything can be traced back to somewhere around the world. In the show, we had the pleasure of getting a much closer look at Scar, who is left to perform his solo. The silhouette of his costume is layered with what looks like large pieces of wood material and a large torso area. Taymor has said that she based Scar’s costume on that of a traditional Japanese samurai to reflect his nobility. (Quick history note: according to Columbia University, Samurai first appeared in Japanese culture in 1185. When the Feudal Era came to an end in 1868, a few years later the Samurai class slowly disappeared.)
Scar, as played by Peter Hargrave, had a very different mask than most of his cast mates. Whenever he lowered his head, the mask would almost completely cover his face from the front side as if he were bowing down. Responsible for this creative choice is mask and puppet designer, Michael Curry. Along with his mask, Scar’s costume also includes a cane that he carries with him throughout the production. It is meant to convey the message that Scar is not as physically strong as his brother, Mufasa. It’s not until the end of the production and when he is in charge of the hyenas that he loses the cane as he gains power.
From beginning to end, the show is very interactive with its audience. During the first act, we witnessed different puppets come to life as they walked down the isles next to us. According to Disney, the production uses more than 230 puppets and it took more than 37,000 hours to create them all. Zebras are operated by pulling and pushing a rod that moves its back legs while giraffes are actors on stilts with large hats as their heads. The show doesn’t use real animals but each performer does a beautiful job of trying to copy the essence of each character and their animal traits.
Actor Nick Lamedica constantly engages the audience as he reenacts Mufasa’s advisor, Zazu. The puppet itself is covered in an array of feathers that closely resemble the animated version from the original 1994 Disney film. The actor, however, is covered in a blue African Kente cloth with a printed white pattern. Incorporating elements of African and English culture, Lamedica wears a bowler hat and has coattails towards the end of his jacket. First introduced in the 1850s, the bowler hat became a symbol for the middle class and would be more widely used towards the end of the 19th century. Unlike the top hat, which represented a higher status and served as a symbol of power, the bowler hat was most common among working men. In the mid-eighteenth century, coat-tails were introduced to help English men ride horses more comfortably. Movies leading up to the 21st century have associated coattails with the help, as those without coattails often rode in horse-drawn carriages or carts. The design of Zazu’s costume allows us to acknowledge the actor operating the costume but not get distracted by them.
Every character in this show is uniquely different from one another. Easily visible to the audience, all the actors wear makeup to help better distinguish themselves but also to trace the performance back to its African roots. The main characters, Nala and Simba, both have complex patterns, shapes, and sizes in their costumes. Her face outlined in an orange color, Nala’s make-up is inspired by the Wodaabe people, a tribe known for their beautiful and elaborate appearance. Actress Thembelihle Cele, who embodies the role of Simba’s love interest, Nala, was born in Durban, South Africa. White dots that also appear in her costume can be seen on her face down her nose and above her eyebrows. During the show, she is seen wearing a magnificent beaded corset, worn by Dinka people from Sudan. The largest ethnic tribe in South Sudan, the Dinka are recognized for their traditional forms of agriculture and unique tall physique.
Both Nala and Simba wear masks in the show that don’t have a bottom to them but sit on their heads like hats. Much like Nala’s make-up, Simba’s also represents an African tribe – the Maasai. Simba, as played by Erick D. Patrick not only wears ceremonial make-up but also clothing inspired by Maasai warriors.
Related to the Dinka people, the Maasai inhabit more northern regions of Africa like central and southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. Simba’s face is outlined and painted orange while his neck is painted a reddish color that makes a triangle pointing towards his chest.
According to Disney, there are 22 corsets worn in the show. Each is individually hand-beaded and contains several thousand beads. There is no inclusion of glitter or sequin beads in the corsets. Instead, the beads are all a matt color to depict the sun-baked heat of the African savanna. The younger versions of both Simba and Nala, wear similar costumes and makeup but it’s not nearly as detailed as their adult counterparts.
One of the most exciting parts of the play is watching as the actors come down the aisles to get to the stage. The ensemble played such a role in the production and served as many of the additional animals in songs from the first and second acts. When Scar performs his solo, which takes place in the outlands, the three main hyenas Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed are joined by many more hyenas. On all fours, we see the actors hold onto the heads of the animals which are connected to the rest of the costume by their manes using bungee cords. This also gives them the illusion of having a hump on their backs. Going back and forth between operating the head, actors can also control the front two legs of the hyena. If you watch carefully, you can see the small crutch-like device as they come up to you in the crowd. They even wear army boots to show conformity and resemble a militia that serves their leader – Scar.
The acting, sets, lighting, and costumes immerse the audience in the stage play. Bringing a vibrant and beloved animated feature like “The Lion King” to life requires great imagination and Julie Taymor’s brilliant costuming is essential to making that happen. Her use of cultural and historical references, and the way the costumes enhance the actors’ movement, all come together to make the world of “The Lion King” feel real.
More “The Lion King” Coverage:
“The Importance of Costuming in ‘The Lion King’”
“POV: You’re Seeing ‘The Lion King’ with VOX ATL at the Fox Theatre”
“”The Lion King’: A Tale of Siblinghood, Conflict, and Love”
“Why ‘The Lion King’ Fans Still Love the Musical 30 Years Later [VIDEO]”
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