Circa 2003, at about fourteen (14) I travelled to the United States of America on a music tour. A high school choir music tour. (Yes, the choir. And it was a music tour!) For about two weeks, we performed in three states – Washington DC, New York, NY and Boston, MA – and drove through quite a few more. Being in a foreign country, travelling by bus with over 40 other peers (CO-ED!), and having music teachers and your deputy head-master as guardians was a lot of fun for a kid who had grown up in the ‘burbs of Harare, Zimbabwe and was now calling Scotland home. #winning #blessed
It [2003] was such a different time … those velour tracksuits were the ish – and if you didn’t have one, you just weren’t that cool. I had about three and while mine didn’t say Juicy on the ass, it was still cool to be seen rocking one. 2003 also saw Beyonce ft. Jay Z dominate the charts with Crazy In Love and if you didn’t know those moves you definitely weren’t cool enough! LOL. 2003 was a good year.
During our downtime on the trip, we went to see The Lion King on Broadway! ‘MURICA!!! I remember sitting in amazement at just how beautiful this story was translated into a stage performance. I was blow away at such a young age and from that day and trip, The Lion King wasn’t just a “Disney” movie. I grew up on that movie and while I was too young to understand what it really meant to me, it wasn’t until my Dad died that this story took on a meaning so deep.
Since that trip in ’03, I had sworn to myself that I would someday return to NYC to see it again on Broadway and be once again swallowed up as this story came to life. But alas, that trip hasn’t happened yet! So, it was to my utmost pleasure when The Lion King made its stop in Vancouver, at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. And of course I had to go – it was a no-brainer! I planned and plotted over what date and which tickets would be the best in the house, and I was not disappointed. I was transported to that moment in NYC as I watched and I felt like a kid again. The costumes, the music, the agility of the dancers and of course, the story itself just blew me away! I knew what to expect before the show but sitting there and watching and taking it all it just heightened the whole experience!!
Watching The Lion King always makes me feel like a kid again – young at heart, and alive – but sitting in that theatre made me believe in the beauty of life and all its possibilities. It’s not just a story about a lion – it’s so much more than that. The similarities between Simba and myself are so … real. And this is purely my opinion! LOL. And while he [Simba] returns to his home – the Pride Lands – after his father’s death, and I am still on my path home to visit mine[Vincent], his story very much resonates with me.
It’s a story of loss, love and redemption!! And if you haven’t seen it live, I urge you to go and take your family and friends with you. You will not regret it at all!!
– xo
Video: Courtesy of Disney on Broadway
Disclaimer: The opinions disclosed are solely my own. Any images or videos used that are not my own are linked to their appropriate source.
... S. xo
