The Lion King Live in Concert, Royal Albert Hall Review

Written by Cathie for Theatre & Tonic

Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review.

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As one of the biggest selling movies of all time, Disney's summer blockbuster animated film, The Lion King made a significant impact, earning nearly £1 billion at the global box office. With several sequels and enduring success on Broadway and in the West End, the film is now celebrating its 30th anniversary. In order to suitably mark this milestone, the Royal Albert Hall is hosting an epic Films in Concert event.

The Lion King, as a retelling of Hamlet, follows the journey of Simba, a young lion prince in the Pride Lands of Africa. After the tragic death of his father, Mufasa, orchestrated by his treacherous uncle Scar, Simba is exiled and flees into the wilderness. The Lion King explores themes of identity, responsibility, and the circle of life. The story delves into the journey of self-discovery as Simba grapples with his destiny and the expectations placed upon him. It examines the consequences of betrayal and the importance of confronting one's past to heal and grow. The film also highlights the significance of community and interconnectedness, as the balance of the Pride Lands depends on the harmonious coexistence of its inhabitants. Through Simba's struggles and triumphs, The Lion King emphasizes the enduring values of courage, redemption, and the natural cycles of life.

Throughout this performance, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra provided the spine-tingling instrumentals for this film, to absolutely fantastic lighting effects which lit up the whole concert hall beautifully throughout. The London Community Gospel choir performed the “Circle of Life” at the beginning of the film. Their performance was incredibly moving and extraordinary and it is a shame that they did not stay to provide the choral elements for the rest of the film as it is such a key element in Zimmer’s score.

This event was not only limited to the film screening however. Perhaps the most famous song from this film “Can You Feel The Love Tonight”, winner of Oscar, Golden Globe and Grammy, was specially performed by Leigh-Anne Pinnock, formerly of the band Little Mix, just before the film began. This live concert was also fabulous as we were able to witness the first look at the Mufasa trailer for December and a short film from the luxury Bailman Paris collaboration with Disney.

At the end of this fabulous film showing, we also had a phenomenal performance of “He Lives In You” by some of the current cast of the Lyceum production of The Lion King in the West End, with bird puppetry soaring throughout the arena stalls. It brought many of the audience to tears of joy.  This was an absolutely phenomenal highlight to end the magical evening performance. I can think of no finer tribute to this phenomenal movie’s legacy

The Lion King In Concert is at The Royal Albert Hall on 6 July at 7.30pm.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★