Disney’s The Lion King to Open a New Toronto Sit-Down Production
For Immediate Release
Media Contact: John Karastamatis, Sue Toth, Erin Nantais
The Open-Ended David Mirvish Presentation Will Begin Performances November 2, 2024 at The Princess of Wales Theatre
In an unprecedented coup, Toronto will become the first city in North America to have a second sit-down production of Disney’s The Lion King. The open-ended David Mirvish presentation will begin performances at the Princess of Wales Theatre on November 2, 2024.
Ticket information will be announced at a later date. Patrons who would like to be kept informed of ticketing details and get priority access to tickets should sign up to The Lion King email list at mirvish.com.
The original Canadian production of the multi-award-winning internationally-celebrated Disney musical opened in Toronto in March 2000 to critical acclaim and sold-out houses. It was the second production of The Lion King in North America, after the show’s Broadway premiere, and played a record-breaking 1,567 performances at the Princess of Wales Theatre, closing on January 4, 2004, having been seen by more than three million patrons. The Lion King created hundreds of jobs and launched the careers of dozens of local artists. It attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors to Toronto and Ontario, pumping an estimated $1.4 billion into the economy. (This figure is based upon a Touring Broadway League report which found that, on average, Broadway tours contribute an economic impact 3.27 times the gross ticket sales to the local metropolitan area’s economy.)
After the sit-down production ended, The Lion King touring production visited the city three times – in 2011, 2014 and 2019 – each time selling out. And each engagement garnered new critical raves:
“Shout it proudly. The king is back and his reign is more glorious than ever!” - The Toronto Star
“The opening of The Lion King is one of the most spectacular in Broadway musical history. Everything about the show is a visual feast of imagination. And then there are the beloved songs, including the Oscar-winning Can You Feel the Love Tonight, and the Oscar-nominated Circle of Life and South Africa's Lebo M, who gives the musical authenticity with his beautiful African melodies. The spectacle of the show still holds up, and it will for generations to come.” – The Globe and Mail
“The classic story has been a favorite on Broadway and worldwide, and I’m happy to report that it still has all the magic, spectacle and resounding heart that has been delighting audiences for years. There’s much to love here, whether you go for the story, the music or to witness the sheer joy on the faces of theatergoers. The Lion King is bound to capture your heart.” – The Toronto Star
Next to Broadway, Toronto has hosted more performances of The Lion King than any other city in North America.
Said David Mirvish: “The Lion King is an iconic work of theatrical art and that rare show that appeals to people of all ages. For these reasons I have decided to do what has not been done before in the commercial theatre industry in North America: present a sit-down production of a show for the second time. The industry standard after an initial sit-down is to bring in the tour, instead of investing in building a new production.”
“I believe a new Toronto production will help launch a new generation of Canadian artists, whom we are committed to finding and supporting.”
“It’s remarkable how many people tell us the first stage show they saw was The Lion King and that’s what has made them regular theatregoers. I’m confident that will happen again.”
“The Lion King will also support Toronto by providing hundreds of good jobs and stimulating the local economy, just as the original sit-down production did.”
“On behalf of Managing Director Andrew Flatt, Chief Creative Officer Thomas Schumacher and all of us at Disney Theatrical, we’re honored that David Mirvish’s remarkable organization is bringing The Lion King back for this historic engagement,” said Executive Producer Anne Quart, a native of Toronto. “Mirvish has always been a loving steward of our show, so Julie Taymor and our entire creative team look forward to working with Toronto’s deep bench of world-class actors and theatre artists once again.”
Casting for the new production will begin immediately and will take place across the country with a series of open call auditions. Audition updates will be posted regularly at mirvish.com/lionking.
ABOUT THE LION KING
Celebrating 26 landmark years on Broadway, The Lion King continues ascendant as one of the most popular stage musicals in the world. Since its premiere on November 13, 1997, 28 global productions have been seen by over 112 million people. Produced by Disney Theatrical Group, under the direction of Andrew Flatt, Anne Quart, and Thomas Schumacher, The Lion King has made theatrical history with three productions worldwide running 20 or more years and two others running 25 or more years.
Performed over its lifetime in nine different languages (English, Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Spanish, Mandarin and Portuguese), productions of The Lion King can currently be seen on Broadway; in London’s West End; Paris; Hamburg; Tokyo; Madrid; Sao Paulo and on tour across North America and the U.K. & Ireland for a total of nine productions running concurrently across 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 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 Julie Taymor continues to play an integral part in the show’s ongoing success. The first woman to win a Tony Award for Direction of a Musical, Taymor 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 by South African Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor and Hans Zimmer; and music from "Rhythm of the Pride Lands," an album inspired by the original music in the film, written by Lebo M, Mark Mancina and Hans 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.
Elton John, Lebo M, and Hans Zimmer all collaborated on the 2019 version of the film, executive produced by Julie Taymor and Thomas Schumacher, which has gone onto extraordinary worldwide success.
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. Other members of the creative team include: Michael Curry, who designed the masks and puppets with Taymor, Steve Canyon Kennedy (sound design), Michael Ward (hair and makeup design), Anthony Lyn (associate director), Marey Griffith (associate choreographer), Clement Ishmael (music supervisor), Lisa Dawn Cave (production supervisor), Thomas Schlenk (general manager) and ARC/Mark Brandon, CSA (casting). Anne Quart serves as executive producer.
For more information about The Lion King worldwide, visit LionKing.com, www.facebook.com/thelionkingusa and www.instagram.com/thelionking.