Popular musical set for big return to city theatre for first time in 10 years
An iconic Disney show is set to return to the region for the first time in a decade.
The Walt Disney Company UK and Ireland and Birmingham Hippodrome have announced that Disney’s The Lion King will return to the Hippodrome from Thursday, July 6 to Saturday, September 16 next year.
The show returns to Birmingham for the first time since 2013, when it enjoyed a triumphant sell out run, and Hippodrome artistic director and CEO Jon Gilchrist said the venue was very proud to be able to be able to put it on again.
He said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome The Lion King to Birmingham Hippodrome for an amazing ten week run next Summer.
"It’s such an iconic production and we’re really proud that we can bring this internationally renowned show to the West Midlands as part of our stellar season next year.”
The story of The Lion King leaps into life using masks, puppets and costumes to tell the story of Simba's epic adventures, as he struggles with the responsibilities of adulthood and becoming king.
Julie Taymor’s stage adaptation of The Lion King opened on Broadway in 1997 and 25 global productions in nine different languages have been created since then, with more than 16 millions theatregoers seeing the show since the UK premiere in 1999.
The artistry of the production is the work of a team of designers which drew on diverse cultural influences to recreate the rich colours and vast expanses of the African savanna.
The original score from the animated film was expanded for the stage and now features 15 musical numbers, with South African composer Lebo M creating an evocative blend of African rhythms and chorales, with additional material by Julie Taymor and Mark Mancina.
Priority tickets will be available from 11am on Tuesday, October 11, with general sale beginning at 11am on Friday, October 14.
To find out more and to buy tickets, go to thelionking.co.uk/tour
