The Lion King is a sumptuous visual feast – a dazzling display of ingenious puppetry that brings the African savannah to vivid life. While the characters aren’t drawn in any great depth and the show is unashamedly sentimental at times, it’s the inspiring, visual storytelling that captures the heart.

Aphiwe Nyezi as Simba in The Lion King. Photo © Daniel Boud

When The Lion King opened on Broadway in 1997, it was unlike anything that had been seen there before. Reimaging Disney’s hugely popular 1994 animated film for the stage, Julie Taymor created a live production featuring puppetry, masks and costumes that literally took the breath away.

First seen in Australia in 2003 and revived in 2013, the musical juggernaut – which has now been seen by over 127 million people worldwide – is back. Nearly 30 years since its premiere, the staging remains as impressive as ever.

The opening is pure magic as a procession of animals, including an elephant, make their way down the theatre aisles to join others on stage where giraffes, gazelles and birds celebrate the birth of the newborn cub Simba, heir to the magnificent lion Mufasa,...