Visit by ‘Lion King’ ‘exceeded everything’

The six-week run could have spilled over into a seventh week, and the Spokane Opera House still would have been full.

“The Lion King,” the longest-running theatrical event in Spokane’s history, has come and gone, closing Sunday after 46 shows. Except for a hiccup here (A Pride Rock malfunction) and a complaint there ($10 parking), the reception was as rock solid as adult Simba’s abs.

The touring company was swept up by Spokane’s gratitude while the local presenter and businesses were left feeling as euphoric as the moment Rafiki realized Simba still was alive.

“It was definitely more than I thought,” Jack Lucas, vice president of WestCoast Entertainment, said of ticket sales. “This totally exceeded everything.”

Lucas, involved in the details of the Spokane stop for 2½ years, said they had set a high goal for ticket sales, 80 to 85 percent. Lucas said 98 percent of the roughly 119,000 tickets were sold. Word-of-mouth proved to be the best advertising.

Spokane also picked up some worthy ambassadors.

“It’s been a wonderful stay,” said Russell Brown, ensemble cast member and understudy for Mufasa and Skar. “We’ve had a great time and were so warmly received.”

Brown, who has been on tour for five years, was one of about 120 people, from electricians to the two young Simbas and Nalas, who lived in or near Spokane since late October. They became part of the community, from getting haircuts at Larry’s barbershop in East Central, to working out at the Y on Howard Street.

Brown, who calls Augusta, Ga., home, said he had some trepidation about the Spokane tour stop.

“When I went online to see what the city was like, the things that come up about Spokane are not all the complimentary,” Brown said. But, once here, “people obliterated anything I could have read about.”

Shaullanda LaCombe, a Floridian with a personality as big as Texas, plays the part of Shenzi the hyena, agreed. She was blown away by Spokane’s hospitality.

One morning, with the streets blanketed in snow and ice, she wanted to go to a knitting store but knew better than to drive. The owner picked her up and took her back to her home-away-from-home hotel.

“And, she also taught me a pattern,” LaCombe recounted.

In the hotel lobby, she, her husband, Jonathan, who also is with the company, and their black Labrador retriever Jazzmine, were known by name. On Thanksgiving, people offered to bring dinner to the theater. The couple has been invited back to visit people who have a home in the mountains.

“It was so intimate, the way people approached you,” LaCombe said, “I loved it, I absolutely loved it.”

LaCombe said her last Sunday morning here, a day before her family hit the road for the tour’s next stop in San Diego, she walked Jazzmine to their favorite stomping grounds, Riverfront Park.

“I’m going to miss the park,” LaCombe said, her voice growing dramatically sad. “I’d like to take a Christmas picture in front of the wagon.”

Performers, such as LaCombe, aren’t the only ones suffering from post-Spokane “The Lion King” syndrome. Restaurateurs, particularly in the Opera House’s vicinity, are getting back to the way things were before the nightly theater-crowd rush.

Arthur Levin, longtime chef at Luigi’s Italian Restaurant on West Main, estimated business increased 35 to 40 percent from November 2004 to November 2005. Cissy Walton, manager of Chili’s on West Spokane Falls Boulevard, said business was up about 15 percent.

“Out of the six weeks, we probably had two nights that were kind of disappointing,” Levin said.

But not all was perfect during the play’s stay. There was the issue of inflated parking prices.

Didio Correia, manager of Azteca Mexican Restaurant on West Spokane Falls Boulevard, said the restaurant was jumping before the show but slowed to a halt after the theatergoers cleared out. He suspected it had to do with the $10 event parking being charged at the lot next to the restaurant.

Kim Jacobson, manager at The Onion on Riverside Avenue, said the parking had the opposite effect on their business. Theatergoers, who opted to walk a few more blocks, filled the $5 lot near the restaurant, leaving fewer options for Onion customers.

Dan Geiger, regional vice president of Diamond Parking Service, said the event parking prices were no different for this special event. The only difference was the event was here for six weeks.

“The bottom line,” Geiger said, “is that we’re glad people are coming downtown.”

Lucas, who practically has the play memorized after seeing it 43 times, also took in the downtown bustle on a regular basis.

“One night, I walked around and just kind of peered into different restaurants. It was on a Wednesday night and all of them were packed,” Lucas said.

WestCoast Entertainment’s “Best of Broadway” series likely will bring back “The Lion King” someday. The company is working on landing other wildly popular shows “Hairspray” and “Wicked,” or the next big thing.

“What’s the next ‘Lion King?’ Lucas asked. “I don’t know if it’s been produced yet. There’s only one ‘Lion King.’ ”