Broadway's The Lion King to Play 5,000th Performance on November 5

Porchlight Theatre Company to Present Va...

By Andy Propst • Oct 28, 2009 • New York

A scene from The Lion King
(© Joan Marcus)

Disney's The Lion King will play its 5,000th performance on Broadway at the Minskoff Theatre on November 5.

The Lion King, which is directed by Julie Taymor, opened on Broadway on November 13, 1997 at the New Amsterdam Theatre. The show transferred to its current home at the Minskoff Theatre on June 13, 2006.

The current Broadway company features Derek Smith (Scar), Nathaniel Stampley (Mufasa), Tshidi Manye (Rafiki), Cameron Pow (Zazu), Tom Alan Robbins (Pumbaa), Danny Rutigliano (Timon), Dashaun Young (Simba), Ta'Rea Campbell (Nala), James Brown-Orleans (Banzai), Bonita J. Hamilton (Shenzi), and Enrique Segura (Ed). Additionally, the role of Young Simba is alternated between Alphonso Romero Jones II and Marquis Kofi Rodrigues and the role of Young Nala is alternated between Shereen Pimentel and Shannon Skye Tavarez.

Eight other musicals have reached this milestone, including Beauty and the Beast, Cats, A Chorus Line, and The Phantom of the Opera.

For further information, visit disney.go.com/theatre/thelionking/broadway/.