THE LION KING Celebrates Another Record Breaking Year In London

Disney's award-winning production of THE LION KING smashed all previous West End box office records - including its own, set in 2009 - as it completed 2010 with two weeks of sold out performances. In addition to being the top-selling West End production of the year, seen by over 820,000 people in 2010, the show also grossed over £34 million (an increase of £2 million on the previous year) - the highest annual box office of any show in West End history.

In addition, the final week of the year (27 December 2010 to 2 January 2011) also saw the highest weekly attendance and box office gross in the show's history - with 18,959 people seeing the show across nine-performances.

These box office records complete another remarkable year for THE LION KING, which celebrated its 11th anniversary in London in October 2010 and is currently the 9th longest-running musical in West End history. Over 9 million people have now seen it at the Lyceum Theatre.

Julie Taymor's internationally acclaimed stage adaptation of THE LION KING is based on Disney's beloved animated feature film and follows the adventures of the 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 Pumbaa, Andile Gumbi as Simba, Narran McLean as Nala, Gary Forbes as Banzai, Allyson Addo as Shenzi and Mark Sangster as Ed.

THE LION KING continues to reign as one of the most popular shows around the world.
The global phenomenon can also currently be seen on Broadway, on stages across North America and in Las Vegas, Hamburg, Tokyo and in March 2011, a new production will bow in Singapore. Globally, 17 productions of THE LION KING have been seen by more than 54 million people, and grossed over £2.7 billion to date. Now in its 14th year, the New York production of THE LION KING is the eighth longest-running musical in Broadway history and one of only five productions in theatre history to play for ten years or more both on Broadway and in the West End. Translated into five different languages (Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch), the show has been performed in 13 different countries on five continents. THE LION KING has won more than 70 major awards worldwide, including the 1998 Tony Award® for Best Musical. Visit LionKing.co.uk

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