Lion King (musical)

The Lion King
Broadway promotional poster
Music	Elton John
Lyrics	Tim Rice
Book	Roger Allers Irene Mecchi
Basis	The Lion King by Walt Disney Animation Studios
Productions	1997 Minneapolis 1997 Broadway 1998 Tokyo 1999 Japan National Tour 1999 West End 2000 Toronto 2000 Los Angeles 2001 Hamburg 2002 1st US National Tour 2003 2nd US National Tour 2003 Sydney 2004 The Hague 2006 Shanghai 2006 Seoul 2007 Johannesburg 2007 Paris 2008 Taipei 2009 Las Vegas 2011 Singapore 2011 Madrid 2012 UK National Tour 2013 São Paulo 2013 Sydney 2015 Basel 2015 Mexico City 2016 Shanghai 2016 The Hague
Awards	Tony Award for Best Musical

The Lion King is a musical based on the 1994 Disney animated film of the same name with music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice along with the musical score created by Hans Zimmer with choral arrangements by Lebo M. Directed by Julie Taymor, the musical features actors in animal costumes as well as giant, hollow puppets. The show is produced by Disney Theatrical Productions.

The musical debuted July 8, 1997, in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Orpheum Theatre, and was an instant success before premiering on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theater on October 15, 1997, in previews with the official opening on November 13, 1997. On June 13, 2006, the Broadway production moved to the Minskoff Theatre to make way for the musical version of Mary Poppins, where it is still running after more than 6,700 performances. It is Broadway's third longest-running show in history and the highest grossing Broadway production of all time, having grossed more than $1 billion.

The show debuted in the West End's Lyceum Theatre on October 19, 1999, and is still running. The cast of the West End production were invited to perform at the Royal Variety Performance in 1999 and 2008, in the presence of senior members of the British Royal Family.