23 years ago Disney’s The Lion King mesmerised audiences around the world. Arguably one of the best (Disney) movies to date, The Lion King has proven itself to be an immortal tale, appealing to audience even today. And the stage-musical adaptation is no less magical.
In its 20th year, The Lion King continues to be one of the most popular stage musicals in the world.
Since its Broadway premiere in 1997, The Lion King has had 24 global productions and entertaining over 90 million people.
Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions (under the direction of Thomas Schumacher), The Lion King is only the second show in history to generate five productions worldwide running 10 or more years. Translated into eight different languages (Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Spanish, Mandarin and Portuguese), productions of The Lion King can currently be seen on Broadway; London’s West End; Hamburg; Tokyo; Madrid; Mexico City; Shanghai; Scheveningen and on tour across North America, for a total of nine productions running concurrently across the globe.
To date, The Lion King has won six 1998 Tony Awards: Best Musical, Best Scenic Design (Richard Hudson), Best Costume Design (Julie Taymor), Best Lighting Design (Donald Holder), Best Choreography (Garth Fagan) and Best Direction of a Musical. The Lion King has also earned more than 70 major arts awards including the 1998 NY Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, the 1999 Grammy® for Best Musical Show Album, the 1999 Evening Standard Award for Theatrical Event of the Year and the 1999 Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Choreography and Best Costume Design.
The Broadway score features Elton John and Tim Rice’s music from the animated film along with three new songs by John and Rice; additional musical material by South African Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor and Hans Zimmer; and music from “Rhythm of the Pride Lands,” an album inspired by the original music in the film, written by Lebo M, Mark Mancina and Hans Zimmer. The resulting sound of The Lion King is a fusion of Western popular music and the distinctive sounds and rhythms of Africa, ranging from the Academy Award-winning song “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” to the haunting ballad “Shadowland.”
The Lion King opens at the following countries on the listed dates:
PHILIPPINES:
OPENS MARCH 2018
SINGAPORE:
OPENS JUNE 2018
SOUTH KOREA:
OPENS OCTOBER 2018
TAIWAN:
OPENS 2019
SOUTH AFRICA:
OPENS 2020
Yeah, 2018 is far away… let alone 2020. Till then, here’s the trailer: