Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Lion King comes to Mexico

I've always been a big fan of The Lion King, from the movie to the soundtrack. I became an even bigger fan when I went on an African safari in Kenya and saw firsthand the amazing landscapes and wildlife that inspired animators. In fact, these animators spent months of research in Africa in order to translate African animal life as well as its culture into an accurate animation. So when the The Lion King broadway musical came to Mexico City on it's World Tour, I had to see it. One of the most interesting parts was watching how these productions try to adapt to their non-English speaking audience when on an international tour.

Two big screens are set up on the sides of the stage where they project a close-up of the stage along with Spanish subtitles. These subtitles included all the lyrics to each song that was performed. The cast adapted by sprinkling some easy Spanish words into the script, which always brought the audience to a roar. Now I've never been to a Broadway show in New York, but I'm guessing they don't have a wide selection of Mexico's top tequila available during intermission.

The show, of course, was incredible with its mixture of Mexican, African and American cultures. The only bad thing was that no cameras were allowed : (

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

When I saw the show in NY, it blew me away! I remember the ladies sitting in front of me were crying. I know it's Disney, but I don't think kids can appreciate the experience.