Disney’s The Lion King is coming back to Vancouver

Dates to be announced for the hit musical running during the 2024-25 Broadway season

MORE THAN 21 MILLION theatregoers across North America alone can’t be wrong: Disney’s The Lion King is making a return visit to Vancouver during the 2024-25 Broadway season.

Dates for the show at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre are forthcoming.

Touring productions of The Lion King have been happening for more than two decades, and the title has been performed more than 9,000 times in over 90 cities in North America.

Globally, 28 productions have been seen by more than 112 million people since its premiere on November 13, 1997. It has been performed in nine languages: English, Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Spanish, Mandarin, and Portuguese.

Produced by Disney Theatrical Group under the direction of Andrew Flatt, Anne Quart, and Thomas Schumacher, The Lion King made theatrical history with three productions worldwide running 20 or more years and two others running 25 or more years.

The Lion King can currently be seen on Broadway; London’s West End; Paris; Hamburg; Tokyo; Madrid; Sao Paulo; and on tour across North America and the U.K. and Ireland for a total of nine productions running concurrently around the globe. Having played over 100 cities in 24 countries on every continent except Antarctica, The Lion King’s worldwide gross exceeds that of any film, Broadway show, or other entertainment title in box office history.

The Lion King has 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 Taymor is the first woman to win a Tony Award for Direction of a Musical. She supervises new productions of the show around the world.

The Broadway score features Elton John and Tim Rice’s songs from the Lion King animated film along with three new songs by John and Rice; additional musical material is by South African artist Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor, and Hans Zimmer; and from Rhythm of the Pride Lands, an album inspired by the original music in the film, written by Lebo M, Mancina, and 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 Lebo M’s rich choral numbers,” according to a release.

John, Lebo M, and Zimmer all collaborated on the 2019 version of the film, executive produced by Taymor and Thomas Schumacher, which has gone onto worldwide release.

The book has been adapted by Roger Allers, who co-directed the animated The Lion King feature, and Irene Mecchi, who co-wrote the film’s screenplay.

See lionking.com/tour for more information.

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Gail Johnson

Gail Johnson is cofounder of Stir. She is a Vancouver-based journalist who has earned local and national nominations and awards for her work. She is a certified Gladue Report writer via Indigenous Perspectives Society in partnership with Royal Roads University and is a member of a judging panel for top Vancouver restaurants.

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