The Lion King Hits Fifth Birthday, Extends BookingDate: 19 October 2004
Disney’s stage adaptation of The Lion King celebrates its fifth anniversary in London’s West End tonight. The multi award-winning musical opened on 19 October 1999 (previews from 24 September) at London's Lyceum Theatre, where it has now extended booking by another three months to 1 July 2005.
The Lion King - based on Disney's 1994 animated feature film about lion prince Simba who must overcome his evil uncle to succeed his father, King Mufasa - opened first on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theatre in November 1997. In New York, the show won more than 20 major awards, including the Tony for Best Musical, and has since spawned 10 international productions seen by more than 25 million people.
The original Broadway creative team, led by director and designer Julie Taymor, reunited for the London production, with choreography by Garth Fagan, costumes by Taymor, puppetry and masks by Taymor and Michael Curry, set design by Richard Hudson, hair and make-up by Michael Ward, lighting by Donald Holder and sound by Tony Meola.
The Lion King features 15 songs, including the five from the film. Unlike the screen version, however, African sounds and rhythms are fused on stage with Western popular music to create the musical's distinctive sound. The stage score comprises three new songs written by Elton John and Tim Rice, with additional numbers by South African-born Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Hans Zimmer and Julie Taymor. The book is by Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi.
- by Terri Paddock
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