And maybe the next time we see a lion, we'll remember that he's also a creature that exists." Reilly has had lots of opportunities to ponder why "The Lion King" remains such a roaring success.

There’s one last thing. In “The Lion King,” the actor playing, say, Scar (in this case, the juicily menacing J. Anthony Crane) has both a puppet head and his own head to work with.

The show also featured 150 props and 14 puppets, including a giant Aslan, measuring 10ft high by 14ft long. Next at The REP is the much-loved production of Raymond Briggs’ The Snowman which ...