Archive for August, 2012
Andile Gumbi Joins The Lion King Broadway Cast as Simba
The Lion King Broadway Musical welcomes Andile Gumbi as the newest Simba on August 28, 2012. Though Gumbi is making his Broadway debut, he has played the role of Simba in four different countries and has been the face of The Lion King in advertisements throughout the world. The Lion King is a standing production at the Minskoff Theatre.
Andile Gumbi joins the New York company of The Lion King. Gumbi has also performed the role of Simba in London, Sydney, Melbourne, Shanghai and South Africa. A South African native, his other theatrical credits include Dance Through Me, Nkonyeni High and Ntsikana. His screen credits include Australian’s Good Friday Appeal and Carols By Candlelight.
Based on the popular Disney film, The Lion King opened on Broadway on November 13, 1997 at the New Amsterdam Theater, before transferring to the Minskoff in 2006. Now in its 15th year, the show has spawned 19 productions around the world and has been translated into seven different languages. The Lion King is the fifth longest-running show in Broadway history and won six Tony Awards in 1998 including Best Musical. Director Julie Taymor became the first woman in history to win the Tony for Best Direction of a Musical.
The Lion King currently stars Alton Fitzgerald White as Mufasa, Patrick R. Brown as Scar, Tshidi Manye as Rafiki, Jeff Binder as Zazu, Ben Jeffrey as Pumbaa, Fred Berman as Timon and Syndee Winters as Nala.
Buy Lion King New York NY Tickets Online at discount prices.
Lion King Musical Will Return to Music Hall at Fair Park October 2-20, 2013
The 73rd season for Dallas Summer Musicals (DSM) has been announced, with seven touring Broadway productions coming to the Music Hall at Fair Park. The mega-hit Lion King musical is included in the schedule.
Lion King musical will be returning to Dallas’ Music Hall at Fair Park for almost 4 weeks from October 2 to 20, 2013. Gorgeous puppets, elaborate masks, fabulous choreography and a decent score by Elton John and Tim Rice keep this one evergreen. The Lion King will be the 2013 State Fair of Texas musical.
Based on the 1994 Disney animated film, this blockbuster opened on Broadway in October 1997 and is still playing. In its 15th year, The Lion King recently became the highest-grossing Broadway show in history. Lion King musical, is almost like the film, follows the arc of the young lion, Simba, whose wise, ruling father, Mufasa is killed by the nefarious Uncle Scar. Scar and his band of hyena followers take over the lands of Pride Rock.
Experience the phenomenon of Disney’s The Lion King, Broadway’s Landmark Musical. Marvel at the breathtaking spectacle of animals brought to life by award-winning director Julie Taymor, whose visual images for this show you’ll remember forever. Thrill to the pulsating rhythms of the African Pridelands and an unforgettable score, including Elton John and Tim Rice’s Oscar-winning song “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” and “Circle of Life.” Let your imagination run wild at the Tony Award-winning Broadway sensation Newsweek calls “a landmark event in entertainment.”
Buy Lion King Dallas TX Tickets Online at discounted prices. Get $10 OFF on any Lion King Music Hall At Fair Park Ticket orders of $250 or more, by using code SUMMERFUNTN at checkout.
Lion King Currently Touring in Saint Louis MO – Review
The Lion King touring in Saint Louis MO, is reviewed by Harry Hamm at stlouis.cbslocal.com, Here is the sneak peek of the review:
I’ve seen “The Lion King” several times, and it never disappoints. The overture and the opening number involve the audience with a charisma and spirited, celebratory performing personality that is positively joyful. There’s wisdom and wonderful, ground-breaking creativity that never ceases to amaze and entertain. The show’s staging and production design is magical.
The story is based on the film of the same title from 1994. However, as a piece of musical theater with a cast of 49 and a challenging state-of-the-art puppet ensemble, the story of the lion cub Simba and his father, King Mufasa, takes on a very personal temperament. As Mufasa’s evil brother Scar sets up a plot to kill Mufasa and make it look like Simba’s fault, an age-old family drama ensues set amidst the Pridelands where they all live, and a future of justice and wrong made right must be sought.
Standouts are Dionne Randolph as Mufasa, Brent Harris as the evil Scar and Syndee Winters as Nala. The younger performers in the cast opening night, Zavion J.Hill and Kailah McFadden displayed acting maturity well beyond their years.
Read the complete review {Via stlouis.cbslocal.com}
The Lion King Musical is now showing at the Fabulous Fox Theatre – MO through September 2, 2012. Buy Lion King Saint Louis MO Tickets Online right now, before they all go on sale. Avail $10 OFF on any Ticket Orders of $250 or more by using code SUMMERFUNTN at Checkout.
Lion King Broadway Box Office Update for Week Ending August 19, 2012
Lion King Musical Broadway grossed $1,958,780 and had an attendance rate of 100.0%, about 1.1% more than that of the previous week. The 24 shows on the boards grossed $20,855,107, dropping around 3.17% from the previous week’s totals.
Below are the Top 12 Grosses from BroadwayWorld.com for the week ending August 19, 2012.
1. The Lion King – (MINSKOFF) $1,958,780
2. Wicked – (GERSHWIN) $1,818,537
3. The Book Of Mormon – (EUGENE O’NEILL) $1,651,064
4. Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark – (FOXWOODS) $1,542,699
5. Evita – (MARQUIS) $1,039,196
6. Once – (JACOBS) $1,030,434
7. Newsies – (NEDERLANDER) $1,003,363
8. Mary Poppins – (NEW AMSTERDAM) $953,751
9. The Phantom Of The Opera – (MAJESTIC) $925,633
10. Jersey Boys – (AUGUST WILSON) $896,346
11. Mamma Mia! – (WINTER GARDEN) $846,506
12. Sister Act – (BROADWAY) $804,261
{Via BroadwayWorld.com}
Lion King Will Become Fifth Longest-Running Broadway Show
Disney’s The Lion King will become the fifth longest-running Broadway show on Wednesday, August 15 with the 2:00 PM matinee performance at the Minskoff Theatre. With 6138 performances, The Lion King will surpass the original Broadway production of A Chorus Line (with 6,137 performances).
In its 15th year, The Lion King remains ascendant, recently becoming the highest-grossing Broadway show in history. Since its Broadway premiere on Nov. 13, 1997, 19 productions around the globe have been seen by more than 65 million people, grossed over $4.8 billion and, cumulatively, run 91 years. The Lion King is only the second show in history to generate five productions running 10 or more years. The Lion King has become an international hit with productions playing all around the globe.
The musical currently plays Broadway’s Minskoff Theatre. Buy Lion King New York NY Tickets and Save $10 on any orders of $250 or more, by using the code SUMMERFUNTN at checkout.
Lion King Broadway Box Office Update for Week Ending Aug 12, 2012
Lion King Broadway grossed $2,219,736 and had an attendance rate of 98.9%, about 1.1% less than that of the previous week. The 25 shows on the boards grossed $22,096,556, improving around 2.19% from the previous week’s totals.
Below are the Top 10 Grosses from BroadwayWorld.com for the week ending 08/12/2012.
1. The Lion King – (MINSKOFF) $2,219,736
2. Wicked – (GERSHWIN) $2,147,461
3. Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark – (FOXWOODS) $1,691,184
4. The Book Of Mormon – (EUGENE O’NEILL) $1,634,876
5. Once – (JACOBS) $1,060,427
6. Mary Poppins – (NEW AMSTERDAM) $1,032,377
7. Newsies – (NEDERLANDER) $1,022,148
8. The Phantom Of The Opera – (MAJESTIC) $991,092
9. Jersey Boys – (AUGUST WILSON) $910,085
10. Mamma Mia! – (WINTER GARDEN) $872,590
{Via BroadwayWorld.com}
The Lion King Musical Review – Most Effective Puppet Show Ever
The Lion King Musical which returns this week to the Fabulous Fox Theatre-St. Louis MO, might be the most effective puppet show ever – Reviewed By Judith Newmark Via STLtoday.com. Based on an animated Disney film, the 1997 stage musical features a score by Elton John and Tim Rice that includes several memorable songs, particularly “Circle of Life” and “Hakuna Matata.” But this is a musical that audiences love above all for its look.
Director Julie Taymor — whose work on “The Lion King” swept the design categories for the Tonys and also brought her a Tony for best direction of a musical — incorporated many different styles of puppetry and masks in the show: European, Asian and African. The opening, when animals parade through the theater, is one of the rare moments when modern drama achieves an ancient theatrical goal: Audiences are struck with awe.
Puppets can have that effect, said Dr. Eric Nuetzel. A psychiatrist and psychoanalyst with a longstanding interest in theater, he is director of the Schiele Center, a sliding-scale therapy service of the St. Louis Psychoanalytic Institute.
“Some say that puppetry has been around longer than theater, and it has similar origins in sacred theater,” he said. “In some cultures, puppeteers are akin to shamans, and a lifeless object that behaves like a human or another animal is a source of awe.
“Puppets appeal to something fundamental. Modern theater strives to imitate life, but when actors wear masks or use puppets it’s closer to magic.”
“Magic” is also Dug Feltch’s word for puppetry. He and Bob Kramer, of Bob Kramer’s Marionnettes, have been entertaining children and adults with their shows for decades. The troupe opens its 49th season in October.
Nuetzel suspects that puppetry appeals to children because it engages the same part of the imagination that they bring to play with dolls, toy soldiers or stuffed animals, and it appeals to adults because that kind of imagination is still part of them, even if they don’t give it a lot of exercise.
Read the complete review {Via STLtoday.com}
The Lion King Plays Fabulous Fox Theatre from Wednesday August 15 to Sunday September 02, 2012. Buy Lion King Saint Louis MO Tickets and Save $10 on any orders of $250 or more, by using the code SUMMERFUNTN at checkout.
Lion King Currently Touring in Houston, TX – Review
The Lion King touring in Houston, is reviewed by Jim J. Tommaney at houstonpress.com, Here is the sneak peek of the review:
The Lion King Courtesy of Galexa Energy Broadway, Disney’s The Lion King roars into town with its menagerie of spectacle, stagecraft and human emotions grafted onto a pride of lions, showcasing what inventive minds can accomplish with unlimited funds and unlimited imaginations. Animal puppetry is brought to exciting life by human actors. The giraffes and the elephants are remarkably realistic, while others, such as the prancing oryxes and the menacing and seductive cheetah, convince through movement. There are singers and tom-tom drummers in the loges, birds fluttering in the sky, and the animals parade down the aisle and enter to crowd the stage with delight. The plot is old lion/young lion, but the drama comes from the love between the boy lion Simba and Mufasa, his father and ruler. His uncle, Scar, is crippled with envy, and he has the hyenas on his side, a marvel of fascination — evil, adroit, brilliantly imagined and crafted, and all too human. A young lioness, Nala, is a pal to Simba in the first Act, and becomes more in Act II, when the lions have grown to maturity. An amusing hornbill, Zazu, watches over Simba, and Simba is befriended by a meerkat, Timon, and a warthog, Pumbaa; they are eminently likable and amusing. This musical is also a ballet, and the choreography by Garth Fagan is striking and hugely important. The songs are wonderful, especially the exuberant “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King,” the evil “Chow Down” and the haunting “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” The music and lyrics are by Elton John and Tim Rice, the direction and costume design are by Julie Taymor, and she and Michael Curry designed the entrancing masks and puppets. A brilliant collaboration of theatrical geniuses has created an awesome blockbuster of overwhelming pleasure.
Lion King is currently performing at Sarofim Hall Hobby Center Through August 12, 2012. Get $10 OFF on any Lion King Houston TX Ticket orders of $250 or more, use code SUMMERFUNTN at checkout.
Lion King Musical Broadway Box Office Update for Week Ending Aug 05, 2012
Lion King Broadway Musical grossed $2,013,943 and had an attendance rate of 100.0%, same as that of the previous week. The Lion King musical topped the chart beating Wicked Broadway musical. The 28 shows on the boards grossed $23,546,987, improving around 0.53% from the previous week’s totals.
Below are the Top 12 Grosses from BroadwayWorld.com for the week ending 08/05/2012.
1. The Lion King – (MINSKOFF) $2,013,943
2. Wicked – (GERSHWIN) $2,013,559
3. Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark – (FOXWOODS) $1,705,189
4. The Book Of Mormon – (EUGENE O’NEILL) $1,633,673
5. Once – (JACOBS) $1,059,285
6. Newsies – (NEDERLANDER) $1,047,401
7. Evita – (MARQUIS) $1,020,443
8. Mary Poppins – (NEW AMSTERDAM) $1,002,816
9. The Phantom Of The Opera – (MAJESTIC) $979,594
10. Jersey Boys – (AUGUST WILSON) $878,625
11. Mamma Mia! – (WINTER GARDEN) $862,888
12. Nice Work If You Can Get It – (IMPERIAL) $767,075
{Via BroadwayWorld.com}
The Lion King Return to St. Louis’s Fox Theatre – August 15 to September 02, 2012
The Lion King return to St. Louis‘s Fox Theatre this August 15. The Lion King performances at Fabulous Fox Theatre start on August 15, 2012 and continue through September 02, 2012.
Casting has been announced for the St. Louis engagement – Scar is played by Brent Harris. Dionne Randolph is “Mufasa,” the great warrior and ruler of the Pridelands. Buyi Zama is the wise baboon shaman “Rafiki.” Mark David Kaplan portrays the prim and proper hornbilled bird “Zazu.” Ben Lipitz is the carefree warthog “Pumbaa” and Nick Cordileone is the wisecracking meerkat “Timon.” Mufasa’s son, “Simba,” the lion prince born to be king, is played by Jelani Remy and Syndee Winters is the loyal lioness “Nala.”
The three evil hyenas are played by Keith Bennett (“Banzai”), Rashada Dawan (“Shenzi”) and Robbie Swift (“Ed”). The role of “Young Simba” is alternated between Zavion J. Hill and Adante Power and the role of “Young Nala” is alternated between Sade Phillip-Demorcy and Kailah McFadden.
Lion King Fabulous Fox Theatre Schedule:
Tuesday to Friday – 8:00 PM
Saturday – 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM
Sunday – 1:00 PM and 6:30 PM
Additional Shows – Thursday Aug 16 and Friday Aug 31 at 1:00 PM
Buy Lion King Fabulous Fox Theatre Tickets Online now. Get $10 OFF on any Lion King Saint Louis MO Ticket orders of $250 or more, use code SUMMERFUNTN at checkout.