The Circle of Life Broadway 1998 Tonys
RISE AND SHINE BROADWAY FANS! It is 9 days till the 72nd Annual Tony Awards. We are continuing to wake you up each morning till Broadway?s biggest night playing you the best of the Great White Way on our TOP 40 TONY AWARDS COUNTDOWN. Always love having a new show of the day on our playlist.
At # 9 on our countdown is one of the most unbelievable shows that continues to wow audiences everywhere. It tells the story about a heroic young lion cub on a journey to find his place in the world and eventually becoming the King of the Jungle. We of course are talking about Disney?s longest running show out there?. The Lion King – Musical. Based on the beloved 1994 Disney Animated film of the same name, the show features a score Elton John, Sir Tim Rice (Official), and Lebo M. along with a book by Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi.
From the 1998 telecast, Tony nominee Tsidii Le Loka as ?Rafiki? and the original Broadway cast perform the show?s iconic opening and theme song?. THE CIRCLE OF LIFE.
THE LION KING was originally first conceived by former CEO of the Walt Disney Company Michael Eisner. At the time, Disney was becoming successful with the Great White Way with their debut musical… Beauty and the Beast which opened in 1994 (the same year the original animated film version of THE LION KING was released). One day, Eisner was sitting in a meeting to talk about some possible new projects for Broadway. He decided one possible idea would be THE LION KING. Everyone in the conference room (including Thomas Schumacher, President of Disney Theatrical Productions) started to laugh and telling Eisner it was ?the most dumbest idea ever?. He didn?t care about how the show should be put, Michael just wanted THE LION KING as a Broadway Musical. Suddenly. Thomas Schumacher came to his senses and thought of one possible idea? He called acclaimed director and visual artist Julie Taymor (which they both worked on another previous project in the past). With her incredible skills in direction, set design, and breathtaking puppetry (which she?s done in Off Broadway, Films, and Opera), Disney began to work on the production. They hired the creative team from the 1994 film including its Oscar winning composers Elton John and Tim Rice along with the traditional South African choral themed music from Lebo M along with the screenwriters Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi. The show went through many years of readings and workshops. During the time, Taymor began to expand more of the storyline of the characters, hiring African American and South African performers to help bring their traditions as the inspiration for the show. In addition, one of the characters was gender swapped from a male to a female (inspired by a South African healer called a Sangoma)?. ?Rafiki The Baboon?.
The show originally premiered in Minneapolis in 1997 before heading over to Broadway’s beautifully newly renovated, reopened, and restored New Amsterdam Theatre (thanks to the ?Disneyfication?). It later transferred to its current home at the Minskoff Theatre in 2006. So far THE LION KING has played over 8,500 performances on the Great White Way and holds the distinction as the 3rd Longest Running Show in Broadway History. Its grossed over $1 billion in ticket sales. It most recently celebrated its 20th Anniversary this past November. The original cast consisted of….
the late Jason Raize as “Simba”,
Scott Irby-Ranniar as “Young Simba”,
Samuel E. Wright as “Mufassa”,
Tony winner Heather Headley as “Nala”,
Kajuana Shuford as “Young Nala”,
Tony nominee Tsidii Le Loka as “Rafiki”,
John Vickery as “Scar”,
Max Casella as “Timon”,
Tom Alan Robbins as “Pumbaa”,
Geoff Hoyle as “Zazu”,
Tracy Nicole Chapman-Nolan as “Shenzi”,
Stanley Wayne Mathis as “Banzai”,
Kevin Cahoon as “Ed”,
and Gina Breedlove as “Sarabi”,
The show continued to have over numerous replacement actors from all over the world including many from South Africa.
THE LION KING was nominated was nominated for 11 Tony Awards in 1998 winning 8 including Best Musical. In addition, Julie Taymor made Broadway History as the first female ever to win for Best Direction of a Musical.
In addition to its success on Broadway, THE LION KING went on to become a global phenomenon with productions everywhere from London?s West End (winning the Olivier Award for Best New Musical), Germany, Japan, Brazil, South Africa, and more.
Isn’t this musical a spectacular like no other or what?
#TonyAwards #CountdownToTheTonys #BroadwaysBiggestNight #NYBTTonyAwardsCountdown #NewYorkBroadwayTours #Top40Countdown #ThisIsBroadway
From the 1998 Tony Awards. Sung by Tsidii Le Loka and the chorus. Amazing performance.
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