THE LION KING Becomes The 9th Longest Running Musical In West End History 12/18

On Friday December 18, Disney's award-winning production of THE LION KING will play its 4,265th performance to become the 9th longest-running musical in West End history.

As the London production reaches this landmark, coincidentally, the original Broadway production also stands at number nine on the list of longest-running musicals in Broadway history. THE LION KING is one of only five musicals in theatre history to play for ten or more years both on Broadway and in the West End.

Julie Taymor's internationally acclaimed stage adaptation celebrated its 10th anniversary in London in October 2009, where it remains one of the West End's most sought-after tickets. It has been seen by over 8 million people at the Lyceum Theatre and over 50 million worldwide.

In addition to the record-breaking productions in London and New York, THE LION KING can currently be seen in Paris, Tokyo, Hamburg, Las Vegas, and on tour in North America. A new production is due to open in Singapore in 2010.

Based on the beloved animated feature film, THE LION KING follows the adventures of the young lion cub Simba, as he struggles to accept the responsibilities of adulthood and his destined role of King.

The London company of 46 performers is led by 11 principals: George Asprey as Scar, Shaun Escoffery as Mufasa, Stephen Matthews as Zazu, Brown Lindiwe Mkhize as Rafiki, Nick Mercer as Timon, Keith Bookman as Pumbaa, Andile Gumbi as Simba, Gloria Onitiri as Nala, Gary Forbes as Banzai, Allyson Addo as Shenzi and Mark Sangster as Ed.

THE LION KING plays Tuesday to Saturday at 7:30pm with matinee performances on Wednesday and Saturday at 2:00pm and Sunday at 3:00pm.
Learn more at www.TheLionKing.co.uk.

DISNEY THEATRICAL GROUP (DTG) operates under the direction of Thomas Schumacher and is among the world's most successful commercial theatre enterprises. Through Disney Theatrical Productions and Disney Live Family Entertainment, DTG produces and licenses live entertainment events that reach a global annual audience of more than 20 million people in more than 40 countries. Under the Disney Theatrical Productions banner, the group produces and licenses Broadway musicals around the world, including Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Elton John & Tim Rice's Aida, TARZAN® and Mary Poppins, a co-production by Disney and Cameron Mackintosh. DTP's newest production, The Little Mermaid, debuted in January of 2008 and immediately became a Broadway sensation. In 2007, Disney Theatrical also launched the professional touring stage versions of Disney's High School Musical which has performed in 41 cities in the US and 34 cities in the UK. In addition, DTG licenses musical titles for local school and community theatre productions through Music Theatre International.