Richard Hudson
DISNEY’S THE LION KING To Return To London Zoo With Summer Exhibition (Apr 16, 2026)
New York City Ballet Reveals 2026-27 Season Featuring 48 Ballets (Apr 1, 2026)
New Simba and Nala Will Join Disney's THE LION KING in the West End (Mar 24, 2026)
BIO
Richard Hudson was born in Zimbabwe and educated in Zimbabwe and England. In 1988 he won a Laurence Olivier Award for designing a season of seven plays at the Old Vic Theatre, London. His set designs for The Lion King have won numerous awards, including a Tony® in 1998. He is a Royal Designer for Industry (RDI). In 2003 he won the Gold Medal for Set Design at the Prague Quadriennale, and in 2005 he was given an honorary doctorate by the University of Surrey. He has designed sets and costumes for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, the Young Vic and the Gate, London. In opera he has worked at the Royal Opera, English National Opera, La Scala Milan, Metropolitan Opera New York, Opera National de Paris, Lyric Opera Chicago, Staatsoper Vienna, Glyndebourne Festival Opera and in Zurich, Munich, Amsterdam, Venice, Florence, Turin, Bregenz, Houston and Washington.
Photos
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Productions
Awards and Nominations
Richard Hudson, Leopoldstadt
Richard Hudson, The Lion King
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Richard Hudson, The Lion King
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Richard Hudson - , The Lion King
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Richard Hudson, The Lion King
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Richard Hudson, The Lion King
Richard HudsonVolpone
Richard Hudson, La Bete
Richard Hudson, La Bete
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Richard Hudson, La Bete
Richard Hudson, La Bête
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Richard HudsonPerformance Season
Videos
Video: THE LION KING's Tshidi Manye Takes Her Historic Final Bow as 'Rafiki'
by Michael Major - 2025-09-03 13:17:12
Video: Watch Gavin Lee Join THE LION KING on Broadway as 'Scar'
by Michael Major - 2025-07-23 11:54:23
VIDEO: Watch THE LION KING's Broadway Makeup Team Transform Stephen Carlile into Scar
by Blair Ingenthron - 2023-10-08 10:43:04
Video: Watch an All New Trailer for LEOPOLDSTADT on Broadway
by Show Highlights - 2022-11-22 10:28:40
Watch: THE LION KING on Broadway Celebrates 25th Anniversary With Short Film Highlighting 'The Circle of Life'
by Chloe Rabinowitz - 2022-11-10 17:44:06
Video: Julie Taymor Talks THE LION KING 25th Anniversary and More!
by Backstage With Richard Ridge - 2022-10-24 05:33:48
TV: Celebrate THE LION KING's Anniversary With a Look at Scar's Makeup Process
by Linnae Medeiros - 2019-11-13 10:28:11
VIDEO: THE LION KING Takes Over King's Cross in Honor of its 20th Anniversary in the West End
by Stephi Wild - 2019-10-19 09:49:58
VIDEO: Get a Backstage Look at THE LION KING Bringing Its Giraffe To Life
by Linnae Medeiros - 2019-08-09 12:52:42
VIDEO: THE LION KING Celebrates 100,000,000th Guest Worldwide With Multi-Lingual 'Circle of Life' Music Video
by Stephi Wild - 2019-05-16 09:10:16
April 1 - THE LION KING Will Become First Musical to Play Seven Continents- Antarctic Production Will Open in 2019!
by Nicole Rosky - 2018-03-31 19:01:42
VIDEO: THE LION KING Cast Members Perform Dual-Language 'Can You Feel The Love Tonight' For 20th Anniversary
by Stephi Wild - 2017-12-12 07:21:40
VIDEO: On This Day, March 30- THE LION KING Plays 1,000 Broadway Performances
by A.A. Cristi - 2017-03-30 20:49:19
News
by A.A. Cristi - Apr 16, 2026
Disney's THE LION KING will partner with London Zoo for a second year, presenting a free exhibition featuring costumes, masks, and puppets from the West End production, alongside new expert-led talks on African wildlife.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Apr 1, 2026
New York City Ballet’s 2026-27 Season will open on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 and continue for 21 weeks of performances, through Sunday, May 30, 2027 at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center.
by Stephi Wild - Mar 24, 2026
Posi Morakinyo and Asha Parker-Wallace will star as Simba and Nala in the West End production of THE LION KING, announced for March 2026. Learn more about the new cast members here!
by Stephi Wild - Feb 13, 2026
The Lion King has announced that longtime cast member Mduduzi Madela will assume the role of Simba beginning Tuesday, February 24. Learn more about him here!
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Feb 6, 2026
Tickets for the return engagement of Disney’s The Lion King in Cleveland will go on sale to the public. Cleveland’s most eagerly awaited return will once again leap onto the KeyBank State Theatre stage at Playhouse Square.
by Courtney Symes - Jan 15, 2026
Broadway Sacramento is starting off the new year with a legend. The Lion King, winner of six Tony Awards, is back in town after seventeen years. The familiar score by Elton John and Tim Rice has been a favorite since the animated version debuted in 1994. Songs like “Hakuna Matata,” “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” and “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” have helped to catapult The Lion King to the status of highest-grossing Broadway production of all time. This was my first time experiencing the magic, and you shouldn’t wait as many years as I have.
by Stephi Wild - Jan 7, 2026
The North American tour of Disney’s The Lion King will welcome Zama Magudulela as Rafiki. Magudulela will begin performances on Tuesday, January 13 in Sacramento at the Safe Credit Union Performing Arts Center.
by BWW Awards - Dec 29, 2025
This is the last chance to vote for the 2025 BroadwayWorld Toronto Awards! Voting ends on 12/31/2025 at midnight. Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!
by BWW Awards - Dec 22, 2025
We're in the final weeks to vote for the 2025 BroadwayWorld Toronto Awards! Voting ends on 12/31/2025 at midnight. Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!
by BWW Awards - Dec 15, 2025
The latest standings have been released for the 2025 BroadwayWorld Toronto Awards! Voting ends on 12/31/2025 at midnight. Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!
by BWW Awards - Dec 8, 2025
The latest standings have been released for the 2025 BroadwayWorld Toronto Awards! Voting ends on 12/31/2025 at midnight. Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!
by BWW Awards - Dec 1, 2025
The first standings have been released for the 2025 BroadwayWorld Toronto Awards! Voting ends on 12/31/2025 at midnight. Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Nov 6, 2025
Disney’s The Lion King is coming to The Paramount Theatre stage.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Oct 3, 2025
Disney's THE LION KING runs at Cadillac Palace Theatre until October 19. Get ticket info and details about this must-see Chicago show!
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Sep 23, 2025
The Lion King celebrated its 11,000th performance on Broadway over the weekend at the matinee on Saturday, September 20th. See footage here and learn more about The Lion King.
by Michael Major - Sep 3, 2025
The production features Peter Hargrave (Scar), David D’Lancy Wilson (Mufasa), Mukelisiwe Goba (Rafiki), Robert Creighton (Timon), Nick LaMedica (Zazu), Danny Grumich (Pumbaa), Gilbert Domally (Simba), and more.
by Michael Major - Sep 3, 2025
Watch a video of Tshidi Manye, who played Rafiki in Disney's THE LION KING on Broadway for over 9,000 performances, take her final bow on Sunday after being a part of the production for 25 years.
by Stephi Wild - Sep 2, 2025
The Lion King is welcoming Ntsepa Pitjeng-Molebatsi back as Rafiki beginning September 2. Pitjeng-Molebatsi stepped into the role temporarily earlier this year and is now taking it over officially following the final performance of longtime cast member Tshidi Manye.
by Alyson Eng - Aug 31, 2025
Disney’s The Lion King musical is playing in Vancouver, BC for a limited four-week engagement at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre from August 20 to September 14.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Aug 27, 2025
After 9,000 performances as Rafiki in The Lion King, Tshidi Manye is set to depart the Broadway production. Learn more about Manye and about The Lion King here.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Best Scenic Design of a Play (Tony Awards) for Leopoldstadt, Best Set Designer (Olivier Awards) for The Lion King, Outstanding Set Design - Musical (Drama Desk Awards) for The Lion King, Best Set Design (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for The Lion King, Best Scenic Design (Tony Awards) for The Lion King, Outstanding Revival-Play (Drama Desk Awards) for The Lion King, Best Costume Designer (Olivier Awards) for Volpone , Outstanding Choreography (Drama Desk Awards) for La Bete, Outstanding Set Design (Drama Desk Awards) for La Bete, Scenic and Costume Design (The Hewes Awards) for La Bete, Best Scenic Design (Tony Awards) for La Bête and Designer of the Year (Olivier Awards) for Performance Season.
Richard Hudson has won several prestigious awards, including: Outstanding Set Design - Musical (Drama Desk Awards) for The Lion King; Best Set Design (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for The Lion King; Best Scenic Design (Tony Awards) for The Lion King; Outstanding Revival-Play (Drama Desk Awards) for The Lion King; Scenic and Costume Design (The Hewes Awards) for La Bête; and Designer of the Year (Olivier Awards) for Performance Season.
Videos