The Lion King
Location: The Lyceum Theatre
Make a triumphant return to the Pride Land in 2009 by visiting the ever popular Disney musical that is The Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre. The heart warming story of Simba has captivated movie audiences and theatre goers alike since the 1990s and has gone on to become a cultural phenomenon.
Though it started out at a 1994 animated movie, The Lion King clearly has its routes on the stage, with clear influences found in the Shakespearean classic Hamlet, involving Princes, the death of a king and an evil uncle. It means that The Lion King is back at home in a stage setting, where it can continue to wow audiences and critics for many years to come.
The Lion King opens with the iconic Circle of Life number as animals from the Pride Land gather to witness the birth of the new Lion cub Simba, son of King Mufasa and nephew to Scar. We witness Simba’s birth and then we follow him as he grows up, getting into trouble and being led the way by his father, the king. However, things take a dramatic turn as King Mufasa is killed at the hands of Scar and Simba’s world is thrown upside down. Scar pin the death on him, claiming that he is responsible for his father’s death, and he flees, venturing out into the unknown and turning his back on the Pride Land for good.
But he cannot escape the past forever. Simba, now grown up realises that he must face his destiny and return to his home…and settle things with Scar once and for all.
The original movie was 89 minutes of pure fun, with audiences blown away by the animation, the songs and the characters voiced by the likes of Jonathon Taylor Thomas, James Earl Jones and Rowan Atkinson. From the moment Elton John’s Circle of Life opens audiences have never looked back, with the character of Simba captured in every child’s imagination.
The stage musical originated later and was born in the United States where the show appeared at the New Ambassador’s Theatre on Broadway in 1997. The praise was unanimous and the crowds flocked to see it. Therefore it was inevitable that two years later in 1999 the show would find its way to the West End, opening at the Lyceum Theatre and remaining to this day.