My African Safari in Canada

Friday evening I went on an African Safari.

Well, okay, not really. In truth, my family and I went to see Broadway’s travelling Lion King but I have to say that the play was so good I lost track of the actors, of the play, of everything. (Which is saying something because I was having a minor asthma attack the whole time because of extraneous variables)

I just lived it.

The scenery was so vivid even the grass and bushes were alive. Each set piece was injected with so much personality they became characters in their own right. The costumes transcended the boundaries of theatre, every twitch an actor made moved their costumes – they became cheetahs, giraffes, elephants, birds and lions. There were no people.

The play was phenomenal. 

I could ramble on and on about each miniscule why, my every impression but I’ll save you that verbal vomit and say only this: every writer can learn something from this play.

With even the set pieces being alive there is a lot going on. That being said, the extra bits simply liven the main plot, add depth and intrigue. You don’t get distracted or forget the purpose.

The audience forgets about the strings and mechanics of the gracefully moving costumes. The actors play their roles so well that they seem real, like you can reach out and stroke the fur of a hyena.

Occasionally actors peppered themselves throughout the audience; you feel the heat, the swish of feathers over your head. The story surrounds you, in every possible way. You don’t forget things like this.

The experience is effortless. There is no awkward language or movement, no stumbling blocks, just pure, evocative, experience.

My advice?

If you have the chance, go see Lion King. I promise you will thoroughly enjoy the experience.

If teachers could make learning this fun, kids would hate summer. 


PS. A lot of you asked so I thought I'd clarify this post about the near drowning is real. It isn't a story, this really happened last weekend. It was terrifying and awful but things are starting to make sense again and, in case you're wondering, my mom is bruised and battered but okay and keeps getting better. 


Word Of The Day: Amaranthine - Eternal