THE LION KING Becomes Ninth-Longest Running Musical In West End History

On Friday 18th December, Disney's award-winning production of The Lion King will play its 4,265th performance, overtaking Cameron Mackintosh's legendary production of Miss Saigon to become the ninth longest-running musical in West End history.

As the London production reaches this landmark, coincidentally the original Broadway production also stands at number 9 on the list of longest-running musicals in Broadway history. The Lion King is one of only five musicals in theatre history to play for ten or more years both on Broadway and in the West End.

Julie Taymor's internationally acclaimed stage adaptation celebrated its 10th anniversary in London in October 2009, where it remains one of the West End's most sought-after tickets. It has been seen by over 8 million people at the Lyceum Theatre and over 50 million worldwide.

In addition to the record-breaking productions in London and New York, ‘The Lion King' can currently be seen in Paris, Tokyo, Hamburg, Las Vegas, and on tour in North America. A new production is due to open in Singapore in 2010.

Based on the beloved animated feature film, The Lion King follows the adventures of the young lion cub Simba, as he struggles to accept the responsibilities of adulthood and his destined role of King.

The London company of 46 performers is led by 11 principals: George Asprey as Scar, Shaun Escoffery as Mufasa, Stephen Matthews as Zazu, Brown Lindiwe Mkhize as Rafiki, Nick Mercer as Timon, Keith Bookman as Pumba, Andile Gumbi as Simba, Gloria Onitiri as Nala, Gary Forbes as Banzai, Allyson Addo as Shenzi and Mark Sangster as Ed.

The Lion King is produced by Disney Theatrical Productions.