Disney's THE LION KING enters it's 14th year in London's West End
DISNEY’S ‘THE LION KING’
ENTERS ITS 14TH TRIUMPHANT YEAR
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RECORD-BREAKING MUSICAL IS STILL
LONDON’S NUMBER ONE
Disney’s record-breaking musical ‘The Lion King’ enters its 14th triumphant year at
London’s Lyceum Theatre on October 19th
. Having opened in 1999, this award-winning production remains the West
End’s best-selling stage production.
Julie Taymor’s internationally celebrated stage adaptation
of Disney’s beloved 1994 animated film premiered on Broadway in 1997 and has
now been seen by over 65 million people across
five continents.
five continents.
Julie Taymor, one of the world’s most innovative directors,
brought a vast array of disciplines to ‘The
Lion King’, including extensive experience staging epic theatre and opera
productions, exploring classic myths through ritualised puppetry, mask, and
movement. ‘The Lion King’ was the
first musical she directed in the commercial theatre, and Taymor made Broadway
history by becoming the first woman to win the Tony Award® for ’Best
Director of a Musical’.
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| Jonathan Andrew Hume as Simba |
The show’s full creative team, reunited in 1999 to recreate the
show for British audiences. Julie Taymor
and Michael Curry created
hundreds of masks and puppets. Scenic design is by leading British designer Richard Hudson and lighting is by Donald Holder. Costume design is by
Julie Taymor, and choreography by Garth
Fagan. The book was adapted by Roger
Allers, who co-directed the animated feature, and Irene Mecchi, who co-wrote the screenplay of ‘The Lion King’.
Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions (under the direction of
Thomas Schumacher) ‘The Lion King’
has been translated into eight different languages (Japanese, German, Korean, French,
Dutch, Mandarin, Spanish and Portuguese) and the show has been performed in 15
different countries on five continents.
In addition to the successful London production, ‘The Lion King’ also recently commenced
a tour of the UK and Ireland. The new touring production opened in Bristol in
September to critical and popular acclaim and begins performances in Manchester
on 30 November. ‘The Lion King’ can
also be seen in New York, Tokyo, Hamburg, Madrid and on tours of North America
and Japan. Recently becoming the highest-grossing show in Broadway history, ‘The Lion King’ is only the 2nd
show in history to have five international productions running ten or more
years.
‘The Lion King’ 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, the
1999 Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Choreography and Best Costume Design and
seven 2012 Spanish Musical Theatre Awards, including Best Musical.
The original score from the animated film was expanded for the
stage and now features 15 musical numbers. As well as writing completely new
songs, South African composer Lebo M
created an evocative blend of African rhythms and chorales, with additional
material by Julie Taymor and Mark Mancina. Elton
John and Tim Rice have added
three new numbers to the five that they wrote for the award-winning score of
the animated film. The resulting sound of ‘The
Lion King’ is a fusion of Western popular music and the distinctive sounds
and rhythms of Africa, including the Academy Award®-winning Can You Feel The Love Tonight and the
haunting Shadowland.
London Cast
The London company of 46 performers is led by 11 principals: George Asprey as Scar, Shaun Escoffery as Mufasa, Brown Lindiwe Mkhize as Rafiki, Stephen Matthews as Zazu, Damian Baldet as Timon, Keith Bookman as Pumbaa, Jonathan Andrew Hume as Simba, Ava
Brennan as Nala, Jacquelyn Hodges as
Shenzi, Gary Forbes as Banzai and Sebastien Torkia as Ed.
Press & Listings Information
Disney’s The Lion King
Lyceum Theatre
21 Wellington Street, London WC2E 7RQ
Currently booking to Sunday 30 June 2013
Box Office number: 0844 871 3000
‘The Lion King’ plays Tuesday to Saturday at 7.30pm with
matinee performances on Wednesday,
Saturday and Sunday at 2.30pm.
There is no performance on a Monday
evening.
Labels
Theatre
