We took Jackson to his first Broadway show last night: The Lion King! We asked our friends if they were up for a show and they said, “Of course!” So we debated a few different shows, with The Lion King in our back pocket. Then the day before we were headed to NYC, Beth’s uncle (who happens to be a sub in The Lion King pit) called and said he was doing the evening show the next night and invited us to come for a backstage tour if we wanted to. And yeah, we wanted to. And trust, neither the show nor the tour disappointed.

Now I’m no reviewer, and The Lion King was only my third Broadway show so I won’t try to review it, but I will say that if you’ve never seen it please get there ASAP. And don’t be late for the opening act, because it’s the absolute best part! Jackson agreed, until we got to the tour part and he got to meet Zazu IN PERSON!

That’s Jackson, holding his Disney Store Simba (Tip: They are $8 at the store across the street from the Minskoff, and since Disney gets all the money anyway, why not?) and he’s talking to Zazu, sure, and also to Jim Ferris, the amazing actor who works Zazu (and is the understudy for Timon and Pumba—be still my heart). How cool is that?! It’s pretty cool. And pretty special. Want to see something even more cool and special?

That’s the kids holding THE Simba puppet from the show! Now want to see something even more cool?!

That’s me, being attacked by wildebeests!

Well, maybe not. Still cool though, right?

Fine, fine, I know. I’m not that fucking cool. Usually. But I gotta admit one thing: The Lion King was awesome, and it was an interesting, exciting, amazing night on Broadway. And we are so lucky to have had that experience. And I have a thousand other stories and pics to share, and I promise I will, but tonight I’ll just leave you with a few more pics.

M.