The Lion King

The Lion King is a stage musical by Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi, with music by Elton John, lyrics by Tim Rice. Additional music and lyrics by Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor, and Hans Zimmer.

The original text

Based on the 1994 Disney animated film of the same name, the musical features actors in animal costumes as well as giant, hollow puppets.

Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions, the musical made its debut at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on 8 July 8, 1997. An instant success, it then had its premiere on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theater on 15 October 15, 1997. On 13 June, 2006, the Broadway production moved to the Minskoff Theatre to make way for the musical version of Mary Poppins, where it continued to run.

The show opened in the West End's Lyceum Theatre on 19 October, 1999 and is still running. The cast of the West End production were invited to perform at the Royal Variety Performance 2008 at the London Palladium on December 11, in the presence of senior members of the British Royal Family.

In June 2007 The Lion King opened in Johannesburg, the first ever performance on the play on the African continent.

Translations and adaptations

Performance history in South Africa

2007-8: The musical opened in South Africa in the year of its tenth anniversary, produced by Pieter Toerien in association with Lebo M (1964-). It opened in the newly opened Teatro Theatre at Montecasino in Fourways, Johannesburg in June, in the presence of key persons involved in the creation of the musical, as well as American talk show host Oprah Winfrey, who had recently opened an educational academy for girls in Johannesburg. The cast and crew included ***, David Matamela as resident choreographer. The show eventually closed on February 17, 2008.