Disney's THE LION KING North American Tour Celebrates 20th Anniversary

The North American tour of Disney's The Lion King is celebrating its 20th anniversary today, Wednesday, April 27 in Wichita, where the award-winning musical begins a two-week return engagement tonight at The Century II Concert Hall.

Since launching in April 2002 at the Buell Theatre in Denver, CO, The Lion King North American touring productions have employed hundreds of theater professionals, played over 9,000 performances during 227 engagements in 93 cities to an audience of more than 21 million theatergoers. Few tours in theatre history have achieved its reach or impact.

"The allegory of The Lion King is more relevant today than ever, a testament to the extraordinary creative power of Julie Taymor and her remarkable team of collaborators - from the creators and songwriters of the movie to the theatre artists who brought the story to the stage," said Thomas Schumacher, President & Producer Disney Theatrical Productions. "The heart of this show is and always has been human - from stage managers to musicians to technical crew and actors. What I cherish most is that this simple but poignant tale, which touches thousands every day across North America, is brought to life by a small group of dedicated and inspiring people. We salute them."

"It's profoundly humbling and gratifying to know that after 20 spectacular years on tour, The Lion King continues to introduce new audiences to theater and tremendously impact the communities it plays, both economically and culturally," said Jack Eldon, Vice President, Domestic Touring & Regional Engagements, Disney Theatrical Productions. "We remain overwhelmed by the enduring response to the show and are immensely thankful to the theatergoers and all of our presenting partners for their unwavering support. We look forward to sharing this theatrical phenomenon for many more years on the road."

20th Anniversary Fun Facts:

· The tour has driven over 155,000 miles between stops, which is enough to travel the circumference of the earth more than six times.

· Pride Rock travels approximately 745 feet per show. Over twenty years of touring, that's 1,050 miles: the distance between New York to Miami.

· More than 17,495,750 measures of music have been played by the touring orchestra during performances.

· Stage Managers have called over 2,367,510 lighting cues during the tour.

· There have been 48 babies born to members of the tour while they were on the road.

· The waterfall into which Timon falls is 17' per show, or 126,565 feet over the course of the tour's 20 year. This is the equivalent of stacking the Empire State Building on itself 87 times.

· It takes 5 hours and 10 minutes per show for all cast members' make-up to be done. Over 20 years, that is over 38,465 hours of make-up.

· The words "Hakuna Matata" have been said over 223,000 times while performing on tour.

After 24 landmark years on Broadway, The Lion King continues ascendant as one of the most popular stage musicals in the world. Since its premiere on November 13, 1997, 25 global productions have been seen by nearly 110 million people. Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions (under the direction of Thomas Schumacher), The Lion King has made theatrical history with six productions worldwide running 15 or more years, with four of those running 20 or more years.

Performed over its lifetime in nine different languages (English, Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Spanish, Mandarin and Portuguese), productions of The Lion King can currently be seen on Broadway; London's West End; Paris; Hamburg; Tokyo; Madrid; on tour across North America, Japan and the U.K. & Ireland, with a separate production touring internationally, for a total of ten productions running concurrently across the globe. Having played over 100 cities in 21 countries on every continent except Antarctica, The Lion King's worldwide gross exceeds that of any film, Broadway show or other entertainment title in box office history.

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 and the 1999 Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Choreography and Best Costume Design.

The show's director, costume designer and mask co-designer Julie Taymor continues to play an integral part in the show's ongoing success. The first woman to win a Tony Award for Direction of a Musical, Taymor supervises new productions of the show around the world.

The Broadway score features Elton John and Tim Rice's songs from the Lion King 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 Lebo M's rich choral numbers.

Elton John, Lebo M, and Hans Zimmer all collaborated on the 2019 version of the film, executive produced by Julie Taymor and Thomas Schumacher, which has gone onto extraordinary worldwide success.

The book has been adapted by Roger Allers, who co-directed the animated The Lion King feature, and Irene Mecchi, who co-wrote the film's screenplay. Other members of the creative team include: Michael Curry, who designed the masks and puppets with Taymor, Steve Canyon Kennedy (sound design), Michael Ward (hair and makeup design), Anthony Lyn (associate director), Marey Griffith (associate choreographer), Clement Ishmael (music supervisor), Doc Zorthian (production supervisor) and Binder Casting/Mark Brandon, CSA (casting). Anne Quart serves as co-producer.

For more information worldwide, visit LionKing.com.