THE LION KING Sells Out in Salt Lake City, Boosts Local Economy

Disney's The Lion King continues to reign across North America with a sold-out engagement in Salt Lake City, which concluded on Sunday, April 16, at The George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Theater.

The triumphant four-week return grossed over $6.2 million at the box office and entertained nearly 75,000 theatergoers during 31 performances. The Lion King was presented in Salt Lake City in cooperation with Zions Bank Broadway at the Eccles.

It is estimated that the Salt Lake City engagement of The Lion King generated an economic benefit of more than $20 million to the city from travel, hotels, restaurants, parking and other businesses patronized by both theatergoers and production staff. This figure is based upon a Touring Broadway League report which found that, on average, Broadway tours contribute an economic impact 3.27 times the gross ticket sales to the local metropolitan area's economy.

"Broadway at the Eccles is thrilled with the success of The Lion King's engagement in the new Eccles Theater," said John Ballard, President of MagicSpace Entertainment. "Our thanks go out to the nearly 75,000 patrons in attendance who have reminded us all of what a great market this is for touring Broadway musicals and how important this new theater is in bringing them here."

"We were delighted to return to Salt Lake City and to be a part of The Eccles Theater's inaugural season," said Jack Eldon, Vice President of Domestic Touring and Regional Engagements, Disney Theatrical Productions. "It was a joy to experience The Lion King in this spectacular new venue and to witness the standing ovations from this vibrant community. We look forward to returning in the near future."

The North American touring productions of The Lion King have been seen by more than 17 million theatergoers in over 70 cities throughout North America.

In its 20th year, The Lion King continues ascendant as one of the most popular stage musicals in the world. Since its Broadway premiere on November 13, 1997, 24 global productions have been seen by more than 90 million people. Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions (under the direction of Thomas Schumacher), The Lion King is only the second show in history to generate five productions worldwide running 10 or more years. Performed in eight different languages (Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Spanish, Mandarin and Portuguese), productions of The Lion King can currently be seen on Broadway; London's West End; Hamburg; Tokyo; Madrid; Mexico City; Shanghai, Scheveningen, Sapporo and on tour across North America, for a total of ten productions running concurrently across the globe. Having played over 100 cities in 19 countries on every continent except Antarctica, The Lion King's worldwide gross exceeds that of any film, Broadway show or other entertainment title in box office history.

The Lion King won six 1998 Tony Awards: Best Musical, Best Scenic Design (Richard Hudson), Best Costume Design (Julie Taymor), Best Lighting Design (Donald Holder), Best Choreography (Garth Fagan) and Best Direction of a Musical. The Lion King has also earned more than 70 major arts awards including the 1998 NY Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, the 1999 Grammy for Best Musical Show Album, the 1999 Evening Standard Award for Theatrical Event of the Year and the 1999 Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Choreography and Best Costume Design.

The show's director, costume designer and mask co-designer Julie Taymor continues to play an integral part in the show's ongoing success. The first woman to win a Tony Award for Direction of a Musical, Taymor has in recent years supervised new productions of the show around the world.

The Broadway score features Elton John and Tim Rice's music from The Lion King animated film along with three new songs by John and Rice; additional musical material by South African Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor and Hans Zimmer; and music from "Rhythm of the Pride Lands," an album inspired by the original music in the film, written by Lebo M, Mark Mancina and Hans Zimmer. The resulting sound of The Lion King is a fusion of Western popular music and the distinctive sounds and rhythms of Africa, ranging from the Academy Award-winning song "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" to the haunting ballad "Shadowland."

The book has been adapted by Roger Allers, who co-directed The Lion King animated feature, and Irene Mecchi, who co-wrote the film's screenplay. Other members of the creative team include: Michael Curry, who designed the masks and puppets with Taymor, Steve Canyon Kennedy (sound design), Michael Ward (hair and makeup design), John Stefaniuk (associate director), Marey Griffith (associate choreographer), Clement Ishmael (music supervisor) and Doc Zorthian (production supervisor). Anne Quart serves as co-producer.

For more information worldwide, visit LionKing.com.