THE LION KING Shatters Box Office Records in Madison, WI

In only the second week of a four-week premiere engagement in Madison, WI, the North American tour of Disney's THE LION KING has already set a new box office record as being the highest grossing theatrical production to ever play the Overture Center for the Arts. The first week of performances grossed over $1.1 million, breaking the box office record by more than $100,000. The engagement, which runs through May 23, 2010, has sold more than 64,000 tickets and generated over $4.5 million at the box office. Approximately 2,000 tickets are still available and can be purchased at the Overture Center Ticket Office.

The touring production has been seen by over 12 million theatergoers and grossed over $775 million to date and is one of seven productions of THE LION KING running worldwide along with the original Broadway production, London, Hamburg, Paris, Tokyo and Las Vegas. An all new production will bow in Singapore in September 2010 - a first for Disney Theatrical Productions.

Having already played 60 cities across North America, THE LION KING continues to entertain audiences in new cities. During the 2010-11 season the tour will play the following cities for the first time: Vancouver, B.C., Salt Lake City, UT, Durham, NC, and Dayton, OH. The current schedule is listed below and for more information and dates, please visit LionKing.com.

THE LION KING continues to reign as one of the most popular shows on Broadway and around the world. Now in its 13th year, THE LION KING is the eighth longest-running musical in Broadway history and the first American musical to welcome 50 million guests worldwide. The global phenomenon is the winner of more than 70 major awards worldwide, including the 1998 Tony Award® and NY Drama Critics Award for Best Musical, the 1999 Grammy® for Best Musical Show Album, and the 1999 Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Choreography and Best Costume Design.

Director Julie Taymor became the first woman in Broadway history to win the Tony® Award for Best Director of a Musical. Taymor, along with Michael Curry, created hundreds of masks and puppets for THE LION KING. Choreography is by Garth Fagan, scenic design is by Richard Hudson, costume design is by Julie Taymor and lighting design is by Donald Holder. The book has been adapted by Roger Allers, who co-directed the animated film and Irene Mecchi, who co-wrote the screenplay for THE LION KING. 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.

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR SCHEDULE THROUGH JULY 2011

CITY/VENUE Performance Dates
Madison - Overture Center for the Arts April 27 - May 23, 2010

Costa Mesa - Orange County Performing Arts Center May 26 - June 13, 2010

Portland - Keller Auditorium June 16 - July 11, 2010

Vancouver - Queen Elizabeth Theatre July 13 - Aug 8, 2010

Salt Lake City - Capitol Theatre Aug 11 - Sept 26, 2010

Chicago - Cadillac Palace Theatre Sept 29 - Nov 7, 2010

Norfolk - Chrysler Hall Nov 30 - Jan 2, 2011

Durham - Durham Performing Arts Center Jan 4 - 30, 2011

Providence - Providence Performing Arts Center Feb 1 - Feb 20, 2011

Rochester - Auditorium Theatre March 22 - April 17, 2011

Toronto - Princess of Wales Theatre April 19 - May 22, 2011

Dayton - Schuster Hall June 14 - July 10, 2011

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