Simba arrives and asks his best friend, a female cub named Nala, to come with him to the elephant graveyard. Meanwhile, the lionesses go hunting ("The Lioness Hunt"). The scheming lion piques the cub's curiosity by mentioning the elephant graveyard, where Simba is forbidden to go. Zazu, a hornbill who acts as Mufasa's advisor, arrives and delivers his daily report on the state of affairs in the King's domain ("The Morning Report", now cut from the Broadway production). Mufasa warns Simba not to stray beyond the boundaries of the Pride Lands, pointing out a shadowy area in the distance.
Mufasa shows Simba the Pride Lands from the top of Pride Rock and explains that everything exists in a delicate balance known as the Circle of Life. Time passes and Simba grows into a lively young cub ("Grasslands Chant"). Back at her baobab tree, Rafiki paints an image of the cub and asks the spirits to conjure the new prince's name: Simba. Elsewhere, Mufasa's brother, Scar, laments his lost chance at becoming King. She greets King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi before presenting their cub to the gathered animals (" Circle of Life"). Synopsis Act IĪs the sun rises, Rafiki the mandrill calls the animals to Pride Rock. The Lion King resumed Broadway performances on September 14, 2021. Īs of March 12, 2020, the show suspended production on Broadway due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The musical has grossed nearly $8.1 billion as of 2017. In September 2014, The Lion King became the top-earning title in box-office history for both stage works and films, surpassing the record previously held by The Phantom of the Opera. The Lion King reopened at the Lyceum in July 2021. The theatre flooded on May 11, 2020, while the theatre was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The cast of the West End production were invited to perform at the Royal Variety Performance in 19, in the presence of senior members of the British Royal Family. The show opened in the West End's Lyceum Theatre on October 19, 1999, and is still running after more than 7,500 performances.
Over 100 million people worldwide have seen the musical and it has earned numerous awards and honors, including six Tony Awards, one for Best Musical and Best Direction of a Musical, making director Julie Taymor the first woman to earn such an honor. It is Broadway's third longest-running show in history, and has grossed more than $1 billion, making it the highest grossing Broadway production of all time. On June 13, 2006, the Broadway production moved to the Minskoff Theatre to make way for the musical version of Mary Poppins, where it is still running after more than 9,000 performances. The musical debuted on Jin Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Orpheum Theatre and was successful before premiering on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theatre on Octoin previews, with the official opening on November 13, 1997.