I saw my first professional musical when I was seven years old, on a trip with my dad’s whole family to London. My grandparents got us seats, all in a row, to see The Lion King in the West End, and I was mesmerized. While The Lion King was my favorite movie as a child and one I’d seen hundreds of times, seeing it onstage in a new format made it feel brand new.

So it was nostalgic, to say the least, to attend the American national tour of The Lion King at the Durham Performing Arts Center. The adaptation of the 1994 Disney film brings the story, loosely based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet, to life with puppets, masks, and dance. Directed by Julie Taymor, the original production premiered on Broadway on October 15, 1997 and won the Tony Award for Best Musical. It’s still playing at the Minskoff Theater in New York, making it the third longest-running show in Broadway history.

One of the best parts of the Broadway adaptation is that it leans into the story being set in Africa, utilizing several African languages and taking inspiration from African art and design. While the set design of the show is inventive, but fairly simple, the costumes are so extravagant and colorful that it’s difficult to know where to look at times.

From the lion’s head masks, which sit above the actor’s actual faces, to the baby elephant costume in the opening scene, each one does an excellent job of evoking an animal while also allowing the audience to see the actor underneath.

The musical includes all of the music from the film by Elton John, with lyrics by Tim Rice, and parts of Hans Zimmer’s score. “The Circle of Life” is an excellent opening number, with so many animal puppets that it will likely make your jaw drop, and “Hakuna Matata” works excellently to transition from the Young Simba actor to the Simba actor.

The show also incorporates new songs by Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, and Julie Taymor. While not all the songs are as great as those on the original film soundtrack, “They Live in You” and “Shadowland” are excellent additions.

Taking on the roles of Simba, Mufasa, Scar, and the rest of the beloved Lion King characters is no easy task, considering how familiar many people are with the movie and the caliber of the original voice cast. Gerald Ramsey is an excellent Mufasa, with a commanding presence but a sweet demeanor with Bryce Christian Thompson as Simba (Thompson shares the role with Julian Villela).

Thompson and Ritisha Chakraborty (who shares the role with Leela Chopra) have fantastic energy together as young Simba and Nala, with enough charisma to pull off a massive production number like “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King.” Their adult counterparts, Darian Sanders and Khalifa White, are equally as well-matched and do a great job of showing a deeper wealth of emotions that each character is experiencing than the animated film can.

Peter Hargrave’s Scar is deliciously evil, while the hyenas (played by Jennifer Theriot, Forest VanDyke, and Robbie Swift) infuse humor that helps keep the show child-appropriate. On a related note, Nick Cordileone and John E. Brady play off each other very well as Timon and Pumbaa.

One of the most interesting choices made in the musical adaptation is creating another lead female role by casting a woman as Rafiki. Mukelisiwe Goba’s vocals are stunning and she is able to portray Rafiki’s humor brilliantly.

Whether you’re an old fan of The Lion King or looking to introduce your kids to the story for the first time, seeing the tour at DPAC is an unforgettable way to spend two and a half hours. It’s wonderful to see everyone in the theater get swept into the magic, looking around in awe at the animal puppets, whether they’re five or fifty five years old. The Lion King is one of those shows that reminds you of the power of theater and the sort of creative experience that we can only share while in the room with performers.

The Lion King is playing at DPAC through June 9. You can find more information here.