THE LION KING North American Tour Celebrates Sold-Out Engagement in Pittsburgh

Disney's The Lion King continues to reign across North America with a sold-out engagement in Pittsburgh, which concluded on Sunday, September 29 at the Benedum Center. The triumphant four-week return grossed over $6.4 million at the box office and entertained more than 85,000 patrons during 32 performances (one of which was tailored to the needs of patrons on the autism spectrum). This was The Lion King's third sold-out engagement in Pittsburgh, following a six-week premiere in 2004 and a six-week run in 2008 at the Benedum Center.

It is estimated that the Pittsburgh engagement of The Lion King generated a $22 million economic benefit to the city from travel, hotels, restaurants, parking and other businesses patronized by both theatergoers and production staff. This figure is based upon a Touring Broadway League report which found that, on average, Broadway tours contribute an economic impact 3.5 times the gross ticket sales to the local metropolitan area's economy.

"THE LION KING's third tour in Pittsburgh, once again, has delighted audiences of all ages- both new to seeing the show for the first time and returning 'Lion King' show fans. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust thanks all of the staff at Disney Theatrical Productions and The Lion King for their help in bringing this outstanding production to the Benedum Center's stage," said Marc L. Fleming, Vice President, Marketing and Communications, with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

"It is sincerely gratifying to see that the response to this theatrical phenomenon is just as strong as when it first premiered in Pittsburgh nearly 10 years ago," said Jack Eldon, Vice President, Domestic Distribution, Disney Theatrical Productions. "We were also thrilled to play our second autism-friendly performance outside of New York City and thank our partners at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust for their tireless commitment to this important initiative. Pittsburgh has earned a special place in the history of The Lion King and we look forward to returning to this fantastic city in the near future."

The tour received the following praises for its third engagement. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review commented, "The national touring production remains as fresh, lively and beautiful as a young gazelle leaping across the plains of Africa. "... it's a show that brings the same delight to audiences as it did at its Broadway opening." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette enthused, "Julie Taymor's visionary designs have been around since 1997, yet they never cease to delight and amaze. The enormity of the production -- dozens of puppets huge and small, and the Pride Rock set, for instance -- make the tour a massive undertaking, but it roars on without losing any of its Disney magic."

The North American touring productions of The Lion King have been seen by more than 15 million theatergoers and grossed over $1 billion to date. After 11 years on the road, The Lion King continues to celebrate unparalleled achievements and delight new audiences throughout North America. The current schedule is listed below.

Disney's The Lion King is part of the PNC Broadway Across America-Pittsburgh series, presented by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Broadway Across America and Pittsburgh Symphony. For more information, visit TrustArts.org or call 412-456-6666.

In its 16th year, The Lion King remains ascendant; it is the highest-grossing Broadway show in New York history and one of the most popular stage musicals in the world. Since its Broadway premiere on November 13, 1997, 21 global productions have been seen by more than 70 million people and, cumulatively, run a staggering 104 years. Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions (under the direction of Thomas Schumacher), The Lion King is only the second show in history to generate five productions worldwide running 10 or more years. Translated into seven different languages (Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Mandarin, Spanish and Portuguese), productions of The Lion King can currently be seen on Broadway and on tour across North America, in Tokyo and on tour in Japan, in London's West End and on tour throughout the UK, and in Hamburg, Madrid and Sao Paolo. To date, The Lion King has played 98 cities in 16 countries on every continent except Antarctica.

Among the most successful titles in entertainment history, with a cumulative gross in excess of $5 billion, the stage production of The Lion King has already earned more than the biggest hit films in movie history: more than the Lord of the Rings trilogy combined, more than the six Star Wars films combined, and more than Avatar and Titanic, the two highest-grossing films in movie history, combined.

The award-winning musical will celebrate a new milestone in December 2013 when it returns to Australia, making it the tenth concurrent worldwide production of The Lion King, the highest number of productions running at any one time in the show's history.

THE 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. 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.

The show's director, costume designer and mask co-designer Julie Taymor continues to play an integral part in the show's ongoing success. The first woman to win a Tony Award for Direction of a Musical, Taymor has in recent years supervised new productions of the show in Las Vegas, Madrid and the UK tour and just completed casting the Brazilian production in Sao Paolo.

The Broadway score features Elton John and Tim Rice's music from The Lion King 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 "Rhythm of the Pride Lands," an album inspired by the original music in the film, written by Lebo M, Mark Mancina and Hans Zimmer. The resulting sound of The Lion King is a fusion of Western popular music and the distinctive sounds and rhythms of Africa, ranging from the Academy Award-winning song "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" to the haunting ballad "Shadowland."

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: Michael Curry, who designed the masks and puppets with Taymor, Steve Canyon Kennedy (sound design), Michael Ward (hair and makeup design), John Stefaniuk (associate director), Marey Griffith (associate choreographer), Clement Ishmael (music supervisor) and Doc Zorthian (production supervisor). Anne Quart serves as associate producer.

For more information worldwide, visit LionKing.com.

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR SCHEDULE THROUGH AUGUST 2014:

Dallas - Music Hall at Fair Park

October 2 - 20, 2013

Tempe - ASU Gammage Auditorium

October 22 - November 17, 2013

Los Angeles - Pantages Theatre

November 20, 2013 - January 12, 2014

Honolulu - Blaisdell Concert Hall

January 14 - March 9, 2014

Seattle - Paramount Theatre

March 12 - April 6, 2014

Atlanta - The Fox Theatre

April 10 - 27, 2014

Toronto - Princess of Wales Theatre

April 30 - June 15, 2014

Washington, D.C. - Kennedy Center Opera House

June 17 - August 17, 2014

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