Hippodrome

With the broad appeal of a fast-food chain — 54 million people served in 14 countries on five continents — "The Lion King" enjoys a mighty status on Broadway, where it's the seventh-longest-running musical and has packed them in since 1997. The show isn't likely to lose its appeal on tour any time soon, either. When it first played the Hippodrome in 2005, it was a 14-week smash, raking in $15 million. It's back at the theater for a monthlong engagement that is bound to be just as fruitful, nicely timed as it is for the holidays, when families with kids need diversions even more.

With a staging as intricate as "The Lion King," the right personnel have to be backstage making everything click into place night after night. Bruce Paul Reik, a Milwaukee native who calls Baltimore home, is one of the puppet assistants on the national tour of the musical, responsible for maintenance and repair. "So much has to happen before each show goes on," said Reik. "Getting Scar hooked up is pretty involved. There's a mechanical aspect to his headgear. " All of the costumes are checked out each week; those of the principal characters are checked every day. "During a show, I'm working in triage in the puppet and mask emergency room," Reik said.

Wallace "Wally" Henry Coberg, a theatrical designer and filmmaker who was at work on a new Edgar Allan Poe documentary, died of an apparent heart attack Nov. 18 at his Bolton Hill home. He was 63. Born in New York, N.Y, he lived in Edison, N.J., and Perrysburg, Ohio, before moving to Bel Air and graduating from Bel Air High School in 1966. He attended Boston University, Towson University and earned a degree at the Maryland Institute College of Art . In a 1974 Sun interview, he said he made a construction paper set at age 8 after watching Mary Martin play "Peter Pan" on television.

The Hippodrome Theatre is largely defined by marquee Broadway shows, from "The Lion King" to "South Pacific. " But starting Monday, the theater aims to be a hub for local arts groups, becoming much more than just a stopping-off spot for touring artists and productions. With the Hippodrome Art Fund, the theater envisions being able to offer a bigger stage and financial support for nonprofit dance companies, music ensembles and more. Broadway Across America, the leaseholder of the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center, which houses the Hippodrome , has contributed $300,000 to launch the effort.

There's a restaurant scene partway through Act 2 of "La Cage aux Folles" that spotlights Christopher Sieber, playing Albin, the reigning drag queen of Saint-Tropez in the propulsive and entertaining production at the Hippodrome this week. Albin, decked out like an overstuffed Margaret Thatcher and still hurt by perceived slights from the most important people in his life, is called upon to sing a little something. Sieber's whole body subtly softens and seems to glow as he sings in gentle, conversational tones: "Hold this moment fast, and live and love as hard as you know; make this moment last, because the best of times is now. " No great shakes as a lyric or a tune, but Sieber's nuanced singing sells it so affectingly that you'd swear it was the most divinely inspired song in the Broadway canon, a bittersweet anthem as much for those in love as for those who feel threatened.

George Hamilton just wants a cup of coffee, that's all. But a small obstacle confounds the handsome, supernaturally tanned actor in his Tulsa, Okla., hotel room — the coffee maker. "This is a whole new experience for me," he says by phone. "I'm 72 years old. It's about time I learned how to do this. Hold on a minute. " Vague clanking sounds can be heard, for more than a minute. "It doesn't look like coffee," Hamilton says when he gets back on the line. "It's just sugar and milk and warm water.

On Oct. 19, four classes of students from Ridge Ruxton School in Towson were scheduled to attend a special performance at the Hippodrome Theatre of "A Gazillion Bubbles. " The production has been created especially for autistic students. More than 600 students and staff from area schools will be in attendance at the production. Rodgers Forge students celebrate annual Generations Day The 11th annual Generation's Day event will be held at Rodgers Forge Elementary School on Thursday, Oct. 20, from 8:50 to 10: a.m. for students in grades one, four and five, and from 10 to 11:10 a.m. for children in kindergarten and grades two and three.

The handsomely staged production of “South Pacific” at the Hippodrome Theatre is a welcome reminder that Rodgers and Hammerstein understood the dynamics of musical theater as well as anybody. Familiar songs roll out, one after another, in a score that includes “Some Enchanted Evening,” “There is Nothin'  Like a Dame,” “I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair” and “Bali Ha'i.”  Not bad at all. This revival does an especially effective job of reinforcing this 1949 musical's thematic emphasis on the racial attitudes that still characterized American society.

Hooray for reader Linda Hark's letter complaining about the uncomfortable seating at the Hippodrome Theatre (" Hippodrome seating is just atrocious," Aug. 11). I'm one of those 5-foot-7-inch men whose knees banged against the seat in front of me. After just two performances the year it opened, I vowed never to return to the Hippodrome again. My business went instead to Washington's Kennedy Center for comfort and convenient parking. There's one thing Linda forgot to mention: The crowded seating at the Hippodrome could be a hazard in the event of an emergency or fire.