Latest news with #JubileeAuditorium
CTV News
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
The Lion King returns to Calgary in Broadway Across Canada production
CTV's Ian White speaks with Mukelisiwe Goba, who plays Rafiki in Disney's The Lion King, which returns to Calgary as part of Broadway Across Canada July 30 It's perhaps one of the most recognizable and most distinctive ways to begin a Broadway musical – Rafiki's call in Zulu for all animals far and wide to come see the new lion. 'I'm saying 'Here comes the lion,'. So, what should you do? You have to run!' actor Mukelisiwe Goba told CTV News. 'It's my native language. I was born in it,' the South African said. She admits she still gets goosebumps performing the scene that opens the play, several years after joining the cast. The Lion King runs at the Jubilee Auditorium July 30 to August 17. For more information, go here.
Edmonton Journal
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Edmonton Journal
Alberta Ballet heads to the Badlands for special show
Article content Alberta Ballet is taking its dancers from the Jubilee Auditorium stage and travelling to the majestic badlands near Drumheller for a one-night-only performance, July 25. Article content Ballet in the Badlands is a mixed repertoire event in the Badlands Amphitheatre – the same large outdoor venue used for the annual summertime Badlands Passion Play. Article content Article content The program is curated by artistic director Francesco Ventriglia, and fitingly, is a majestic tribute to the power of place – guiding the audience through an immersive journey of feeling and form that stirs the soul. The show features four pieces chosen for the depth and expression to mirror the landscape, and take advantage of the outdoor venue. Article content 'This collaboration is a celebration of Alberta's artistic and natural heritage,' says Ventriglia. 'There is something deeply powerful about dancers performing surrounded by ancient stone and open sky. I hope this can be the first of an annual tradition!' Article content Badlands Amphitheatre artistic director Alyssa Neudorf adds: 'This is a dream realized – bringing Alberta Ballet to this stage unites two powerful storytellers: the land, shaped by time and the body in motion, shaped by art.'
Calgary Herald
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
Alberta Ballet heads to the Badlands for special show
It may seem out of context but it might just be the dance event of the year. Article content Alberta Ballet is taking its dancers from the Jubilee Auditorium stage and travelling to the majestic badlands near Drumheller for a one-night-only performance, July 25. Article content Article content Ballet in the Badlands is a mixed repertoire event in the Badlands Amphitheatre – the same large outdoor venue used for the annual summertime Badlands Passion Play. Article content Article content The program is curated by artistic director Francesco Ventriglia, and fitingly, is a majestic tribute to the power of place – guiding the audience through an immersive journey of feeling and form that stirs the soul. The show features four pieces chosen for the depth and expression to mirror the landscape, and take advantage of the outdoor venue. Article content 'This collaboration is a celebration of Alberta's artistic and natural heritage,' says Ventriglia. 'There is something deeply powerful about dancers performing surrounded by ancient stone and open sky. I hope this can be the first of an annual tradition!' Article content Badlands Amphitheatre artistic director Alyssa Neudorf adds: 'This is a dream realized – bringing Alberta Ballet to this stage unites two powerful storytellers: the land, shaped by time and the body in motion, shaped by art.' Article content
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Review: Broadway Across Canada's The Lion King a fully immersive experience
To see the 2025 version of The Lion King now on stage at the Jubilee Auditorium is to enjoy a full-mind-and-body, totally immersive experience. Settling into your seats, you'll notice two musicians with large African drum kits on either side of the stage preparing for their roles, a thrilling hint of what's to come. But when Rafiki the mandrill (Mukelisiwe Goba is wise and mysterious in the role) welcomes the future king Simba to the rolling plains of Tanzania as a score of animals (including an elephant) parade down the aisles of the theatre and on to the stage, audience members feel at one with the rocky outcrops and swaying grasses of the Serengeti. Performers on stilts as giraffes are shadows against the red-orange sky; antelope mounted atop multi-wheeled bicycles spring effortlessly across the landscape. The imagination is completely engaged. In an era dominated by endless, exhausting, digital noise, this feels like no less than a miracle. Over almost 30 years, the multiple Tony-award-winning Disney story of the lion cub Simba exiled following the death of his father king Mufasa has grown into an integral part of the musical theatre canon. As the third-longest-running and the highest-grossing show on Broadway (pulling in $1.8 billion by 2023), it's fast becoming a tale as old as time. And for good reason. Soulful, upbeat tunes by Elton John and Tim Rice combine with Julie Taymor's impressively expansive touch as director and costume designer alongside breathtaking choreography by Garth Fagan to marry a simple coming-of-age story with the powerful history, music and landscape of Africa. The result lodges stubbornly in the heart. The first act of the show reveals the Shakespearean tension between Mufasa (the warmly paternal Darnell Abraham) and his brother, Scar (Peter Hargrave is perfect as the two-faced, scheming villain). The young Simba of this production (Julian Villela in the show I saw Saturday night) plays the open-hearted boy cub with all the boisterous bravado the role requires, falling easily into the murderous plot executed by Scar and his henchmen, a circling hackle of hyenas that terrify and amuse by turns. The African red-billed hornbill Zazu (Drew Hirshfield in a pitch-perfect representation) provides enough levity in the first act to keep the little ones in the audience from feeling too despondent. But it is the second act in which the humour of The Lion King takes off as Simba fights to assume his rightful throne with the encouragement of his friends. The meerkat Timon (with Canadian-born Robert Creighton behind the puppet) and warthog Pumbaa (Danny Grumich) are hilarious; a robust series of fart jokes delights the family-forward audience. Yet there is room for the brave acts, and the love story between Simba and Nala to unfold. Part of the genius of The Lion King, which has been in Edmonton once or twice before, is its seemingly effortless ability to construct a living world before your very eyes. The audience feels surrounded by the colour and vibrancy of the savannah as the stage roils with dancers dressed as trees, plants, birds and startlingly large mammals. The soaring cliff that provides so much drama rolls effortlessly on and off the stage; the wildebeest rampage is heart-stopping. Rivers seem both deep and wide. The technical scaffolding of the show is mind-boggling. Yet the stagecraft never supersedes the humanity of The Lion King. People, well, animals, are always at the centre of the story. There is sadness and squabbles, but also jubilation and jokes. While the show's commercial priorities are never in doubt, it pays homage to its African inspiration. Six indigenous African languages can be heard in the show's spoken words and music, and several cast members were born in Africa. The Lion King features an ensemble for the ages with more than 50 singers, actors and dancers, plus another three dozen stage professionals within the crew. That doesn't even count the 10 musicians in the orchestra conducted by Karl Shymanovitz. If it takes a village to raise a child, well, perhaps it requires a similarly sized theatrical commitment to bring a musical classic to eternal life on stage. Words and music by Elton John and Tim Rice and book by Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi Director: Julie Taymor Where: Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, 11455 87 Ave. When: Through July 27 Tickets: From $64 at or by calling 1-855-985-4357. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the box office at the Jubilee Auditorium. Check for applicable hours at Review: A brilliant pair of performances shine in Teatro's The Odd Couple REVIEW: Def Leppard, Joan Jett, Queensrÿche a killer kickoff to Rockin' Thunder You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun.
Calgary Herald
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
Review: Broadway Across Canada's The Lion King a fully immersive experience
To see the 2025 version of The Lion King now on stage at the Jubilee Auditorium is to enjoy a full-mind-and-body, totally immersive experience. Article content Settling into your seats, you'll notice two musicians with large African drum kits on either side of the stage preparing for their roles, a thrilling hint of what's to come. But when Rafiki the mandrill (Mukelisiwe Goba is wise and mysterious in the role) welcomes the future king Simba to the rolling plains of Tanzania as a score of animals (including an elephant) parade down the aisles of the theatre and on to the stage, audience members feel at one with the rocky outcrops and swaying grasses of the Serengeti. Performers on stilts as giraffes are shadows against the red-orange sky; antelope mounted atop multi-wheeled bicycles spring effortlessly across the landscape. Article content The imagination is completely engaged. In an era dominated by endless, exhausting, digital noise, this feels like no less than a miracle. Article content Article content Over almost 30 years, the multiple Tony-award-winning Disney story of the lion cub Simba exiled following the death of his father king Mufasa has grown into an integral part of the musical theatre canon. As the third-longest-running and the highest-grossing show on Broadway (pulling in $1.8 billion by 2023), it's fast becoming a tale as old as time. Article content And for good reason. Soulful, upbeat tunes by Elton John and Tim Rice combine with Julie Taymor's impressively expansive touch as director and costume designer alongside breathtaking choreography by Garth Fagan to marry a simple coming-of-age story with the powerful history, music and landscape of Africa. The result lodges stubbornly in the heart. Article content Article content The first act of the show reveals the Shakespearean tension between Mufasa (the warmly paternal Darnell Abraham) and his brother, Scar (Peter Hargrave is perfect as the two-faced, scheming villain). The young Simba of this production (Julian Villela in the show I saw Saturday night) plays the open-hearted boy cub with all the boisterous bravado the role requires, falling easily into the murderous plot executed by Scar and his henchmen, a circling hackle of hyenas that terrify and amuse by turns. The African red-billed hornbill Zazu (Drew Hirshfield in a pitch-perfect representation) provides enough levity in the first act to keep the little ones in the audience from feeling too despondent. Article content Article content Article content But it is the second act in which the humour of The Lion King takes off as Simba fights to assume his rightful throne with the encouragement of his friends. The meerkat Timon (with Canadian-born Robert Creighton behind the puppet) and warthog Pumbaa (Danny Grumich) are hilarious; a robust series of fart jokes delights the family-forward audience. Yet there is room for the brave acts, and the love story between Simba and Nala to unfold.
