In a brave but ultimately smart departure from the film, the stage version's musical leanings are much more in keeping with the geographic roots of the story which greatly enhances the show's overall vibe and grand design.Ĭurrently, the hit phenomenon has once again returned to Orange County's Segerstrom Center for the Arts finishing up its much-anticipated four-week return engagement through November 1 in Costa Mesa.

Even the sweeping, lush orchestral score of Hans Zimmer in the original animated film has been rebooted and refreshed in the Broadway iteration, flavored and reoriented even deeper with authentic African rhythms and choral voices courtesy of Lebo M., Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, and Taymor herself. Kids love the family-friendly antics, while adults are fascinated by the show's clever artistry, witty humor, and not-so-subtle Shakespearean overtones.Īnd, of course, THE LION KING stage musical, like the film that inspired it, contains plenty of familiar music compositions, created by global pop star Elton John and his frequent lyricist partner Tim Rice. Secondly, even those who've never experienced THE LION KING musical live already know (via word-of-mouth, the internet, or simply 18 years worth of media saturation) about the show's clever and creative staging-a re-imagining of the animated film for the stage that utilizes an innovative combination of jaw-dropping puppetry, authentic African sounds (musically and sonically), beautifully crafted masks and make-up, eye-popping costumes and sets, and beautifully lyrical choreographic movements. The show's continued success isn't really that much of a surprise.įirst, the stage musical is based on an already massively popular 1994 Disney Animated hit film, so the stage adaptation already had a rabid, well-established fan base before the curtain (or, in this case, the fabric Pride Rock sun) even went up.

And, yes, the show continues to awe and amaze audiences worldwide, earning fresh fans out of a new generation just now experiencing this theatrical phenomenon for the first time. Today, 18 years and billions of box office receipts later, the show still packs them in-so much so that it currently stands as Broadway's fourth longest-running show ever and last year even surpassed THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA as the biggest top-earning show in box-office history.

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