The Lion King is the musical based on the Disney's 1994 animated feature film of the same name with music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice along with the musical score created by Hans Zimmer with choral arrangements by Lebo M. Directed by Julie Taymor, the musical features actors in animal costumes as well as giant, hollow puppets. The show is produced by Disney Theatrical.
The musical debuted July 8, 1997, in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Orpheum Theatre, and was an instant success before premiering on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theater on October 15, 1997 in previews with the official opening on November 13, 1997. On June 13, 2006, the Broadway production moved to the Minskoff Theatre to make way for the musical version of Mary Poppins, where it is still running after more than 5,350 performances. It is now Broadway's third longest-running show in history. As of April 2012, it is the highest grossing Broadway show of all time, having grossed $1,091,440,972.
The show debuted in the West End's Lyceum Theatre on October 19, 1999 and is still running. The cast of the West End production were invited to perform at the Royal Variety Performance 2008 at the London Palladium on December 11, in the presence of senior members of the British Royal Family.
The story follows a young lion cub named Simba, born into royalty as heir to his father, Mufasa's, throne. Mufasa's evil brother, Scar, desires power over the kingdom and conspired with a legion of hyenas to kill Mufasa and Simba, and take over the land in their place. While Mufasa is murdered, Simba survives the attack and is blamed, by Scar, for his father's demise. Exiled, Simba must regain his courage and face the difficulties of his past to defeat Scar and reclaim his role in the Circle of Life.
Production[]
Many of the animals portrayed in the production are actors in costume using extra tools to move their costumes. For example, the giraffes are portrayed by actors carefully walking on stilts. For principal characters such as Mufasa and Scar, the costumes feature mechanical headpieces that can be raised and lowered to foster the illusion of a cat "lunging" at another. Other characters, such as the hyenas, Zazu, Timon, and Pumbaa, are portrayed by actors in life-sized puppets or costumes. The Timon character is described by Taymor as one of the hardest roles to master because the movement of the puppet's head and arms puts a strain on the actor's arms, back, and neck.
Pippa Bennett-Warner/Nathalie Emmanuel/Dominique Moore
Variations from the 1994 film[]
Characters[]
Rafiki's gender was changed to a female role because Taymor believed that there was generally no leading female character in the film.
A major narrative addition is the depiction of Nala's departure in the scene "The Madness of King Scar," where the mentally deteriorating villain tries to make Nala his mate. Nala refuses and later announces her intention to depart the Pride Lands and find help. She receives the blessings of the lionesses and Rafiki during the new song "Shadowland."
Plot points[]
The hyenas Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed have their own musical number titled "Chow Down" where they plan to eat Simba and Nala who stumble upon the Elephant Graveyard.
When Mufasa talks to Simba about his ancestors, he sings a variation of "He Lives in You" titled "They Live in You".
A conversation between Mufasa and Zazu about Mufasa's parenting was added.
The scene featuring a cheetah preparing to hunt a giraffe was added, followed by Scar leading Simba to the gorge where the "Stampede" sequence would later begin. In the original, there was no scene with a cheetah preparing to hunt a giraffe.
The scene where Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed warm Simba that they will kill him if he comes back to the Pride Lands was replaced with a scene where Rafiki and the lionesses mourn over Mufasa's dead body before moving on to Scar's plan to take over Pride Rock.
During the scene where Scar and the hyenas take over Pride Rock, he and the hyenas sing a reprise of "Be Prepared". This was not in the final version of the original film; however, it was included in a deleted scene after Nala refuses to be Scar's queen.
After the musical number "Hakuna Matata", it includes a musical number where a large chorus begins the second act using bird puppets and kites.
Starving antelopes were seen during the opening of the second act which is set during the famine.
The part with Zazu singing a song to impress Scar but only to annoy him during the famine features a different song depending on the local production. For example, in the original Broadway adaptation, he sings a snippet of "Be Our Guest" while in the Las Vegas production at Mandalay Bay, he sings a snippet of "Viva Las Vegas". In the film, he sings snippets of "It's a Small World" and "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts" before moving on to the musical number "The Madness of King Scar".
A perilous scene in which Timon finds himself nearly drowning in a waterfall while Simba feels powerless to help him as two crocodiles prepare to eat him.
While the film has several pop-culture references, the musical takes a broader approach by breaking the fourth wall several times; this is most prominent with the character of Zazu.
For example during the beginning of the musical number "I Just Can't Wait to be King", he rarely shouts to Simba and Nala "Not what you did in the cartoon", referring to the original film where Zazu was crushed by a rhinoceros at the end of the musical number.
In the film, when Timon and Pumbaa distract the hyenas, Timon dances the hula. In the musical, he dances the Charleston.
Zazu costume for the April Fools joke of the Antarctica production. Note that this depiction of Zazu in the April Fools joke of the Antarctica production is an emperor penguin instead of a hornbill, as penguins are commonly found in Antarctica.
The Lion King Antarctica Ship for the April Fools joke of the Antarctica production.
Trivia[]
Like its predecessor, the Beauty and the Beast musical, the show adds more songs to its stage production, including Morning Report, sung by Zazu the hornbill and later added to the film for the Platinum Edition DVD release.
"Shadowland," originally featured on the CD Rhythm of the Pride Lands with Zulu lyrics as "Lea Halelela", was adapted for the musical with new English lyrics. It is sung by Nala, the lionesses, and Rafiki.
"Endless Night", also from Rhythm of the Pride Lands with Swahili lyrics as "Lala" is sung by Simba while reflecting on Mufasa's promise to always be there.
"One By One" from the Rhythm of the Pride Lands CD was adapted as the rousing African-styled Entre Act sung by the chorus at the opening of the second act.
During the show's run in China, Chinese elements were included in the musical. One of the songs was adapted to a well-known Chinese pop song, "Laoshu ai dami" or "Mice Love Rice". The cast even cracked jokes and attempted conversations with the audience in Chinese.
As of June 27, 2010, nine minutes of the Broadway version were cut (these cuts also affect the US National Touring productions):
Composer Lebo M led the original Broadway chorus. The chorus members are usually visible in the production, rather than being hidden in the shadows as seen in some other musical shows.
A new section of the production, the Lioness Hunt, features a particularly complicated dance sequence for the actresses, and the dance is made even more difficult by the large headpieces worn during the scene.
"Timon Hula" is often portrayed as "Luau Hawaiian Treat" in other versions of the musical.
Television:Find Out Why • Timon & Pumbaa • Timon and Pumbaa's Wild About Safety • The Lion Guard • It's UnBungalievable! Soundtracks:The Lion King • Rhythm of the Pride Lands • The Legacy Collection • The Lion King Collection • Return to Pride Rock: Songs Inspired by Disney's The Lion King II: Simba's Pride • Best of the Lion King • The Lion King 1½: Songs from Timon and Pumbaa's Hilarious Adventure • Original Broadway Cast Recording • Festival of the Lion King • The Legend of the Lion King • The Lion Guard • The Lion King (2019 film) • The Lion King & Jungle Festival: Rhythms of the Pride Lands Video games:The Lion King • Timon and Pumbaa's Jungle Games • The Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure • Kingdom Hearts II • Animated Storybook: The Lion King • Disney Universe • Disney Infinity: 2.0 Edition • Adventures in Typing with Timon and Pumbaa • Activity Center • The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride: Active Play • The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride GameBreak • The Lion King 1½ • Disney Crossy Road • Disney Emoji Blitz • Disney Heroes: Battle Mode • Kingdom Hearts III • Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King • Disney Classic Games Collection • The Lion King: Operation Pridelands Books:Marvel Comics • The Art and Making of The Lion King • The Lion Guard: Can't Wait to be Queen Cancelled projects:The Lion Guard: Hear Me Roar! • The Lion King Family Tree
Season One: "Boara Boara" • "Saskatchewan Catch" • "Kenya Be My Friend?" • "Good Mousekeeping" • "Brazil Nuts" • "South Sea Sick" • "Never Everglades" • "Cooked Goose" • "Yukon Con" • "Doubt of Africa" • "How to Beat the High Costa Rica" • "Swiss Missed" • "Russia Hour" • "You Ghana Join the Club" • "Uganda Be an Elephant" • "To Kilimanjaro Bird" • "Rocky Mountain Lie" • "Amazon Quiver" • "French Fried" • "Big Top Breakfast" • "Madagascar About You" • "Truth or Zaire" • "Mojave Desserted" • "Beauty and the Wildebeest" • "Don't Break the China" • "Can't Take a Yolk" • "The Pain in Spain" • "Frantic Atlantic" • "Unlucky in Lesotho" • "Rafiki's Apprentice" • "Tanzania Zany" • "Guatemala Malarkey" • "Mombasa-In-Law" • "TV Dinner" • "Back Out in the Outback" • "Gabon with the Wind" • "Timon's Time Togo" • "The Law of the Jungle" • "Manhattan Mishap" • "Paraguay Parable" • "Be More Pacific" • "Going Uruguay" • "Let's Serengeti Out of Here" • "Congo on Like This" • "Okay Bayou?" • "Shake Your Djibouti" • "Yosemite Remedy" • "The Sky is Calling" • "Mozam-Beaked" • "Ocean Commotion" Season Two: "Palm Beached" • "Jamaica Mistake?" • "Oregon Astray" • "New Guinea Pig" • "Isle of Manhood" • "Puttin' on the Brits" • "Klondike Con" • "Isle Find Out" • "Beetle Romania" • "Rumble in the Jungle" • "Wide Awake in Wonderland" • "Zazu's Off-by-One Day" • "Animal Barn" • "Roach Hotel" • "Africa-Dabra!" • "I Don't Bolivia" • "Shopping Mauled" • "Library Brouhaha" • "Catch Me if You Kenya" • "Scent of the South" • "Monster Massachusetts" • "Handle with Caribbean" • "Forbidden Pumbaa" • "Washington Applesauce" • "Alcatraz Mataz" • "Oahu Wahoo" • "I Think I Canada" • "Zazu's Off Day Off" • "Beast of Eden" • "Sense & Senegambia" • "Timon on the Range" • "The Man from J.U.N.G.L.E." • "Maine-Iacs" • "Fiji-Fi-Fo-Fum" • "Rome Alone" • "Amusement Bark" • "Once Upon a Timon" • "Home is Where the Hog Is" • "Beethoven's Whiff" • "Bumble in the Jungle" • "Mind Over Matterhorn" Season Three: "Whiff" • "To Be Bee or Not to Be Bee" • "Luck Be a Meerkat" • "Just When You Thought You'd Cuisine it All" • "Lemonade Stand Off" • "Big Jungle Game" • "Boo Hoo Bouquet" • "So Sumo Me" • "Now Museum, Now You Don't" • "Visiting Pig-nitaries" • "The Truth About Kats and Hogs" • "Escape from Newark" • "Truth Be Told" • "Circus Jerks" • "Nest Best Thing" • "Super Hog-O" • "Don't Have the Vegas Idea" • "Hot Enough for Ya?" • "Werehog of London" • "Bigfoot, Littlebrain" • "Astro-Nots" • "Robin Hoodwinked" • "Seregenti Western" • "All Pets are Off" • "Two for the Zoo" • "The Swine in the Stone" • "You May Have Already Won Six Million Bakra" • "My Meteor, My Friend" • "Jungle Slickers" • "Don't Wake the Neighbear" • "Recipe for Disaster" • "Going Over-Boar'd" • "Ivy Beleaguered" • "Broadway Bound & Gagged" • "Steel Hog" • "Dealer's Choice Cut" • "Space Ham" • "You Bet Your Tuhkus" • "No-Good Samaritan" • "Living in De Nile" • "One Tough Bug" • "Pirates of Pumbzance" • "Miss Perfect" • "Hakuna Matata U." • "Pig-Malion" • "Why No Rhino" • "War Hogs" • "The Big No Sleep" • "Common Scents" • "Mister Twister" • "Don't Be Elfish" • "Lights, Camera, Traction" • "The Running of the Bullies" • "Special Defects" • "Wishy Washy" • "Ice Escapades" • "Guru-Some" • "Jailhouse Shock" • "Nearly Departed" • "Early Bird Watchers" • "The Spy's the Limit" • "Ready, Aim, Fire" • "Timoncchio" • "Ghost Boosters" • "Stay Away from my Honey!" • "Sitting Pretty Awful" • "He's a Bad, Bad, Bad Sport" • "Dapper Duck Burgers" • "It Runs Good" • "Hot Air Buffoons" • "Timon in Love" • "Kahuna Potato" • "Mook Island" • "Cliphangers"
Timon & Pumbaa:Zazu's Tree • Madame Credenza's Place • Savage Rock • Boss Beaver's Log Land • The Tree of Truth • Dismal Swamp The Lion Guard:Lair of the Lion Guard • Janja's Den • Tree of Life
Instrumental Scores:This Land • Hyenas • ...To Die For • Under the Stars • King of Pride Rock • Didn't Your Mother Tell You Not to Play with Your Food • We are All Connected • Hyenas in the Pride Lands • Elephant Graveyard • I Was Just Trying to Be Brave • Stampede • Mufasa Dies • If You Ever Come Back We'll Kill You • Bowling for Buzzards • We Gotta Bone to Pick With You • Kings of the Past • Nala, is It Really You? • Remember Who You Are • This is My Home • The Rightful King Rhythm of the Pride Lands:The Lion Sleeps Tonight • Kube • Lea Halalela • It's Time • Lala • Busa • Noyana The Lion King II: Simba's Pride:He Lives in You • We Are One • My Lullaby • Upendi • One of Us • Love Will Find a Way The Lion King 1½:Digga Tunnah • That's All I Need • Sunrise, Sunset • Grazing in the Grass Musical:Lioness Hunt • Rafiki Mourns • One by One • Grasslands Chant • Chow Down • The Madness of King Scar • Shadowland • Endless Night • Simba Confronts Scar Timon & Pumbaa:The Lion Sleeps Tonight • Alone Together • Stand by Me • Yummy Yummy Yummy The Lion Guard:Call of the Guard • A Beautiful Day (Ni Siku Nzuri) • Zuka Zama • Tonight We Strike • Kion's Lament • It is Time • Here Comes the Lion Guard • We're the Same (Sisi Ni Sawa) • Don't Make a Stink • Bunga the Wise • Duties of the King • Outta the Way • Jackal Style • Our Kupatana Community • My Own Way • Utamu • All Hail The Vultures • Hero Inside • Bird of a Thousand Voices • Panic and Run • Trail to Hope • Life in the Pride Lands • We'll Make You a Meal • Find Your Roar • Chungu's Lament • Baboons • Beware of the Zimwi • Lions Over All • Stand Up, Stand Out • Kuishi Ni Kucheka • Running with the King • Hadithi the Hero • Makin' Hippo Lanes • Tickbirds and Rhinos • Teke Ruka Teleza • Everyone is Welcome • The Traveling Baboon Show • A Real Meal • Fujo • The Path of Honor • Bring Back a Legend • Today is my Day • I Have A Plan • Gotta Look on the Bright Side • The Worst Hyena We Know • May There Be Peace • Big Bad Kenge • Christmas in the Pride Lands • The Twelve Ways of Christmas • I Do Have a Great Deal to Say • Fabulous Dhahabu • Give a Little Guy a Chance • We're the Smartest • Good King Simba • The Faster I Go • I'm Gonna Run This Dump • Now You See Me, Now You Don't • Wisdom on the Walls • He's The Zebra Mastermind • Kwetu Ni Kwetu • Nothin' to Fear Down Here • Shujaa Ponda • Pride Landers Unite! • Prance With Me • Tujiinue • Height and Sight • We Will Defend • A New Way to Go • On the Last Night • When I Led the Guard • The Tree of Life • Home of a Snow Monkey's Dreams • Ghost of the Mountain • Anything • That's the Dolphin Way • As You Move Forward • Flamingo Dance Party • You Best Not Mess With Mama • Friends to the End • Kion's Reckoning • Welcome to the Tree of Life • Who is Better Than Who • Poa the Destroyer • Long Live the Queen • Remember What Makes You You • The Power of the Roar • Of the Same Pride • As You Move On Remake:Life's Not Fair • Rafiki's Fireflies • Scar Takes the Throne • Simba is Alive! • Reflections of Mufasa • Spirit • Battle for Pride Rock • Remember • Never Too Late • Mbube Deleted:To Be King • Warthog Rhapsody • The Lion of the Moon • Old Fearless Buzz • The Madness of King Scar • Where Do I Belong Miscellaneous:Safety Smart
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