Posts Tagged ‘Lion King News’
Lion King Puppet Supervisor Michael Reilly makes Lion King Animals Magic
It takes a stampede of dedicated cast and crew members to make the 230 puppets in The Lion King come to life. The play, which stomped back to Toronto on April 19 for the first time since its four-year stay in the city ended in 2004, requires actors to train with their intricate animal puppets for months.
Lion King Puppet Supervisor – Toronto-raised Michael Reilly oversees the roughly 230 puppets in the acclaimed stage production, which made a triumphant return to Toronto, ON last week.
Lion King Puppet Supervisor Michael Reilly
“Every puppet has, you know, 50 parts to it,” says Michael Reilly, the show’s puppet supervisor. He works with two assistants to paint, fix and rebuild every puppet and mask that goes onstage in this musical adaptation of Disney’s hit 1994 film. “We have to be a jack of all trades,” says the native Torontonian, who deals with artistic, structural and electronic elements and has been involved with the production for nine years.
Whether they’re tiny repairs or enormous ones, Reilly ensures every puppet is ready to hit the stage. “Zazu, our bird, has tiny, tiny little controls inside of his head because he has a lot of moving parts, and I don’t have very small hands so it’s very difficult for me to get in there,” Reilly says.
In one of the biggest repairs he’s ever done, Reilly “once had to put an elephant on my back and hold it up while I fixed its front legs.” Four actors usually carry the 120-pound puppet pachyderm, whose backstage name is Bertha.
Although most of the delicate puppets are lightweight, using them requires all kinds of physical training.
The Lion King runs at the Princess of Wales Theatre until June 12. Buy Lion King Toronto, ON Tickets Online – Use Code AFF$10 to Get $10 OFF on Ticket Orders over $350!
Impact of ‘Lion King’ estimated at $10 million on the Rochester, NY
The four-week run of “The Lion King” had an estimated $10 million impact on the Rochester area, the New York City-based trade organization the Broadway League estimated.
The production, presented by the Rochester Broadway Theatre League, drew more than 70,000 patrons throughout its four-week run. The cast and crew alone filled 2,800 room nights at local hotels and the show employed more than 70 local union workers each night throughout the 32 performances, RBTL officials said.
“We are pleased to have been able to bring this incredible production back to Rochester,” said Donald Jeffries, RBTL president and CEO.
The cast of the production had an impact beyond the stage, RBTL officials said. Case members participated in acting and technical master classes and the RBTL designed curriculum for middle school students based on the play.
From here Lion King Tour moved to Princess of Wales Theater, Toronto ON.
{Via Rochester Business Journal}
Britney Spears Takes Kids to The Lion King Show in Las Vegas
Britney Spears took her two boys to see a Las Vegas show, The Lion King. Britney Spears took a break from promoting her seventh album, “Femme Fatale,” to take in a performance of Disney’s “The Lion King” with her two sons in Las Vegas.
Britney took the boys to see The Lion King at Mandalay Bay on Sunday. Check out the pics of Britney and her two boys, Sean Preston, 5, and Jayden James, 4 at The Lion King – too cute! Spears and her two young boys are pictured with some of the cast of The Lion King: Kissy Simmons (Nala), Niles Rivers (Simba), Derrick Williams (Mufasa) and Ntsepa Pitjeng (Rafiki).
Britney Spears with The Lion King Cast
Britney Spears Takes Kids to The Lion King Show
Britney Spears with her Kids and The Lion King Cast
Britney Spears Pose with The Lion King Cast
Lion King is a Standing Productions In Las Vegas Nevada – Mandalay Bay Theatre. Buy Lion King Mandalay Bay Theatre Tickets Online.
Lion King’s impact – $15M for Schenectady NY
Disney’s The Lion King was good for Proctors and downtown Schenectady, according to new figures from the theater.
The 77,000 people who attended the performances — there were 32 in all — spent $5.2 million at Proctors’ box office, and generated another $15 million in economic benefits to Schenectady from spending at hotels, restaurants and other businesses. Proctors said the second figure is based on a Touring Broadway League report that says impact typically is about three times ticket sales.
The Lion King has since moved on to Rochester, N.Y. Lion King is performing at Rochester Auditorium Theatre (885 E. Main St.) in Rochester, NY for a limited 4 weeks, from March 22 to April 17, 2011. After that, the show goes to Toronto, Dayton, Ottawa and Montreal.
Buy Lion King Rochester NY Tickets – Use Code AFF$10 to Get $10 OFF on Lion King Rochester Auditorium Theatre Ticket Orders over $350!
Elton John says ‘Lion King Revived my Career’
Elton John Composed the musical score for the Disney's Lion King
Elton John has suggested that composing the musical score for the Disney film The Lion King helped to revive his career.
During an appearance on NBC’s Today, John credited lyricist Sir Tim Rice with changing the course of his career by enlisting him to write songs for the animated movie.
“That opened a huge door for me and it opened the door for Broadway, making our own animation, opened the door for me scoring movies,” he said.
The musician continued: “At that time, I was just making records, touring, making videos – so in 1993, with The Lion King, my career completely changed and took off. Thank God it did, because it was boring doing the former three all the time. There’s no end to what you can do really, if you’re lucky enough to be offered the chance.”
John and Rice would later win a ‘Best Original Song’ Oscar in 1994 for their composition ‘Can You Feel The Love Tonight’ from The Lion King’s soundtrack.
Bone-Marrow Drive in November in Memory of ‘Lion King’ Star Tavarez
Tavarez, who starred in the Broadway production of “The Lion King” as Young Nala, was in need of a bone-marrow transplant, but a perfect match was not found despite a drive being held in July.
A bone marrow donor registry drive is being organized in memory of Shannon Tavarez, the 11-year-old Broadway actress who died of leukemia at Cohen’s Children Medical Center in New Hyde Park in November, according to the Associated Press.
The drive will be held by DKMS, a bone marrow transplant center, on Sunday at the Harlem School of the Arts from 1-7 p.m. Registry requires a swab of the inner cheek.
She received an umbilical-cord transplant in August in lieu of the bone-marrow transplant.
Tavarez’s biracial ancestry — her mother is African-American and her father Dominican — complicated the search for a perfect match because there are typically fewer registered donors from minority groups.
Lion King is currently playing on tour in Durham, NC thru January 30, 2011. Save $10 on Lion King Durham Performing Arts Center Ticket Orders Over $350! Use Code AFF$10
Lion King’s Mufasa, Alton Fitzgerald White Shows Off His Kingly Quarters
The Lion King’s Alton Fitzgerald White Shows Off His Kingly Quarters:
White invited Broadway.com to his backstage digs to show off some of his prized possessions.
The Lion King’s Mufasa, Alton Fitzgerald White oversees the entirety of Pride Rock’s animal population. White’s kingly instincts have filtered into his dressing room at the New Amsterdam Theatre, where he’s taken control to ensure everything is just right. “This is called Citrus Orange,” he says of the brightly colored painted walls. “It’s happy, light, not too shocking, but still warm.” Another perk of being king? “I have a window. Not many dressing rooms of Broadway shows have windows.”
Lion King’s Mufasa, Alton Fitzgerald White Shows Off His Kingly Quarters
“There’s nothing like fresh cut flowers in a dressing room. During the winter time, I tend to do Paperwhites and Amaryllis, but in the summer I love Orchids. They smell good and have nice, long lives.”
“I’m inspired by all kinds of music, so it’s important to be surrounded by sound. I have my iPod and pump up my speakers and try to do some sit-ups and stretches to get the blood flowing. Music always helps with that.”
“I’m not in much of the second act, so I keep my computer around to catch up on e-mails, Facebook and fun things like that during my down time.”
“It’s important to me that the room always smells good so I always have some kind of reed diffuser around. I like something that’s kind of woodsy and not too abrasive. This one is from West Elm and is called Incense Spirit. It lasts really long.”
“This is my favorite coffee mug, which I’ve had for years. Coffee always helps, especially on a two-show day, when you need that extra kick. The mug has a really odd shape, so it’s a conversation starter. It’s short and wide and looks like it’s been handspun, but it holds just as much as a tall mug.”
{Via Broadway.com}
The Lion King expected to boost Norfolk local economy
Business owners in downtown Norfolk are hoping the “Lion King” will help boost business.
Lion King musical will run in Chrysler Hall all month until January 02, 2011, bringing in thousands of people to the downtown area.
Restaurants like California Pizza Kitchen are preparing for a busy month, expecting many customers to have dinner before watching the show. The restaurant is even offering a 20% discount to the cast and crew of the Lion King.
At Trilogy, there’s a special menu designed for people attending the show.
Families can start a four course meal, leave to watch the show, and then come back for coffee and dessert. The restaurant will even open on Sundays through the month of December to accommodate those going to watch the musical.
Even the cast and crew of the “the Lion King” are contributing to the local economy by staying at local hotels and apartments.
When the show first came to Chrysler Hall in 2005, it sold 98 percent of its seats, and made 6.5 million dollars.
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Watch Award-Winning Lion King Live Onstage
Lion king is the great achievement of Walt Disney through which people have got great experience of activities of forest animals. These are the things which provide you excitement to get your Lion King Theater Tickets now. Would you like to see the Award-Winning Lion King Musical?
The Tony-Award-winning Broadway musical, The Lion King, debuted on July 31, 1997 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Among several of theatre shows, Lion King has made remarkable place in the hearts of its biggest fan. When millions of people had showed their attention towards this theatre show, it has been awarded with Tony and Olivier Awards.
The most prominent feature of Lion King is the music. You will feel that you are also in forest and you are also performing with these characters who performing so beautifully. Over 45 million people worldwide have come to discover the wonder, the majesty, and the truly one-of-a-kind experience that is The Lion King, the world’s most spectacular musical. Hailed by Newsweek as “a landmark event in entertainment,” The Lion King is a breathtaking adventure that stretches the boundaries of Broadway, from the heart of Africa to the plains of your imagination. See it now. Remember it forever. Don’t miss this theatre show and quickly seek out the sort to buy Lion King tickets. Check the Lion King Tour Dates 2010-11.
Lion King Still Stays on Top3 in the Weekly Event Rankings
Lion King Musical Still stays in the top list in TicketNews’ exclusive top events rankings.
The top selling shows in the theater and Broadway rankings continue to be “Wicked“, Jersey Boys, and Lion King. The theater rankings show Billy Elliot and Phantom of the Opera to be popular tickets still, while the Broadway rankings give precedence to Mamma Mia! and Chicago – The Musical. Radio City Christmas Spectacular tickets make their appearance on both rankings lists, at number ten.
