Last night the award-winning musical THE LION KING celebrated its 15th anniversary at London’s Lyceum Theatre, where it remains the West End’s best-selling production.
Winning over 70 theatre awards worldwide since its Broadway premiere on November 13, 1997, 22 global productions have been seen by more than 75 million people. In addition to the London and UK touring productions, THE LION KING can currently be seen in New York, Tokyo, Hamburg, Madrid, Sao Paulo, Brisbane and on tour across North America and Japan.
Recently the musical opened in Australia and they celebrated with a surprise singing outburst on the Virgin Flight over to the other side of the world. The proud cast made flight guests feel like the luckiest travellers in the world. I have seen the show several times now, and always leave stunned and silenced by the innovative and beautiful production, ebullient songs and the magical costumes. This time around (sitting close to the stage in the stalls) I noticed the enormous talent, from the adorable kids who carry much of the first half, to the charismatic animals who sing powerfully whilst mimicking their animal’s mannerisms immaculately.
The story is simple and universal, the music is affecting and infectious and the spirit of the show is undeniably wonderful. As the final curtain call music played from the pit I looked up to the African drummers in the balconies, both smiling as if they were just discovering the music for the first time… 15 years on from its debut The Lion King feels as fresh, relevant and magical as ever. It is a musical that never ceases to amaze me, a production that I know will still be going strong in another decade’s time.
More information and book tickets to The Lion King here.