A cultural day and a night you won't forget with The Lion King in Madrid
Madrid is one of Europe's great cultural capitals, and its offerings prove it: world-class museums, a lively and active contemporary art scene, bookstores steeped in history, galleries plugged into the most important international circuits, and architecture that speaks for centuries without needing an explanation.
A well-spent day would start at 9:30 at the Palacio Real, when the Plaza de la Armería is still quiet and the light falls low across the ground. From there, a ten-minute taxi ride takes you to the Museo Sorolla, the house where the Valencian painter lived and worked, one of the city's most intimate and least crowded spaces. Next, the Mercado de San Ildefonso, in the heart of Malasaña, is the perfect spot for a late lunch among stalls specializing in Spanish products. From there, a walk of just over ten minutes through the neighborhood's streets, down Fuencarral toward Gran Vía, leads straight to the Teatro Lope de Vega. To move between stops with ease, a taxi is the perfect ally: steady coverage, short waits, and the ability to reach any point in the city center without worrying about parking.
But there's one plan that deserves a chapter of its own, and that's The Lion King.
Since October 2011, the Teatro Lope de Vega has hosted the Spanish production of this musical, the first in Spain to reach fifteen consecutive seasons on stage and the only one currently running in the country. More than seven million people have seen it in Madrid, and the production has grossed over one hundred twenty-four million worldwide since its Broadway premiere in 1997. Spain was also the first Spanish-speaking country to host this production. These aren't marketing numbers: they're the result of something that genuinely works.
What happens on the Lope de Vega stage is hard to describe without having seen it. Julie Taymor, the director and designer behind the staging, built something that had never existed before: a fusion of African, Asian, and Western stagecraft that turns the theater into something close to a moving savanna. Masks, puppets, costumes, and visual effects create a language all its own, unlike any other musical theater production. The soundtrack, by Elton John, Tim Rice, Hans Zimmer, and Lebo M, does the rest: songs that, once heard, are hard to shake.
International recognition backs it up: more than seventy awards since its Broadway premiere. Fifteen seasons on, The Lion King still fields a cast of more than fifty actors from different countries who keep the energy fresh with every show. For those who want to take the experience further, the Butaca Oro package includes a backstage visit before the show, a welcome drink, an intermission cocktail, and the best seats in the orchestra section.
The musical runs one hundred sixty-five minutes, including intermission. Wednesday's show is at 7:00 p.m., Thursday at 8:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., and Sunday at 2:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m., and/or 8:00 p.m. Schedules are subject to change.
