Disney's THE LION KING Ends in Australia
By: Matt Smith Feb. 29, 2016
For Release (February 29, 2015): Disney Theatrical Productions today
thanked the Australian public as the spectacularly successful season
of landmark musical The Lion King ended this weekend.
Theatre, the current production had played 869 sold-out performances
to nearly two million people, a figure representing nearly ten percent
of the country's population. This is the second extended season of
The Lion King in Australia; the first Australian season opened in
2003, ran nearly three years and entertained 2.1 million guests. This second Australian tour of The Lion King began in Sydney in
December 2013 and travelled to Brisbane, Melbourne, and Perth. This production featured the most multicultural cast of any
Australian-produced stage musical to date, with performers from 13
countries across five continents and was recently nominated for four
Green Room Awards, Melbourne's premier peer-presented, performing arts
industry awards. Share on Twitter and Facebook: #lionkingau ABOUT THE LION KING In its 19th year, THE LION KING continues ascendant as one of the most
popular stage musicals in the world. Since its Broadway premiere on
November 13, 1997, 23 global productions have been seen by more than
80 million people and, cumulatively, run a staggering 132 years.
Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions (under the direction of
Thomas Schumacher), THE LION KING is only the second show in history
to generate five productions worldwide running 10 or more years.
Translated into eight different languages (Japanese, German, Korean,
French, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese and Mandarin), productions of THE
LION KING can currently be seen on Broadway; London's West End;
Hamburg; Tokyo; Madrid; Mexico City; and on tour across North America
and Japan. Having played 20 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.
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 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 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 the haunting
ballad "Shadowland."
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 associate producer. For more information worldwide, visit LionKing.com.
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