Donald Holder News

The Lion King/book by Roger Allers & Irene Mecchi/music & lyrics by Elton John & Tim Rice/additional music & lyrics by Hans Zimmer, Lebo M. Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, and Julie Taymor/directed by Julie Taymor/Pantages Theatre/through January 12, 2014

The Los Angeles return of Disney's THE LION KING opens tonight, Friday, November 22, 2013 at 8pm at the Hollywood Pantages for a limited eight-week engagement through January 12, 2014. Hollywood Pantages General Manager Martin Wiviott says "The Circle of Life is once again complete as THE LION KING returns to its Los Angeles home. From its initial debut here in 2000 until now, the excitement and enthusiasm for this spectacular stage production hasn't diminished, but has instead grown by leaps (of the gazelles) and bounds. All of us here at the Hollywood Pantages look forward to a holiday season full of good cheer and great theatre. Welcome home, Lion King!"

Disney's THE LION KING celebrated its third smash engagement in Tempe, which concluded on Sunday, November 17 at ASU Gammage. The triumphant four-week return entertained more than 80,000 patrons during 32 performances. The majority of theater-goers were Valley residents but also included ticket buyers from all over the Southwest and even Mexico.

Disney Theatrical Productions and Fifth Third Bank Broadway in Atlanta announced today that tickets for the long-awaited return engagement of Disney's THE LION KING will go on sale to the public on Sunday, December 8 at 10:00 a.m. Atlanta's most eagerly awaited return will leap onto the Fox Theatre stage for the first time on April 10, 2014 for a limited engagement of three weeks through April 27, 2014. Preview performances are Thursday, April 10, Friday, April 11 and the matinee performance on Saturday, April 12 with the official opening night performance on Saturday, April 12 at 8:00 p.m.

Five time Tony Award winning director and choreographer Susan Stroman will bring Bullets Over Broadway to the stage, beginning previews in March at the St. James Theatre. The show will feture work by an award winning design team of Broadway veterans including Tony Award winners Santo Loquasto (scenic design),William Ivey Long (costume design), Donald Holder (lighting design), Doug Besterman (orchestrations) and Glen Kelly (musical arrangements and supervision) and Peter Hylenski (sound design) and Andy Einhorn (musical direction). The marquee just went up at the St. James Theatre and you can check it in lights below!

In a dual effort to raise awareness for dog adoption and help more dogs find loving homes, ANNIE teamed up with PEDIGREE Brand for the 'See the Show, Help a Dog' initiative. At the heart of the partnership is the PEDIGREE Brand belief that every dog deserves a loving home. It's a sentiment shared with ANNIE and Broadway - an organization that has cast shelter dogs in starring roles for decades.

Be among the first to get tickets in person at the box office by visiting The St. James Theatre (246 West 44th Street) in the heart of Times Square when it opens for a limited time only from today, Monday, November 18 through this Saturday, November 23.

Producers Letty Aronson and Julian Schlossberg have announced a special, limited time box office opening and additional casting for the world premiere production of BULLETS OVER BROADWAY. The new musical, written by Woody Allen and based on the screenplay by Allen and Douglas McGrath for the 1994 film, will be directed and choreographed by five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman.

As the 2013 calendar year comes to a close, Disney's landmark musical event, THE LION KING, celebrates several milestones around the globe.

Beginning previews in March at the St. James Theatre, five time Tony Award winning director and choreographer Susan Stroman will bring BULLETS OVER BROADWAY to the stage with an award winning design team of Broadway veterans including Tony Award winners Santo Loquasto (scenic design),William Ivey Long (costume design), Donald Holder (lighting design), Doug Besterman (orchestrations) and Glen Kelly (musical arrangements and supervision) and Peter Hylenski (sound design) and Andy Einhorn (musical direction). The marquee just went up at the St. James Theatre and you can check it out below!

Composer Jake Heggie and librettist Gene Scheer's award-winning opera Moby-Dick, will be broadcast on THIRTEEN's Great Performances tonight, November 1, 2013 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings), as part of the PBS Arts Fall Festival.

ANNIE, Broadway's favorite musical for all ages, invites your family to celebrate Halloween at the Palace Theatre (Broadway at 47th Street) tonight, October 31st. Come in your Halloween costume and get a trick-or-treating surprise.

ANNIE, Broadway's favorite musical for all ages, invites your family to celebrate Halloween at the Palace Theatre (Broadway at 47th Street) on Thursday, October 31st. Come in your Halloween costume and get a trick-or-treating surprise.

The Tempe return of Disney's THE LION KING opens tonight, October 24 at 7:30 p.m. at ASU Gammage for a limited engagement of four weeks through November 17. In Tempe, THE LION KING plays Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m., Saturday matinees at 2:00 p.m., and Sundays at 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. "We are thrilled to have THE LION KING back in Tempe," said Colleen Jennings Roggensack, Executive Director of ASU Gammage. "There are still wonderful seats available, so be sure not to miss this show and create lasting memories with your family."

Disney's THE LION KING continues to reign across North America with a sold-out engagement in Dallas, which concluded on Sunday, October 20 at The Music Hall at Fair Park. The triumphant three-week return grossed over $4.9 million at the box office and entertained more than 79,000 patrons during 24 performances. The award-winning musical returned to Dallas following a six-week sold-out premiere in 2002 and a successful five-week return in 2007 at The Music Hall.

Casting has been announced for the Los Angeles return engagement of Disney's THE LION KING. Los Angeles' most eagerly awaited stage production ever will leap onto the Hollywood Pantages stage from November 20, 2013 - January 12, 2014. The press opening night is Friday, November 22 at 8pm. The landmark musical will return to Los Angeles for the first time since its triumphant return engagement in November 2006, where the production played a sold-out run at Hollywood Pantages.

Nico Muhly's opera Two Boys will have its North American premiere at the Met October 21, in a production conducted by David Robertson and directed by Bartlett Sher. The two-act opera, which features a libretto by award-winning playwright Craig Lucas, is loosely based on true events and follows a lonely detective whose investigation of a seemingly simple crime draws her into a complex web of online intrigue. Alice Coote sings the role of Detective Inspector Anne Strawson and Paul Appleby sings Brian, the 16-year-old boy at the center of her investigations. Sher's staging, a co-production with English National Opera, premiered in London in 2011. Check out a sneak peek below!

TONY and EMMY Award nominee Ron Raines returns to Broadway as Daddy Warbucks in the new Broadway production of ANNIE at the Palace Theatre (1564 Broadway between 46th and 47th Streets). He will begin performances on Tuesday, December 10. Australian superstar Anthony Warlow will play his final performance as Daddy Warbucks on Sunday, December 8.

Nico Muhly's opera Two Boys has its North American premiere at the Met tiday, October 21, in a production conducted by David Robertson and directed by Bartlett Sher. The two-act opera, which features a libretto by award-winning playwright Craig Lucas, is loosely based on true events and follows a lonely detective whose investigation of a seemingly simple crime draws her into a complex web of online intrigue. Alice Coote sings the role of Detective Inspector Anne Strawson and Paul Appleby sings Brian, the 16-year-old boy at the center of her investigations. Sher's staging, a co-production with English National Opera, premiered in London in 2011.