The buzz around town, perhaps I should say roar, is all "Lion King."
The mega-hit musical is playing at Capitol Theatre. Facebook pages are riddled with references, people are getting treated for their birthdays and other special occasions, and I've spotted many kids wearing "Lion King" shirts.
A couple of things to keep in mind if you have tickets or are still deciding if you want to spend the money.
1. It's only here through Sept. 26.
2. Yes, it's worth your money and time.
3. Make sure if you go, that you get there on time. The show has a 10-minute seating hold once it starts. And if you miss the first 10 minutes, you've frankly missed one of most visually stunning 10 minutes offered in musical theater.
4. For you students, there is a student rush two hours before curtain. You must go to the Capitol Theatre box office and present a valid student ID. They have some $40 tickets while supplies last.
Hakuna Matada!
Here are a few other theater happenings:
Isn't it Rich? It's not very often that a replacement cast generates more buzz than the original. But such is the case for "A Little Night Music." Catherine Zeta-Jones, who won the Tony for her performance, and Angela Lansbury left the show and were replaced with Tony winners Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch. Though critics and patrons love Lansbury and Stritch, the thunderous raves for Peters are hard to ignore. There are plenty saying that until you see Peters perform "Send in the Clowns," you haven't seen it performed. Now if the airlines would only offer a "I-need-to-see-Bernadette-Peters special."
Where's Will? Tony nominee Will Swenson is back in the Big Apple and has already got a few projects in the works, one of which is a staged, invitation-only reading of "Bonnie and Clyde: A Folktale."
Swenson, who was in town with Audra McDonald performing "110 in the Shade" at Hale Center Theater Orem, will join Tony winners Sutton Foster ("Thoroughly Modern Millie") Beth Leavel ("Drowsy Chaperon") and Tony nominee Marc Kudisch. Foster's brother, Hunter, wrote the book
P.S.: Brian Stokes Mitchell is performing this week at BYU. Don't miss it!
e-mail: ehansen@desnews.com