'The Lion King' celebrates 10,000th performance on Broadway
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- "The Lion King" will celebrate a big milestone Saturday night: its 10,000th performance on Broadway.
This accomplishment comes fresh off the show's celebration of its 25th anniversary.
The Broadway production opened on November 13, 1997 and has played through four New York City Mayoral administrations, five presidential administrations and 11 Olympics.
Over the last 25 years, "The Lion King" has played nearly 60,000 performances worldwide.
When you consider all of the tours and international productions of the show, about 112 million people have seen it worldwide. That is more than the combined populations of Canada, Greece, Sweden, Holland, Denmark and Australia!
Director, costume designer and mask co-designer Julie Taymor, the first woman to win a Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical, remains actively involved in the show, launching new productions and maintaining the flagship Broadway production.
Composer Lebo M and the Tony-winning choreographer Garth Fagan hold their own Broadway records. With "The Lion King" at 10,000 main stem performances, they are the longest-running Black composer and choreographer in Broadway history.
Many of the artists and craftspeople who launched the show remain an integral part of it. Lindiwe Dlamini has performed in the show since its first pre-Broadway preview in Minneapolis in the summer of 1997. Seven musicians have been in the orchestra pit since its Broadway opening, including Karl Jurman, who has been musical director since 2005. All told, 16 original staff members continue their vital work onstage and off.
The show is produced by Disney, the parent company of abc7NY.
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