THE ART OF THE LION KING Exhibition Opens Today at QPAC; Musical Begins Performances Sept 21

The Queensland Performing Arts Centre's (QPAC) Museum in conjunction with Disney Theatrical Productions will host a free exhibition from today Tuesday 5 August in celebration of the Brisbane season of The Lion King previewing from 21 September 2014.

The Art of The Lion King traces the journey from animated film to live musical and is the first exhibition of its kind in Australia.

The installation brings together text, images and video with original design elements and costumes to trace the development of the design, music, movement and staging of this unique production.

QPAC Museum Curator Christopher Smith said QPAC is thrilled to be presenting this exhibition which will add to the excitement of having the The Lion King musical in Queensland for the first time and offers great insight into the making of this phenomenal musical.

"I think that people are going to be blown away by the chance to get up close to the selection of unique items we have on display, many direct from the Disney Theatrical Productions archives in America and not seen before in Australia," said Mr Smith.

Exhibition material on loan from Disney Theatrical Productions and The Lion King includes:

• Set models

• Design drawings

• Character maquettes

• Original costumes

On display is also a series of exhibition panels exploring the different aspect of the production including staging, music, set design, make-up, choreography and puppetry.

The exhibition also includes a video presentation with interviews of key creative artists who helped make both the animated film and the live show such a spectacular success.

In its 17th year, THE LION KING remains ascendant; it is the highest-grossing Broadway show in New York history and one of the most popular stage musicals in the world. Since its Broadway premiere on November 13, 1997, 22 global productions have been seen by more than 70 million people and, cumulatively, run a staggering 106 years.

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.

Disney's landmark musical event THE LION KING will come to QPAC's Lyric Theatre from September 21 2014.

Director Julie Taymor's vision of the African savannah comes to life in this locally-crafted production, featuring the most multicultural cast of any Australian-produced stage musical to date.

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