'Lion King' Celebrates Anniversary At Time Warner

 An exhibit that explores the inspiration and evolution of the groundbreaking production of Disney's The Lion King will be on display at The Shops at Columbus Circle - Time Warner Center from April 7 through April 27.  The Lion King's 10th Anniversary Celebration Exhibit features behind-the-scenes photographs, costume sketches, maquette models, full-scale puppets and costume displays.  The exhibit also features two fully-costumed wax figures of the popular characters "Rafiki" and "Scar," which were developed by Madame Tussauds New York.  In sum, the 10th Anniversary Celebration Exhibit reveals the extraordinary vision of Tony® Award-winning director Julie Taymor and the passion of the more than 1,100 cast members, musicians and backstage crew members who perform The Lion King around the world every day.
 
Since its Broadway opening on November 13, 1997 (preview performances began October 15, 1997), The Lion King has been seen by 45 million people worldwide. In addition to New York City where the show has remained among the top 5 selling shows on Broadway for 10 years, the curtain of The Lion King currently rises six more times every night all over the world in London, Hamburg, Tokyo, Paris, Fukuoka and the US national tour. 
 
Julie Taymor is the first woman to win a Tony Award® for Direction of a Musical.  She is the director, costume designer, co-designer of the masks and puppets and wrote additional lyrics for The Lion King.  She most recently directed the critically acclaimed film Across the Universe.  Her previous credits include The Green Bird, The Flying Dutchman, Fool's Fire, Titus Andronicus and the Tony Award-nominated Juan Darien:A Carnival Mass at Lincoln Center.  She is a winner of two 1998 Tony Awards for Best Direction of a Musical and Best Costume Design.
 
The score features Elton John and Tim Rice's music from the 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 an album inspired by the animated film, "Rhythm of the Pride Lands," written by Lebo M, Mark Mancina and Hans Zimmer.  The resulting sound of The Lion King score is a fusion of Western popular music and the distinctive sounds and rhythms of Africa, embracing the Academy award-winning "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" and the haunting "Shadowlands."    
 
Julie Taymor, along with Michael Curry, has created hundreds of masks and puppets for The Lion King.  Scenic design is by Richard Hudson; Lighting design is by Donald Holder.  Costume design is by Julie Taymor.  Choreography is by Garth Fagan.  The book has been adapted by Roger Allers, who co-directed the animated feature and Irene Mecchi, who co-wrote the screenplay of The Lion King.  Other members of the creative team include: Steve Canyon Kennedy, sound design; Michael Ward, hair and makeup design; Jay Binder, casting; Joseph Church, music director; Robert Elhai, David Metzger and Bruce Fowler, orchestrators.
 
The pre-Broadway engagement of The Lion King had its world premiere on July 13, 1997 in Minneapolis at the historic Orpheum Theatre.  The pre-Broadway engagement ran for eight weeks, closing on August 31, 1997. 
 
The Lion King plays Wednesday through Saturday at 8 PM, matinees on Wednesday and Saturday at 2 PM and Sunday at 1 PM and 6:30 PM.  Running time for the production is approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes. 
 
Tickets for The Lion King are available at www.DisneyOnBroadway.com, the Minskoff Theatre Box Office, and all Ticketmaster outlets or by calling Ticketmaster's Disney on Broadway hotline at (212) 307-4747.  Prices range from $51.25.-$121.25.  For group sales and information please call (800) 439-9000.
 
Time Warner Center, the 2.8 million square foot complex located at Columbus Circle, opened to the public on February 5, 2004.  The Shops at Columbus Circle and The Restaurant and Bar Collection consist of retail, food and beverage, and entertainment programming totaling 350,000 square feet of leasable space.  Together with Jazz at Lincoln Center's three performance halls, this world-class destination provides New York's West Side with 500,000 square feet of dynamic restaurant, retail and entertainment uses. The complex includes Time Warner World Headquarters, One Central Park condominiums, The Residences at the Mandarin Oriental, and the Mandarin Oriental five-star luxury hotel. The $1.7 billion project was developed by Columbus Centre LLC, a partnership consisting of The Related Companies, L.P. and Apollo Real Estate Advisors, L.P.  Visit theshopsatcolumbuscircle.com for more information.
 
 
INFORMATION AND DIRECTIONS FOR The Lion King DISPLAY AT TIME WARNER CENTER:
 
The Shops at Columbus Circle - Time Warner Center
April 7-27th
9am-10pm
FREE to the public
 
10 Columbus Circle
New York, NY 10019
212-823-6300
 
Via Subway:
Take A,B,C,D,1 trains to 59th St./Columbus Circle Station
 
www.DisneyOnBroadway.com