The Lion King Celebrates 17th Anniversary on Broadway

Chantel Riley and Nteliseng Nkhela

As it enters its 18th year, THE LION KING remains ascendant.   It was the first show in Broadway history to pass $1 billion in cumulative gross, a threshold also crossed by the North American tour and most recently the Hamburg production.  The Broadway production is routinely the #1 Broadway show in a given week, a feat previously unimaginable for a show at this stage in its life.

Since its Broadway premiere on November 13, 1997, 22 global productions have been seen by more than 75 million people and, cumulatively, run a staggering 112 years.  Having played 19 countries on every continent except Antarctica, THE LION KING’s worldwide gross exceeds that of any entertainment title in box office history.

Aaron Nelson_Nteliseng Nkhela_Chantel Riley_Alton Fitzgerald White

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, Spanish and Portuguese), productions of THE LION KING can currently be seen on Broadway,  London’s West End, Hamburg, Tokyo, Madrid, Sao Paulo, Sydney, Australia  and on tour across North America, the U.K., and Japan.  The Australian production marks 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 is playing at Broadway’s Minskoff Theatre (200 West 45th Street). For tickets, show information and performance schedule, call Ticketmaster’s Disney on Broadway hotline at 866-870-2717 or visit online, LionKing.com.