Beachy Ground Squirrel at Lovers Point

It’s the Circle of Life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the Circle
The Circle of Life

Anne and I went to see ‘The Lion King’, the musical, at the Fox Saturday night. Saturday morning, she expressed the hope that the musical’s circle of life would also include the decomposers, but as this is a Disney production, I don’t think that will happen. Too bad.

I would have loved to have used a photo from the musical, but none had been made available for my legal use. Disney is such a greedy company, IMHO. So, substituting for a lion king photo, I give you one of Monterey’s fat and not-so-little Beachy Ground Squirrels. 

This particular specimen was photographed at Lovers Point, so named because legend has it that a pair of ill-fated lovers leapt to their deaths there. These squirrels grow big and fat on tourist treats. They can get as big as a ground-hog. They have no fear of humans and can act aggressively if food is about. I know. That makes them the lion kings of the beach.

This is the second time that we’ve seen this musical. The costumes are fantastic. So is the dance. So may photo-ops, so little legal standing. The plot is lifted from the cartoon. The score is embellished. While initially reticent about attending a show on the last holiday weekend of the summer, what with the advent of Isaac, this show will likely be the highlight of our weekend.

Interlude

Now having actually seen the musical again, I hold a somewhat more favorable opinion about it. The costumes and the puppetry are really fantastic. The music is better than I remembered, but the lyrics are not really any better than the cartoon. Likewise the plot. Some bonus points should be awarded for going from a cartoon to a staged musical. One is left to wonder if the original cartoon had been better, might not the subsequent musical too?

Anne loved the show as did the rest of the audience. So, just chalk me up as a crabby old man. I did manage to snap some promising photos of the fabulous Fox Theater.