The Lion King Marks 9,000 Performances on Broadway Tonight
(© Deen Van Meer)
Broadway's The Lion King will mark its 9,000th performance tonight, Wednesday, June 5, at 7pm. This historic milestone comes on the heels of the show's 21st anniversary and its reaching 100 million guests worldwide.
The Lion King is the third-longest-running show in Broadway history, behind The Phantom of the Opera and the revival of Chicago. Based on Disney's 1994 animated musical, The Lion King opened on Broadway on November 13, 1997, at the New Amsterdam Theatre, and earned six Tony Awards. It currently runs at the Minskoff Theatre.
Directed by Julie Taymor, The Lion King features music by Elton John, lyrics by Tim Rice, a book by Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi, and choreography by Garth Fagan. The principal cast features Stephen Carlile as Scar, L. Steven Taylor as Mufasa, Tshidi Manye as Rafiki, Thom Christopher Warren as Zazu, Ben Jeffrey as Pumbaa, Fred Berman as Timon, Bradley Gibson as Simba, Syndee Winters as Nala, James Brown-Orleans as Banzai, Bonita J. Hamilton as Shenzi, Enrique Segura as Ed, Tryphena Wade as Sarabi, Haven Alexander and Jesus Del Orden as Young Simba, and Aliya "Jo" Ramey and Suri Marrero as Young Nala.
Over the course of 9,000 performances, Pride Rock has rotated 603 miles onstage, "Hakuna Matata" has been said and sung 234,000 times, 1,098,000 steps have been climbed to the top of Pride Rock, and there have been 109 Young Simbas and Nalas in the company.
