"Huh, it looks like an oversized shower curtain from Zellersnote or Target (Zazu sometimes pronounces it as "Tar-Jay") or IKEA or Pier 1 or Primark, depending on where it's performed..."
In the 2011 Montreal performance of the show, Zazu switches 'It's a small world' for 'Vive L'Allouetes!'. It makes sense if you're from Montreal.
In the 2011 Las Vegas show, Zazu belts out another song that starts with a form of "Vive." Three guesses which.
Vive La Revolution?
In the 2013 Dallas show Zazu sang the first two lines to "Deep in the Heart of Texas", what makes it even funnier the audience sang along once they knew what the song was.
He’s singing “Be Our Guest” in one version
During the UK Tour, Zazu waits a beat before singing, "And I will walk five hundred miles!...".
The Australia Tour has him singing "Let It Go;" considering that Frozen and the song were all the craze when the show first opened in December 2013, it makes Scar shouting "Anything but that!" even more hilarious.
Zazu still sang "Let It Go" during the recent stop in Chicago! ("The cold never bothered me anyway!")
He's still singing it as of the recent performance in Providence, so it appears "Let It Go" is officially more annoying than "It's A Small World After All."
In 2005, after the Broadway production transferred from the luxurious New Amsterdam Theatre to the smaller Minskoff Theatre so that Mary Poppins could take its place at the New Amsterdam, Zazu's song choice became "Supercalifragalisticexpialidocious." "Anything but that!" indeed. It later changed to “Let it Go” though.
Like with Zazu's song, the dance Timon and Pumbaa perform in order to distract the hyenas varies from place to place. In the U.S., they do the Charelston. In the UK, they did the "Riverdance". Cue hysterical laughter from the audience. Likewise, in Spain, they did a traditional Andalusian dance.
In the French production, Rafiki says 'Tu'as Compris?' at the end of one of her rants, and the subtitles on the screens to the side SHOW IT IN ENGLISH.
The moment where Rafiki hits Simba with a stick to demonstrate how the "past can hurt" but you can learn from it. She mimes hitting him, and we hear a "bonk" sound. They get into a playful tussle when Simba steals Rafiki's stick and tosses it back to her. She then starts cackling loudly in a "Hell, Yes!" Moment that he's going back.
One thing which always seems to gain the biggest laugh from the audience is Rafiki swinging in on a vine, telling Nala, Timon and Pumbaa that Simba has returned. What gains the laugh is the fact that after the first swing, she suddenly swings in again, completely unexpectedly, babbling some nonsense. And to top it all off, the priceless "WTF?!" expressions on the trio's faces.
Timon: Alright, who's the swinger?
Prior to the waterfall sequence, a restless Simba calls out Timon and Pumbaa on their apparent laziness, referring to them as "a couple of old farts." Pumbaa's response? "Well, he's got mepegged!"
Mufasa (seemingly) fires Zazu. The hornbill's response:
Zazu: I can't go back to The Muppet Show!!note This is especially funny when you realize that The Muppet Show was actually taped in London.
And when the North American Tour came to Tampa in 2016:
Zazu: I can't go back to being a Gasparilla Bird!!! note Gasparilla is a local festival that celebrates the mythical accomplishments of José Gaspar, and is a large reason for local tourism.
The puppet then attacks its operator ("This is all your fault!"), and Mufasa has to go over to pull him off.
Mufasa: Zazu, it's a joke! [laughs heartily while the puppet and the operator go limp in disbelief]
Zazu: Oh sire, your sense of humour never fails to abuse me.
At some point in "I Just Can't Wait to be King," Simba snatches Zazu (the puppet) away from its puppeteer. The puppeteer shoots an Oh, Crap! face at the audience and covers himself as if he is naked.
Zazu gets a lot more snark in this version than he does in the film. In particular, we have this exchange:
Scar: Here I am at the pinnacle and yet the view is bleak. What is wrong with this picture?
Zazu: You're in it, sire?
Another Zazu gem that soars right over the kids' heads:
Scar: Zazu, be serious! I'm in need of some bucking up!
Zazu: Oh, sire, you seem to be bucking up just fine without me!
Or better yet...
Zazu: You've already bucked up, royally!
Rafiki gives what appears to be a very long speech in Zulu/Swazi/Xhosa/Sotho. When she's done, she turns to the audience and asks "Do you understand?" After the resounding "no," she rolls her eyes and continues what she was doing.
Even funnier is that since said rant takes place during the making of Simba's portrait and right after the presentation on Pride Rock, it seems very clear Rafiki is talking about Simba and his birth. From some of the expressions and tones she uses, it's very possible part of this rant was about how Simba was conceived (complete with praise of Mufasa's prowess).
During one performance in London, Timon exits to the wrong side. Pumbaa just stands there staring for a few moments, before Timon hurries back on saying, "It's the other way." The entire audience cracked up laughing.
In Manchester, after Simba leaves Timon and Pumbaa upset about his father, Timon asks Pumbaa "Was it something I said?" A child in the audience shouted out "Yeah!", causing all of the audience to start laughing.
In "The Madness of King Scar," Scar gripes that the hyenas don't know what real hunger is.
Scar: Day after day it gnaws at the very core of my being!
Banzai: I had that once. It was worms.
Scar: No, no, no... It's like an itch... Deep, persistent, profound...
Banzai: That's it! Worms! When they get really bad all you gotta do is... hunker down and scoot.
Additionally, in "The Madness of King Scar", Scar himself has a breakdown, to the point where Zazu yells at him to pull himself together. Scar's reaction- after several minutes of hysteria- is to blandly reply with, "Oh, very well."
Zazu's self-deprecating comment at the beginning on his delivery of the "The Morning Report" song - "With deference and great respect very much the norm / Plus a hint of sycophancy on the side."
