The Lion King

THE LION KING... SEE IT NOW... REMEMBER IT FOREVER!

Set against the majesty of the Serengetti Plains and the the evocative rhythms of Africa, Disney's multi award-winning musical The Lion King will redefine your expectations of theatre.

A spectacular visual feast, this adaptation of Disney's much-loved film transports audiences to a dazzling world that explodes with glorious colours, stunning effects and enchanting music. At its heart is the powerful and moving story of Simba - the epic adventure of his journey from wide-eyed cub to his destined role as King of the Pridelands.

"The Lion King is a ravishing spectacle, the cat's whiskers no less, and an unmissable treat for the whole family... I can hardly wait to see it again or, more tantalising, to see the effect of the breathtakingly opening few moments of pure animal magic on the faces of the my children. A more imaginatively concieved carnival of creatures is impossible to conjure... An intensely theatrical experience." The Mail on Sunday

"An astonishing triumph of theatrical imagination" The London Evening Standard

"From the opening moment when the burning African sun rose on stage and a giant elephant sashayed down the centre aisle it was clear we were in for some real Disney magic. Over £6million has been poured into turning the hit cartoon movie into a musical. And it's money well spent. You won't see more colourful costumes or more imaginative backdrops anywhere else. Animals of every description are brought to life by puppeteers or humans wearing masks... The African music from Lebo M is stirring. Sir Elton John and Sir Tim Rice contribute showstoppers such as Can You Feel The Love Tonight. But even if you don't go home from London's West End humming the songs you will sing the praises of the spectacular sets and exotic costumes. It's a fun show for all the family. The Lion King rules okay. This one will roar and roar." The Mirror

"One of the most joyous and spectacular musicals in years!" The Daily Mail

"The Lion King is an indisputable triumph - in the stage-version, at least, because Disney has entrusted the show to a director (Julie Taymor) and a creative team with exceptional imagination and a rare grasp of theatrical resources. You are gripped from teh first scene: a magnificent rippling sunrise, the chanting of a much-bedaubed and bedizened shaman, fabricated animals trooping down the aisle and flocking across the stage... It is so well done that you wonder where they can go from there, but scene after scene proves equally impressive... What makes the spectacle so entrancing is that we are invited to enter into it as a game - to enjoy the means by which it is produced rather than goggling as the simulated reality... At every stage we are made aware of the actor behind an animal... The visual splendors of the show are never allowed to swamp the drama. The storyline remains clear and compelling... The Lion King is superlative entertainment, and puts most other mega-musicals in the shade." The Sunday Telegraph

"The haunting chants for the grassland and the lionesses are by South African musician Lebo M, who also co-wrote four songs, with Mark Macina and three others. The wonderful Shadowlands, with its blend of European and African rhythms and orchestration, is their best. The sets are by the Zimbabwe-born Richard Hudson: their sense of broad spaces, high, cloud-fringed skies, and the brilliant reds, oranges, browns and deep yellows of the African landscape will haunt you for weeks to come. But it is finally Julie Taymor's show. She has directed it, designed the stunning costumes, and collaborated with Mark Curry on the even more stunning masks and puppets... The Lion King is a wonderful, wonderful musical: thrilling, warm-hearted, inventive and origianl. It has a pulsating, teeming sense of animal life effortlessly at home in its rich, dangerous natural habitat, and a seamless blend of story and spectacle." The Sunday Times

"Julie Taymor, the American director and designer, has brought to The Lion King puppets whose origins lie in the Far East an Africa... and no attempt is made to conceal the technically humble devices which drive them... This gorgeous carnival of hybrid creatures - part-beast, part-human - is emphatically, triumphantly theatrical. It never tries to mimic the special effects or verisimilitude of film. It is playful and ingenious, drawing attention to pretences." The Observer

Disney's The Lion King in London previewed 24 September 1999 and opened on 19 October 1999.