Hakuna Matata! The Lion King roars back onto the Montreal stage

Hakuna Matata! Montreal is getting another chance to experience one of Broadway’s most beloved musicals as Disney’s “The Lion King” returns to Place des Arts.

The stage adaptation is based on the beloved story of Simba, a young lion prince whose journey from childhood to adulthood is filled with family, loss, friendship and finding his place in the world.

Winner of six Tony Awards, including best musical, “The Lion King” transports audiences to the Pride Lands with the help of choreography, larger-than-life visuals, and elaborate costumes.

“The Lion King is a spectacle of momentous proportions. It’s huge. Within the first couple of seconds, you really understand that and feel that,” said David D’Lancy Wilson, who plays Mufasa in the musical.

“You see it, you feel it, you hear it.”

Wilson, a father of two young boys, says being a dad inspires his role in the production.

“I really understand the importance of what it is and what it means to be a pillar in my children’s lives,” he said. “And just as Mufasa is a pillar in Simba’s life, I do understand the depths and what is required for this role as a father, and I respect it completely.”

More than 120 million people worldwide have experienced the stage production that began back in 1997.

“It’s been around forever but for whatever reason, people come back all the time,” Wilson said.

The production is led by Tony Award-winning director Julie Taymor, who adapted “The Lion King” into the stage musical almost 30 years ago. It also features choreography by Tony Award winner Garth Fagan, while the iconic music includes work by Elton John and Tim Rice.

Puppet supervisor Michael Reilly has been part of the show’s team for nearly 30 years.

“Anything that could possibly happen to this puppet or 230 other puppets is my job to fix,” Reilly told CityNews. “So if it’s painting, whatever it is, gluing all these little feathers on Zazu, rebuilding his neck, his body, whatever it is, it’s our job to do that.”

The musical runs approximately two hours and 28 minutes, including intermission, and is performed in English.

Whether you’re seeing Simba’s journey for the first time or returning to a story you grew up with, “The Lion King” is once again inviting Montrealers to step into the circle of life at the Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier until Sept. 6.