Religion on Broadway

The Lion King is quite the broadway production, receiving high praise following the successful film release in 1994. Being the true deifinition of a family production, The Lion King continues to resignate with us now and for an indefinite period of time into the future. Themes of love, sacrifice and friendship allow us to create a strong, emotional attachment to the characters, moving us to fall in love with this classic over and over again. It is no doubt that we can also pull religious themes from this piece, although they are much more metaphorical.

 

At the forefront, we have a major parallel between the Pride Lands and the Biblical Kingdom. It is the similarities between these symoblic lands that we can pull religious themes from. (Kjos, Berit. "The Spirit...")

 

 

From the very beginining, we see the birth of Simba in the Kingdom. Being born to King Mufasa, Simba's birth certainly mirrors the birth of Christ himself. We see the praise and worship Simba receives from all animals in the Kingdom, and the importance of his birth is not lost on the audience. This introduction scene gives us a basis of where religious themes will continue to lead us throughout the remainder of the musical. Mufasa's role within the Kingdom lead us to understand just how important his son will grow to become.  (Kjos, Berit. "The Spirit...")

 

Sacrifice, also being a prominent religious theme throughout this musical, is seen mainly by Mufasa’s self-sacrifice for his son during a fatal stampede. In an effort to save his son, Mufasa loses his own life, creating a high level of meaning to his death and to the prospective life of his son. It is in this moment that Simba's life changes, and his role in the Kingdom gains much more importance than ever before. Sacrifice is a theme we see in many religions, and is something we can take many lessons from. Mufasa's love for his son was so strong that he would have done anything to protect him, including succombing to his injuries during the stampede. In religion, sacrifice emphasizes courage and how truly powerful love can be. The instinct of the lion also play a role here, and protection of their own is at the forefront, regardless of the costs.

 

The musical number "He Lives In You", as shown below, proves strong religious meaning. Following the death of Simba's father, he searches for answers as to why this happened. The idea that "He Lives In You" gives us is that even though Mufasa is no longer physically present, he is still very much watching over Simba and the Pride Lands. This has very strong religious ties. We find a spiritual connection here, through death and the afterlife. The idea that Mufasa is still present and able to watch over Simba enables Simba to have hope. He finds comfort in this, which is what religion allows us to do in difficult situations. To connect to religion at it's core, God (or a higher power) is thought to watch over us all and protect us, whether we believe that to be figurative or not. It is the true essence of what religion is. It gives us hope when the light seems dim. That is what this song aims to do. 

 

To highlight the importance these religious themes have to the broadway scene and to society in general, we may look at the intended audience. The Lion King, especially the film, has been a classic for almost two decades and is mainly aimed at a younger viewing audience, but while also resignating with an older audience as well. Think of Bible Study classes that many churches offer for children. These classes use more relatable stories to allow children to open their minds to the idea of religion. The Lion King's kid-friendly story line and visual affects allow this easy connection to religion as well. It can help children better understand the concept of religion and a "higher power", without telling the stories of a religious scripture directly.

 

 

 

 

(Daveruky. 2013) Retrieved from YouTube