The Lion King Visit

In the first week of the January 2007 term, 97 excited Durlston pupils boarded coaches, eagerly looking forward to watching crazy animals dance, sing and cavort wildly… no they weren’t heading to Bournemouth town centre on a Friday night, they were off to London to watch Disney’s ‘The Lion King’, now in its 8th year at the historic Lyceum Theatre.

Having made good time and they able to slip in a guided bus tour around some of the finest sights that our capital has to offer: Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, Downing Street, Natural History Museum and Jason Donovan (well Mrs. Kennard promises she she saw him… and he waved to her, apparently).

After a high speed walk around Covent Garden led by Mr. Harrison they all (thankfully) found themselves safely seated in the theatre; the lights dimmed and the action began. The scenery and costumes were quite stunning and when combined with the hypnotic African drums and chants, the savannah really came to life. Familiar songs such as ‘The Circle of Life’, ‘I Just Can’t Wait to be King’ and ‘Hakuna Matata’ made the first act fly by as the tale of the lions Pride Rock unfolded. Particularly noteworthy was the performance of the young Simba, a real talent, as well as the comic input of Timon and Pumbaa.

Serious debate concerning how we could possibly stage the show in the sports hall next summer adequately filled the interval.

The second act was equally impressive, particularly visually (even the grass can dance) as our hero was persuaded to return to Pride Rock and assume his rightful place as King. It is a highly professional and strongly recommended production, ideal for both children and adults.

The children had remained enthralled throughout despite some apparently attempting to consume their own weight in sweets during the performance, and several complimentary comments were passed on to staff. In addition Mr. Cole was so well behaved that a member of the public actually mistook him for the headmaster!

KFC at Fleet services managed to produce 100 meals as promised and so weary but happy we returned to Durlston.

Thanks must go to Mrs. Jones for organising the trip so efficiently.