Disney's The Lion King to Mark its Tenth Anniversary in the West End

By Mark Shenton
14 Oct 2009

Disney's The Lion King will mark its tenth anniversary in the West End, where it is playing at the Lyceum Theatre, on Oct. 18 with a gala performance that will see a gathering of former cast members, the show's award-winning creative team and a host of celebrities and friends.

Since it originally opened in London on Oct. 19, 1999 (following previews from Sept. 24), the musical has been seen by over 8 million people at over 4,200 performances, which represents an average attendance of 93 percent across the run. It has achieved a total gross box office in excess of £289 million (approximately $457 million). It now ranks amongst the top ten longest-running shows in West End history.

Over 400,000 school children have seen the show as part of The Lion King's education program. There have been over 225 adult cast members from 22 countries, and 64 children have played the roles of Young Simba and Young Nala. Many of them have gone onto successful entertainment careers, including Luke Youngblood (seen subsequently in the "Harry Potter" film series), Vanessa White (who became the youngest member of the girl band The Saturdays) and Jade Ewan (winner of BBC's reality TV contest "Your Country Needs You," as a result of which she represented Britain in this year's Eurovision Song Contest, and is now a member of the pop group Sugababes). The production has established The Lion King cub school in 2009 to train young performers for the show; the first graduates from the program joined the production in September 2009.

In a press statement, Thomas Schumacher, producer and president of Disney Theatrical Productions, commented, "I am tremendously proud of our entire creative team as well as our cast and crew in the West End who bring Julie Taymor's glorious production to life each and every time the curtain rises." Taymor added, "Over the past 10 years, more than 220 performers from all over the world have been part of the incredible company in London, each bringing their own unique talents, energy and joy to help tell this universal story. The thing that moves me most about the success of The Lion King is the fact that it truly transcends the barriers between culture and between races and is able to tell a story in a style that speaks to everyone equally."

The Lion King is also currently playing in New York, Las Vegas, on tour in North America, Tokyo, Hamburg and Paris. The London production is currently booking to Aug. 29, 2010. To book tickets, contact the box office at 0844 844 0005 or visit www.thelionking.co.uk.