Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Inside the Lion King Exhibit, NYC

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I was in Manhattan yesterday and saw a free, limited pop-up exhibit called "Inside the Lion King," located on 42 Street and Avenue of the Americas adjacent to Bryant Park.  The exhibit features 86 museum quality artifacts from the popular, long-running Broadway Disney play called The Lion King.  (All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them and then clicking on them again when they re-open. Use your browser's back arrow to return to the post.)


Even though I was in Manhattan for another important reason which will be revealed in a future post, I could not resist taking some time to view this exhibit after seeing these enticing window displays.


The play has been running for 15 years to "sold out" audiences so it was a treat to see the actual costumes and artifacts used in the show. The masks and puppets are made of carbon graphite, and although they look heavy, they are remarkably light. This is the adult Simba costume.


Demonstrators were on hand to show how the parts of the costumes worked and how puppetry enhanced their realism.


The costumes were beautiful and so creative!



Many are based on actual examples of historic African culture. This is a model of the character Rafiki. The model was made by Madame Tussauds New York.

It takes four people to move the 13-foot tall elephant down the center aisle and onto the stage of the theater during the play!


I could envision the graceful gazelles leaping across the stage as they are held by their puppeteer dancers.


These are the masks for the wildebeests that stampede across the stage during one scene.


Can you imagine seeing the 17-foot ostriches move? The model of the play's character Scar is another Madame Tussaud New York creation.


It was fascinating to see the artwork and intricate detail of the masks and costumes that the actors wear daily up close and......


...to also see models of the imaginative set designs.


Just look at the detail of these costume models and the dioramas of the stage sets from many different productions of the play!


The costumes and puppets are all the work of Julie Taymor’s Tony Award-winning artistry and vision.


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34 comments:

Ciao Chow Linda said...

How cool to have seen that close-up Pat. I loved the show when I saw it years ago, although there were two women next to us who ate candies and other things throughout the whole performance, making crunchy sounds the whole time as they opened their cellophane wrappers. I'm really curious about the REAL reason you were in Manhattan but will have to wait.

pam said...

Oh how wonderful to be able to see those costumes. I was greatly disappointed when the high school choir director let the kids pick the Broadway show to see when we took the choir to NYC 6 years ago. They chose Spamalot and the staging was so boring. I wished they could have gone to Lion King....talk about a production.

Yvette said...

WOW! I hope this is still available when my granddaughter is old enough to appreciate it. I've never seen the show but that might change in the future. :)

Thanks for another great post, Pat.

Grace said...

I went last week and was so busy posting Christmas in the City Pictures just dropped it! lol Anyway your post is much better than what I would do to it. lol I was so not a fan of the play but enjoyed this exhibit so much! I could not beleive how much went into creating the play. It really does take a whole village. Wonderful post as always. Cannot wait to hear your news! Grace xoox

podso said...

Wow, how interesting. Your photos are amazing. You are soaking up all the NYC time you can get before the big move! But you always seem to enjoy being out and seeing things in your big town. And we enjoy seeing it with you,

black eyed susans kitchen said...

What a fun pop-up event to get to see Pat! There is so much art in the show sets and this one is particularly special. Hope all is well and your reason for being in the city is a happy one.
Susan

Cindy said...

That would have been a very fun thing to see! I hope you are keeping well. I know you're looking forward to living near your children and grands soon, very soon, I hope for your sakes.
Hugs, Cindy

Vee said...

Wonderful to see! I hope that a lot of children are visiting the exhibit to get their creative imaginations sparked, too. Now I want to know more about Julie T. It would be fascinating to consider what sparked her imagination so, to that end, I'm off to follow your link.

Pamela Gordon said...

I would love to see this exhibit and also the musical. Maybe if I ever get back to New York I can. Thanks for sharing with us.

ellen b. said...

Very cool Pat! It would be wonderful to experience New York now that I'm a blogger. Blessings...

Michelle said...

I would love to see this musical. So nice to see these displays and I LOVE the artistry in them.

Kris said...

Way fun! Can't wait to hear what you have up your sleeve to tell us!!
xo Kris

eileeninmd said...

This is one play I am sorry I missed when it came to Baltimore. I hope it comes around again. The costumes and props are wonderful. Awesome shots, Pat! Have a happy day!

Carol said...

How cool you got to see the exhibit, looks fantastic. The show was amazing, saw it twice on class trips with my kids.

diane b said...

That was an interesting post as I have always wondered how they could make a stage play without the animation of the movie. Now i know. It is very artistic and creative.

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

For Lion King lovers, this exhibit must be their dream come true. How fascinating.
Sam

From the Kitchen said...

What an extraordinary exhibit to come upon. I'd love to be near enough to take it in!!

Best,
Bonnie

Gracie said...

Too bad it will be over when I will be there! So, many thanks for taking me with you. Can't wait for the news, you seems so excited!

The Quintessential Magpie said...

This really makes me want to see "THe Lion King" ! You did a great job with the pics and descscscriptons, Pat. Thanks for sharing this with us.

And I can't wait to hear what you were up to!

XO,

Sheila

My name is Riet said...

It must have been great to see all those beautiful costumes and such. THe LIon King was here in Holland too but I didn't see it sadly enough.It must have been one of the greatest musicals over here..

carol l mckenna said...

Wow! What an incredible show that must be ~ Fantastic photography ~ thanks so much ~

( A Creative Harbor) aka artmusedog and Carol ^_^

Rinkly Rimes said...

I'm one of the few people that didn't rave about the show. But I DID love the masks and costumes. so I hope that exhibition comes to Australia!

Judy said...

Amazing...that it has been sold out for 15 years running! I'm glad you are still finding time to 'enjoy the moment' as you are busy with winding down over there.

Unknown said...

It must have been so cool to get to see these amazing costumes up close!

Marcia said...

I saw the musical here in Baltimore several years ago and was absolutely amazed by the costuming. What a neat exhibit to stumble upon.

Susie said...

Pat, I truly love this post. Thank you so much for all the pictures. I would have loved seeing this in person. xo,Susie

Unknown said...

The work that goes into a movie or musical is phenomenal - great to see all the props! That's why I love Universal Studios too> Thanks for sharing!

joy said...

It was a joy watching the show, although just in pictures:)
Dropping by from " Our world Tueasday" My entry: The beauty of winter: willyouhearfromme.blogspot.com

GailO said...

I never heard of pop up exhibits before and this is facinating! How do you find out about them and how long do they last? Hopefully we will be getting to NYC after the holidays.

Pondside said...

Oh I wish - I wish!
What a treat it must be to have these wonderful sights nearly on your doorstep. I would love to see these costumes - I guess I'll have to enjoy them here and dream on....

Claudia said...

You know - I've never seen the show even though it originated here. And the main reason for me plunk down big bucks would be for the costumes and puppets. This would be q wonderful exhibit... Hmmmm ....secret trip to NYC. Inquiring minds want to know.

Susan Anderson said...

We saw this for the first time last month in San Francisco, and we all loved it. I think your costumes look even cooler than the ones we saw!

=)

Proud Italian Cook said...

That is truly amazing, so cool you got to see that Pat! Hmmm, whats your other reason for being in the city????

Jenny said...

Hmmm... A hint.

Ummm... you're going to a fertility doctor?

Ummm... you are getting a network show?

Ummm... Okay. I give up. I'll just hagve to be patient!

In the meantime, though, I'll tell you how delightful this post was.

You see such wonderful things!

Thank you for sharing.

A+