Hit musical The Lion King is to play for an extended run in Manchester - with bosses announcing a raft of NEW dates at the city's Palace Theatre. The show, based on the hit Disney movie, will run for an extra seven weeks to make it an epic run in Manchester from Thursday, 27 October right through to Sunday, February 19, 2023.
The extension coincides with the show celebrating its 20 millionth guest in the UK. The landmark production, famed for songs like Circle of Life and Hakuna Matata, has now been seen by over 110 million people in 100 cities around the world and priority tickets for the extension will be available from 10am on Monday June 13, before a general sale next Friday.
The story of The Lion King leaps into life using spectacular masks, puppets and costumes to tell the story of Simba's epic adventures, as he struggles with the responsibilities of adulthood and becoming king. The Lion King touring company includes Stephenson Ardern-Sodje as Simba and Nokwanda Khuzwayo as Nala, who previously played in the Germany and Brazil production.
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Ireland’s Alan Mchale returns in a new role as Timon with Cardiff-born newcomer Owain Rhys Davies taking the role of Ed. They join returning principals Matthew Forbes as Zazu, Jean-Luc Guizonne as Mufasa, Richard Hurst as Scar, Rebecca Omogbehin as Shenzi, Thandazile Soni as Rafiki, Carl Sanderson as Pumbaa and Simon Trinder as Banzai.
The previous tour of The Lion King broke attendance records across the nation. Since the UK premiere in 1999, the show has entertained more than 16 million theatregoers and is the sixth longest-running West End musical of all time.
The stunning artistry of the production is the work of a team of designers which drew on diverse cultural influences to recreate the rich colours and vast expanses of the African savanna in this daring and inspiring reinvention of one of the most successful animated feature films of all time.
Sheona Southern, Managing Director of Marketing Manchester, said: "We are delighted to welcome Disney's sensational musical The Lion King back to Manchester. A major international show of this calibre and popularity delivers enormous benefits to our hotels, restaurants, and attractions.
"The return of iconic production The Lion King strengthens Greater Manchester's growing events offer and ultimately helps draw visitors back to the city-region."
The UK and Ireland tour cast also includes: Lwando Bam, Mamido Bomboko Souchu, Khanyisani Beato, Jorell Coiffic-Kamall, Rushand Chambers, Tau-En Chien, Elisa Chou, Tevin Daniel, Tim Driesen, Oraine Frater, Adebunmi Gabriel, Brian Gilligan, Daniel Griffith, Alicia Hayward, Zalika Henry, Caleaf Henson, Olivia Jones, Melvin Le Blanc, Jochebel Maccarthy, Zanele Mazibuko, Fallon Mondlane, Zanele Ndlovu, Buhle Nkomo, Craig Pedro, Joaquin Pedro Valdes, Connor Pelé Williams, Tara Price, Kyle Richardson, Cristiane Santos De Jesus, Lukin Simmonds, Sherry Tay, Francesca Thompson, Maria Yim and Bukiwe Zinganto.
Julie Taymor’s internationally celebrated stage adaptation of The Lion King opened on Broadway in 1997 and 25 global productions in nine different languages have been created since then (English, Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Spanish, Mandarin and Portuguese). The show is produced by Disney Theatrical Productions, under the direction of Thomas Schumacher.
Julie Taymor, one of the world’s most innovative directors, brought a vast array of disciplines to The Lion King, including extensive experience staging epic theatre and opera productions. The Lion King was the first musical Taymor directed in the commercial theatre and she made Broadway history by becoming the first woman to win the Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical.
The original score from the animated film was expanded for the stage and now features 15 musical numbers. As well as writing completely new songs, South African composer Lebo M created an evocative blend of African rhythms and chorales, with additional material by Julie Taymor and Mark Mancina.
Elton John and Tim Rice have added three new numbers to the five that they wrote for the award-winning score of the animated film. The resulting sound of The Lion King is a fusion of Western popular music and the distinctive sounds and rhythms of Africa, including the Academy Award-winning Can You Feel The Love Tonight and the haunting Shadowland.
How to get tickets
Tickets will be available for all performances from Tuesday 27 December to Sunday 19 February on sale for Very Me Rewards by Vodafone: Monday 13th June, 10am; Priority on sale for ATG Theatre Card: Tuesday 14th June, 10am; Priority on sale for ATG & Disney sign up: Wednesday 15th June, 10am; Manchester Theatres: Thursday 16th June, 10am; General on sale: Friday 17th June, 10am.
Tickets for the original dates from October are already available on ATG Tickets from £20.
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