My daughters and I went to see the show on Tuesday, the 27th. We did see the entire cast, no replacements that night.
There were a few long moments that I felt dragged, but on the whole it was a good show. Josh Strickland and Jenn Gambatese were adorable together. Merle Dandridge as Kala touched my heart as a wife and mom. Shuler Hensley was tough, but still lovable. My girls adored Chester Gregory II as Turk and the young Tarzan of that evening's performance.
Disney does not fail to impress when it comes to effects and "wow factor". I don't want to give away some of the wonderful things we saw in the show. It might spoil it for another future audience member. Aside from one character who, to me, didn't look comfortable in the role, it was a high energy cast giving a great show.
We had a bit of fun before the show. In the lobby, while looking at the t-shirts and such, my daughter told me that she overheard two young women saying that they would get a cast member discount. We struck up a conversation with them. They noticed my Mickey pearl earrings and asked if I was a cast member (I wish). We told them how much Disney is a part of our lives.
My daughter had said they were in Tarzan, which I thought was odd because they'd have to be backstage. Still, I said to them, "Shouldn't you be backstage dressing?" They said, no, they were in the Lion King. I don't know if they were former members or WDW cast members or what. Without missing a beat, my daughter and I looked at them and sang, "Ingonyama nengw' enamabala". They were shocked. We were thrilled! It was, as my girls say, cool. The odds of meeting Lion King cast members at Tarzan and the odds of meeting total strangers who know the real words to Circle of Life are pretty slim. Anyway, after that we spoke more about Lion King and the move from one theater to another.
It was a fun night. Now, I have to get tickets for Mary Poppins!
