Disney Theatrical Group and Stage Entertainment announce the landmark musical event The Lion King will open tonight at the Lope De Vega Theatre in Madrid, Spain. This open-ended engagement will join the seven other highly successful companies of The Lion King around the world in New York, London, Hamburg, Tokyo, Las Vegas, Singapore and a North American Tour.
The Madrid premiere is the show's nineteenth production and the first-ever Lion King to be performed in Spanish. Original director Julie Taymor worked closely with the company - comprised of actors from around the world - to recreate her Tony® Award-winning vision. The show has already broken records for the largest advance sale of tickets in the history of Spanish theatre; to date over 100,000 have been sold.ABOUT THE LION KINGTHE 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, making Taymor the first woman in theatrical history bestowed with the honor. 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.
On stage, Taymor's creative vision blends elements of African art and Broadway artisanship to depict anthropomorphic animal characters. Taymor, along with designer Michael Curry, has created hundreds of masks and puppets for THE LION KING. 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: Steve Canyon Kennedy (sound design), Michael Ward (hair and makeup design), John Stefaniuk (associate director), Marey Griffith (associate choreographer), Clement Ishmael (music supervisor). Anne Quart serves as associate producer.
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