STAGE TUBE: Inside Opening Night of THE LION KING at Bristol Hippodrome

The UK Tour of Disney's legendary musical THE LION KING opened at The Bristol Hippodrome on September 6, 2012. Take look at the red carpet and opening night party with the CAST AND CREW below!

An international cast of 52 performers from 17 different countries have been in rehearsal in Bristol for the past eight weeks in preparation. During that same period, the renowned Bristol Hippodrome Theatre has been closed to the public while it has been transformed in readiness for this full-scale production. This has included reconfiguration of the stalls seating to allow for some of the unique staging moments of the production.

In its 15th year, THE LION KING remains ascendant, recently becoming the highest-grossing Broadway show in history. Since its Broadway premiere on November 13, 1997, 19 productions around the globe have been seen by more than 65 million people, grossed over $4.8 billion and, cumulatively, run a staggering 91 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 running 10 or more years. Translated into seven different languages (Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Mandarin, Spanish), the show has been performed in 15 different countries on five continents. Continuing to reign as one of the most popular stage musicals in the world, THE LION KING can currently be seen on Broadway, on stages across North America, on tour in the UK, and in Tokyo, London's West End, Hamburg and Madrid.