BY Naoko IWASA

Four years ago, the musical "The Lion King," completely different from the animated version, was performed on Broadway, New York. Julie Taymore, the director, showed novel directing and surprising technique. She said, "This is not a mere transformation from the animation. Although the original is the same, this musical is based on a newly written stage play." "The Lion King" took prizes in six categories at the Tony Awards in 1998, including the costume and staging prize as well as best stage direction. She was the first women to get best stage direction in the Tony's 52-year history.

The motif was Disney's animation. Before its release, it was thought it was going to be a puerile musical with actors singing and dancing like stuffed dolls. However, the miracle happened. Julie Taymore had the talent to overcome this preconception.

Because all characters in "The Lion King," are animals, the animation does not seem suitable to dramatize. As a result, it needed a director who had new ideas. Julie Taymore was a director with imagination. Originally a designer, she developed all the puppets, the masks, the costumes and devices. She had studied drama in Japan and Indonesia, and so made good use of Bunraku (Japanese puppet drama with a narrative and with samisen accompaniment), Kabuki, and Javanese shadow-picture plays and puppet plays. Her techniques and ideas using the puppets and masks, were revolutionary and broke the traditions of Broadway. Although the actors performed by putting on masks and working puppets, they never completely became animals. The lion masks didn't cover all the actor's faces, but were on their heads. The audiences could watch the changes of the actors' expression with the mask. The production was thick in African color which, with the music, costumes and techniques gave it rich variety. Taking place in Africa, the story tells of the birth of life, the permanence of the soul, the bond between parent and child and the growth of the hero's heart. It gives the audience an opportunity to look at themselves and the meaning of their life once again.

It was in December 1998 that the Broadway production of "The Lion King" landed in Japan. At present, the Shiki Theater Company is carrying on a continuing performance in Tokyo and Fukuoka. This summer, I saw "The Lion King" in Fukuoka. When the curtain went up, I couldn't repress my tears of surprise and deep emotion. "The Lion King" was beyond my imagination. And it is entertainment that you can lose yourself in and in happiness after watching it. Even those who have never see a musical will be enthralled by "The Lion King."