Disney's 'The Lion King' roars in South Africa

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Disneytim first brought this story to Mice Chat on August 30, 2006
'The Lion King' to open in South Africa in June 2007
'The Lion King' To Open in South Africa in June 2007 - BroadwayWorld.com, 8/30/06

Disney's THE LION KING Began Previews in South Africa
at Johannesburg's New Montecasino Teatro Last Night: Tuesday, May 22

Opening Night: June 6th 2007 South African Production Kicks Off the 10th Anniversary Celebration

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, May 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Preview performances of Disney's THE LION KING began last night (Tuesday, May 22) in South Africa at the new Montecasino Teatro in Johannesburg. The performance was welcomed by cheering and a standing ovation from the capacity crowd. The South African premiere celebrates and kicks off the 10th Anniversary of the opening of THE LION KING on Broadway, which will be celebrated Sunday, November 11.

The cast of the new production is entirely made up of South Africanperformers, many of whom have been in other productions of THE LION KINGaround the world and are now coming home to perform in their nativecountry. To date, THE LION KING has employed almost 100 native SouthAfricans in its productions worldwide. Additionally, Tsogo Sun took theinitiative to build a beautiful theatre in their new Piazza complex. Theremarkable 1850-seat Teatro Montecasino was designed specially with THELION KING in mind and now South Africa has a new, state-of-the-art venuethat will welcome Broadway and London shows for decades to come.

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Lion King Will Roar Longer in South Africa; NYC Production to Hit Milestone

By Andrew Gans
Playbill
15 Aug 2007

Due to tremendous public response, the South African production of Disney's The Lion King has extended its run by several months.

The musical, which opened June 6 at Johannesburg's 1,850-seat Montecasino Teatro, had originally planned an Oct. 7 closing. The Tony-winning musical will now run through Dec. 2.

The Walt Disney Company has also joined forces with the show's principal sponsor, Telkom, to allow 38,000 children and teenagers to enjoy the South African production free of charge. In fact, 20 matinees will be performed solely for students from the townships and communities around Johannesburg.

The New York production of Lion King, directed by Tony winner Julie Taymor, will celebrate its 10th anniversary Nov. 11. The musical, which opened at the newly refurbished New Amsterdam Theatre, now plays the Minskoff.

The Lion King, according to press notes, "follows the adventures of lion cub Simba as he struggles to accept the responsibilities of manhood and his future role as king."

The Lion King originally opened at Broadway's New Amsterdam Theatre Nov. 13, 1997. Directed by Julie Taymor — who became the first woman to ever receive a Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical — The Lion King has become an international hit with productions playing all around the globe. In fact, the Elton John-Tim Rice musical has won over 30 major awards. Those include six Tony Awards, including one for Best Musical; eight Drama Desk Awards; six Outer Critics Circle Awards; two Sir Laurence Oliviers; the Evening Standard Award for Best Theatrical Event; and three Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards.
For more information visit www.DisneyOnBroadway.com.

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/110325.html