Broadway Review: Disney’s The Lion King

Last night my friend and I headed to the Detroit Opera House in the heart of Detroit, Michigan to see the World’s #1 Musical The Lion King. If you read anything in this post it should be this: go see Disney’s The Lion King Broadway performance. The singing, dancing, props, stage effects were like nothing I have ever seen in a Broadway performance. I can’t recommend going to this show enough.

You can catch Disney’s The Lion King
at the Detroit Opera House
Now – February 20, 2022.

I heard The Lion King on Broadway is weird, is it?

Same! I heard that too, and I found it a bit strange seeing as The Lion King on Broadway is World’s #1 Musical. Let me tell you The Lion King on Broadway is the World’s #1 Musical for a reason, it’s INCREDIBLE. The actors really sound like the characters I remember in the Disney animated version, the costumes and makeup are unreal. People who think its weird, boring, creepy are out of their minds. This show is like nothing I have ever seen before, and I already want to go see it again.

Is The Lion King on Broadway worth seeing?

Yes, 100000% The Lion King on Broadway is worth seeing. Hands down its the coolest production I have ever seen. I still can’t get over how it immerses you, because they utilize the entire theater. If you put any show on your must see Broadway list it should be The Lion King.

About The Lion King

Approaching 24 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, 25 global productions have been seen by nearly 110 million people.  Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions (under the direction of Thomas Schumacher), The Lion King has made theatrical history with six productions worldwide running 15 or more years, with four of those running 20 or more years. 

Performed over its lifetime in nine different languages (English, Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Spanish, Mandarin and Portuguese), by the end of 2021, there will be ten productions of The Lion King around the world, including Broadway, London, Paris, Hamburg, Tokyo, Madrid, on tour across North America, Japan and the U.K. & Ireland, with a separate production touring internationally. Having played over 100 cities in 21 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), Doc Zorthian (production supervisor) and Binder Casting/Mark Brandon, CSA (casting). Anne Quart serves as co-producer.