NUNN'S THEATER HABIT

Lions, Trombones and Go-Go's, oh my!

Sun. July 14, 2019 12:00 AM
by Jerry Nunn

Disney's The Lion King is roaring back in theaters this weekend and the box office looks good, especially in China.

The companies live action remakes are all the talk on social media and there have been some recent misses like Dumbo, but this one is actually a computer animated remake of the original.

Set in the Pride Lands in Africa, The Lion King follows much of the same plot, with some character changes from the cartoon. While there are some beautifully developed visuals, it takes Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen to add some much needed humor to the piece. Many will want to see this movie on the big screen so expect more huge ticket sales on another big budget project that is cashing in on past writer's material.

Speaking of the classics, The Music Man marches back to Chicago, this time at the Goodman Theatre playing now through Aug 18 in the Albert Theatre. From the opening scene on a train, audiences will immediately see how Mary Zimmerman adds her creative punch to the production.

After a successful run of another crowd pleasing musical, the Lyric's West Side Story, this year has been a welcome return to revisit the past. March over to GoodManTheatre.org today before all the tickets are sold out.

Another Broadway musical is playing around town and this time it's a first run of Head Over Heels from Kokandy Productions at Theater Wit, now through Aug. 25.

Combining The Go-Go's music, plus a few Belinda Carlisle solo hits, with original music set in a mythical land is ambitious. Mixing the tune "Cool Jerk" with a 16th century time period would be a stretch for anyone, but the show should be applauded for taking the current climate and mixing it with the past. All the way to the end even at the curtain call, the performers try very hard for you to like them and move to the beat. It's a show that is willing to stand on its head to get a laugh.

Visit KokandyProductions.com for tickets and Go-Go today.

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