THE LION KING Celebrates 'Roaring' Opening in Las Vegas

The Las Vegas premiere of Disney's award-winning Broadway phenomenon THE LION KING, the first-ever Disney theatrical production to launch in Vegas, opened last week at the Mandalay Bay Theatre and has been enthusiastically embraced by local theatrical reviewers.

The Las Vegas premiere of THE LION KING began preview performances at the Mandalay Bay Theatre on May 5 and opened on May 15. The sit-down production joins the seven highly successful companies of THE LION KING currently running all over the world, including New York, London, Hamburg, Paris, Tokyo and Fukuoka, as well as the North American National Tour.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal hailed the production as "first rate...innovative and gorgeous." The Las Vegas Sun calls it, "the real thing...a dazzling dramatic enterprise. All hail THE LION KING, an emotionally gripping triumph."

For Las Vegas, Disney hand-selected an international cast of performers who have won acclaim in productions of THE LION KING across the globe, including Broadway, Taipei, South Africa, London, Los Angeles, Australia, Toronto, Shanghai, Paris and Holland. The cast also includes nine South African natives and two ensemble members from Las Vegas: Joseph Rivera and Renata Renee Wilson.

Now in its second sold-out decade on Broadway, THE LION KING is the winner of six Tony® Awards including Best Musical, eight Drama Desk Awards, six Outer Critics Circle Awards, the New York Drama Critics award for Best Musical, the Evening Standard Award for the Theatrical Event of the Year, two Olivier Awards, a Theatre World Award, the Astaire Award for Outstanding Choreography, two Drama League Awards and a Grammy® Award for Best Musical Show Album.

Director Julie Taymor became the first woman in Broadway history to win the Tony® Award for Best Director of a Musical. Taymor, along with Michael Curry, created hundreds of masks and puppets for THE LION KING. Choreography is by Garth Fagan, scenic design is by Richard Hudson, costume design is by Julie Taymor and lighting design is by Donald Holder. The book has been adapted by Roger Allers, who co-directed the animated film, and Irene Mecchi, who co-wrote the screenplay for THE LION KING. The score features Elton John and Tim Rice's music from the animated film along with new songs by John and Rice, and additional musical material by South African Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor and Hans Zimmer.

THE LION KING is performed Monday through Thursday evenings at 8 p.m. with performances Saturday and Sunday at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. For best seating choices, advance purchases can be made by calling Ticketmaster and visiting ticketmaster.com; when in Las Vegas, tickets are available at the Mandalay Bay Theatre Box Office.

Tickets for Disney's THE LION KING at Mandalay Bay are available for $53, $86 and $113.50. VIP packages, which include premium seating, a complimentary souvenir program and a complimentary VIP show merchandise item, are available for $168.50. Taxes are included in all prices. Tickets can be purchased at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations; through the box office at (702) 632-7580 or Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000; and online via www.lionkinglasvegas.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

Reservations for groups of 15 or more can be purchased through (877) 632-7505 or LionKingSales@mandalaybay.com.

 

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