Alright. Cameron’s AAT “Lion King, Jr.” performance happened (last weekend) and, boy, was it impressive! Parents went all-out with making the masks and sewing a bunch of entirely new costumes! I felt bad that I barely contributed (although I was credited as being part of the costume crew — good intentions I couldn’t make good on due to work commitments)!
Cameron was a giraffe and in the ensemble and while her Giraffe mask was truly impressive, at first it didn’t fit! The opening for her head was too small and it was pressing up against her forehead and she couldn’t get her chin all the way over the bottom lip of the opening. She was crying — and this was dress rehearsal two days before the first performance. It looked so bad, I was thinking I might have to pull her out of that role!
Gratefully, the mask maker was there and could see the trouble we were having, so he made adjustments on the fly. By the next day, it had paint (!), a larger opening for her face, and some padding to make it more comfortable! It was awesome.
This was, by far, the most impressive production we’ve seen (and that is saying a lot!). The kids not only learned to sing the Swahili, they sang it beautifully. It was sometimes hard to believe that this age group went from 3-8.
In any case, here are some pictures and video clips.
Finale (our li’l giraffe comes out first). Around the 2:15 minute mark, the kids nail the finale!
Hakuna Matata:
Saturday show, working as “House Manager” and taping from the back:
The whole cast!
Bowing…
Bows…there’s our giraffe in the center!
Bows from the wings:
Some serious talent:
Waving to Lola:
Backstage with the masks:
Waiting for masks:
Backstage, ready for the show!
Mufasa…
Zebra masks:
Grasslands costume goofiness:
Dress rehearsal…with mask-maker extraordinaire! Look at how tall these giraffes are!
They asked for a “family photo”:
Very happy with the improvements/modifications to the mask:
Practicing bows:
My favorite giraffe:
Circle of Life (sideways):
“Just Can’t Wait to be King”:
Dylan came to help during Tech week and helped through out the show! He helped with props and with mics:
Rehearsing “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?”:
