We purchased tickets to the Lion King almost as soon as they went on sale and were pleased to have read such good reviews both in the newspaper and online when it opened. We headed off on Saturday to meet our Aunt and Uncle who were joining us for lunch at Joe Fortes before the 2:00 matinee.
Joe Fortes
We had a reservation and were given a great table on the upstairs patio outside but still in the shade. After ordering a round of drinks we pondered the vast brunch menu. With options from Oysters to salads, sandwiches and a full brunch menu there is a lot to choose from on a weekend. In the end 3 of us went for breakfast. Jeff ordered the American Breakfast. Your standard eggs, bacon, sausage toast and hash browns (a bit boring for where we were and the hash browns were a bit undercooked). Tara ordered the seafood crepe with bay scallops, shrimp, salmon and a white fish in an herbed cream sauce. It came with hash browns and a few pieces a fruit. The crepe had lots of filling and was cooked great but the sauce was not very ‘herby’. Aunt Paula chose the lobster and shrimp sandwich which had a good amount of seafood but too much bread with the pieces being a very thick cut. It came with greens. Uncle Joe went for the Joe’s Seafood Hash with prawns, scallops and salmon topped with a poached egg and béarnaise sauce. It looked great and we all wished we had picked it. The drinks and the food were delivered promptly. The Margarita and Mojito were both made with lots of fresh lime and the service was good. All in all a good lunch and good company.
The Lion King
When we picked the matinee of this performance we did not consider that it was a story that kids would both understand and enjoy. When we arrived at our seats we realized our mistake by the number of youngsters in the theatre. It actually turned out to be fine after the first 5 minutes when all the fidgeting and questions stopped as the show got rolling. From the opening scene in which the animals walked in down the isles and the introduction of Rafiki we new the costumes and the performances would be great. Not knowing the story (not having kids and never seeing the movie) we were a bit disappointed by the ‘basic-ness’ of the story but the costumes were not basic at all. It was quite amazing that you actually forget that there are people moving the gazelles and giraffes through the grasses and at one point that the grasses were actually people. The performances were all very good with Rafiki played by Brenda Mhlongo was a standout; her voice was amazing and she was mesmerizing to watch.
It will not be on the list of our top three favorite musicals but if you have children over 5 or 6 it is a must see. And for adults the costumes and the voices are pretty cool too.
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