Review: The Lion King

Nancy and I went to see The Lion King in Toronto last night at the Princess of Wales Theatre. I am not a big fan of the original cartoon and I haven't seen the live action remake, but the stage musical is wonderful. The story line is standard Disney, warmed over fairy tale, with African elements but the staging and production raises it to another level. It's by far the most complex show I've ever seen staged and it's beautifully done.

Our seats were up in the balcony so it wasn't be best experience for me as far as seeing the details of the costumes and sets, but it was good for appreciating the staging. The actors, the music, and the sound were all first rate and the costuming and puppetry were exceptional.

It's showing until the end of August and tickets are still available. The lady sitting next to us got same day rush seating. I suspect most of the floor seats are taken by now, but the theatre isn't that big and balcony seats are fine.

The Lion King curtain call

Movie and TV Reviews - July 2025

 Movies and TV shows that Nancy and I watched in July. I do these posts mainly so I can keep track of what we've been watching, so the reviews are cursory. Now that it's baseball season, there will probably be fewer items here.

Movies

• Mickey 17: I had high hopes for this one, having heard the book was good, but about halfway through it pretty much fell apart. (Amazon Prime)
• Heads of State: Quite reminiscent of the "x Has Fallen" series, but even worse. Well made, but dumb, cliché ridden, and jingoistic. (Amazon Prime)

TV Shows

• The Art Detectives: A police procedural about art theft and fraud. Definitely on the lighter side of the genre but enjoyable. (The documentary series, Art Dectives, is etter.) (Acorn TV)
• Severance (season 2): Even more confusing that season 1 but watchable until about halfway through the season. I lost interest by the end. Kudos to the production's team for the quality of the cinematography and Apple TV+ for the streaming quality, which is the best of any of the services we subscribe to. (Apple TV+)
• The Librarians: The Next Chapter. Light fantasy about a library of supernatural objects and the librarians who are tasked with keeping them secure. (Crave) Shot in Belgrade so the settings are interesting. 
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (season 3). It's getting time to retire the franchise, I think. It's gotten too self referential and the stories are getting buried in glitzy effects. (Paramount+)