REVIEW BY RICK PENDER

Photo By Joan Marcus

Rafiki (Fredi Walker-Browne) calls the animals to make their stirring entrance at the opening of The Lion King, which will be on view at the Aronoff Center through May 18.

An occupational hazard of theater criticism is that you see so much that you risk losing the ability to react with unrestrained emotion. Oh, I still know a fine performance when I see one, but it's not often that I get a visceral jolt in my theater seat. So when I felt the hair stand up on my neck as I watched the opening moments of The Lion King at the Aronoff Center, I knew I was experiencing a true theatrical phenomenon.

I've seen The Lion King before, in its original Broadway theater, and I was thrilled by it then, too. So it wasn't that I didn't know what I'd be seeing here in Cincinnati, especially during those first minutes when baboon/ shaman Rafiki (Fredi Walker-Browne) does her call-and-response prelude to "The Circle of Life." But as the animals from the Pridelands marched down the aisles, I found my heart racing. I wasn't overwhelmed by the believability of it, since the combined puppets and costumes conceived by Julie Taymor actually revel in their artifice.

Instead, it was that this magical experience was being marvelously re-created here in Cincinnati. That's the first thing you should know about this touring production of The Lion King: It's the real McCoy. A few elements are slightly smaller scale: This is a touring production, after all. At intermission I borrowed from a kid sitting behind me one of those expensive program books for sale in the lobby and paged through the photos, clearly marked as "from the original Broadway production." They looked almost exactly like the show onstage.

But my sensation went beyond the ability of the tour producers to replicate the Broadway experience. With nearly 40 onstage performers, most of them African Americans, The Lion King attracts and entertains a diverse audience and conveys a universal message of love and pride. In Cincinnati, where we so often divide over issues of black and white, it can't hurt that The Lion King will be performed eight times a week through the middle of May.

The Lion King benefits from two native Cincinnatians who epitomize leadership: Alton Fitzgerald White and Richard Oberacker. White plays the stately, wise Mufasa, the strong father who shows his son the qualities of a leader. A graduate of SCPA who studied at CCM, White is a product of our city's arts scene. He's a worthy role model in all ways as he strides across the stage and sings "They Live In You."

Richard Oberacker, 34, is the tour's new music director. A Turpin High and CCM grad, he has already had remarkable success as a performer, conductor (Cirque du Soleil) and composer (his musical Dracula was staged by CCM last year). He provides strong musical direction for the show's varied and powerful score.

Josh Tower brings an unrestrained energy and growing integrity to Simba, progressing nicely from the kids (Akil I. LuQman and Rydell Rollins) who alternate as Young Simba. Kissy Simmons creates a strong female lion in Nala, one with the necessary spunk and intelligence to partner with Simba.

The Lion King also offers vivid characters that will resonate with kids who love the original animated film. Patrick Page is delightfully smarmy and vile as Simba's craven uncle, Scar. Jeffrey Binder (Zazu), Blake Hammond (Pumbaa) and John Plumpis (Timon) combine marvelous puppetry skills with their own acting and stage presence to bring genuine humor to the show.

Perhaps the show's most memorable star, however, is its visuals. From the warm sunrise to Scar's gloomy cave, from the spooky elephant graveyard to the frightening wildebeest stampede to the lively, lush jungle, The Lion King creates vivid and inventive stage pictures that linger. As I watched the cast take their ebullient curtain call I thought, "What a handsome group of people! What a beautiful production!" The Lion King is a much-needed inspiration for us this spring in Cincinnati. Let's see if we can absorb its joyous message about life and renewal -- we need it.

E-mail Rick Pender

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