Julie Taymor to Direct THE LION KING in Madrid

Today it's been announced that director Julie Taymor will fly to Madrid, Spain to work on the new production of Disney's The Lion King which started rehearsals today. John Stefaniuk will be assistant director of the show.

Taymor is widely known for directing this stage musical for which she became the first woman to win the Tony Award for directing a musical. She had been the director of the Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark before leaving in March 2011, after four months of previews (the longest preview period for any show in Broadway history), following artistic differences with the producers.

THE LION KING continues to reign as one of the most popular shows around the world. The global phenomenon can currently be seen on Broadway, on stages across North America and in Las Vegas, London, Hamburg, Tokyo, Singapore, and from October 21st a new production will open in Madrid. Globally, 17 productions of THE LION KING have been seen by more than 54 million people, and grossed over $4.2 billion to date. Now in its 14th year, THE LION KING is the eighth longest-running musical in Broadway history and one of only five productions in theatre history to play for ten years or more both on Broadway and in the West End. Translated into five different languages (Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch), the show has been performed in 13 different countries on five continents. THE LION KING has won more than 70 major awards worldwide, including the 1998 Tony Award® for Best Musical. Visit LionKing.com.