THE LION KING International Tour Releases New Block of Tickets in Manila

Manila, Philippines--Disney's "The Lion King" international tour producers Michael Cassel Group, Concertus Manila, and Disney Theatrical Productions have announced that a new block of tickets for the Manila run of the musical will be made available on Wednesday, January 10, at 10 a.m. PST exclusively through TicketWorld.com.ph.

This new batch of tickets has been allocated for the two-week extended run of the production, which will now play from Sunday, March 18, until Sunday, May 6, at The Theatre at Solaire in Parañaque City.

"Undeniably, there's a lot of excitement for 'The Lion King' in Manila and the demand for tickets only continues to grow," said Joey Verzo, managing director of Concertus Manila.

When the tickets to the show went on sale last October 25 to customers of sponsoring presenters Globe and Visa, it broke box office records: over 14,000 tickets were sold on the day one of the priority booking period, eclipsing the previous record of a single day of sales of Cameron Mackintosh's "Les Miserables," which played The Theatre at Solaire in 2016.

20 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, 24 global productions have been seen by more than 90 million people. Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions (under the direction of Thomas Schumacher), "The Lion King" is the only show in history to generate six productions worldwide running 15 or more years. Performed in eight different languages (Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Spanish, Mandarin, and Portuguese), productions of "The Lion King" can currently be seen on Broadway, London's West End, Hamburg, Tokyo and Sapporo, Madrid, Mexico City, Scheveningen, Holland, and on tour across North America, for a total of nine productions running concurrently across the globe. Having played over 100 cities in 19 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. It 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 has in recent years supervised new productions of the show around the world.

The Broadway score features Elton John and Tim Rice's music 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 show 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 the haunting ballad "Shadowland."

The book has been adapted by Roger Allers, who co-directed "The Lion King" animated 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), John Stefaniuk (associate director), Marey Griffith (associate choreographer), Clement Ishmael (music supervisor) and Doc Zorthian (production supervisor). Anne Quart serves as a co-producer.

For more information, visit TheLionKing.ph.

Photo: Joan Marcus