The Lion King at Minskoff Theatre

It’s time to join the circle of life, it is time to sing, join in with… Nants ingonyama bagithi baba! Oh, right its… Here comes a lion, Father! Just as it is in Zulu. THE LION KING, the award-winning Best Musical, playing on Broadway 8 times a week at the Minskoff Theatre. Watch one of the most awe-inspiring productions ever brought to life on stage.
A remarkable tale of hope and adventure, THE LION KING has found its way into the hearts of millions. Experience the stunning artistry, unforgettable music and exhilarating choreography of this musical theater phenomenon right here!

The Lion King Tickets:

“There is simply nothing else like it.” – The New York Times

“A PERFECT MARRIAGE OF ENTERTAINMENT AND ART.” – New York Daily News

“THE MOST EXCITING, MOST INVENTIVE, MOST MOVING THEATER THAT HAS EVER COME TO BROADWAY.” – Newsweek

THE LION KING has been a multi award winning production since opening on Broadway in November 1997. In 1998, it won six Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Scenic Design (Richard Hudson), Best Costume Design (Julie Taymor), Best Lighting Design (Donald Holder), Best Choreography (Garth Fagan) and Best Direction of a Musical, making Taymor the first woman in theatrical history bestowed with the honor. THE LION KING has also earned more than 70 major arts awards including the 1998 NY Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, the 1999 Grammy for Best Musical Show Album, the 1999 Evening Standard Award for Theatrical Event of the Year and the 1999 Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Choreography and Best Costume Design.

THE LION KING is a dramatic coming of age story. The young Simba, a prince among animals, spends his days in the sprawling Savanah watching his father, Mufasa, the King of the jungle, while doing as little as possible. But tragedy strikes when Simba’s evil uncle, Scar, assassinates Simba’s father. Simba flees into the jungle leaving everything and everyone he’s ever known behind. But all is not lost, Simba discover two unlikely friends out in the jungle and together they strike out to retake the pride-lands back from the evil Scar. Simba must take on this formidable enemy and fulfill his destiny to become the King of the jungle. A vibrant and exciting tale from the great creatives at Disney, THE LION KING is a story of love and redemption that nobody should miss!

The story of THE LION KING is a simple folk tale, a simple prince loses and then regains his kingdom after discovering himself. In the making of THE LION KING the production had to combine Broadway style songs to African rhythm and voices. THE LION KING is a triumphant merging of two different worlds of music, from Broadway and South Africa. The composers take us from the playful upbeat melodies of “Hakuna Matata” to the somber tones of “Shadowlands” reflecting both worlds of western pop and African rhythm. There are 6 indigenous African languages sung and spoken throughout the show: Swahili, Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho, Tswana, Congolese. All this is combined with extraordinary dances, breathtaking costumes and with a giraffe which is a full eighteen feet tall!

More than 200 craftsmen and artisans worked nearly six months to extensively refurbish the Minskoff Theatre to welcome Disney’s THE LION KING and it really shows. From the very entrance to the theatre, designer Mariuca Brancoveanu created a dramatic new environment that starts with the terrazzo walkway through the promenade into the theatre. The main lobby area features hand-painted, gold-leaf sculpted tableaus that adorn the theatre’s expansive interior walls and showcase its panoramic views of Broadway. The theatre even has its own circle of life in a way, opened in 1973, the theatre was named for Sam Minskoff and Sons, one of New York’s distinguished real estate families. Now it hosts THE LION KING which has become the most successful musical in history. It currently plays 8 times a week at the Minskoff Theatre, in the heart of Times Square.

Lion King Reviews

“The breathtakingly staged Broadway adaptation of Disney’s king of the cartoon jungle is an instant theater classic.” – Chris Willman, Entertainment Weekly.

“Awe-inspiring! Broadway theater is alive again. Taymor’s imaginative ideas seem limitless. it’s a gorgeous, gasp-inducing spectacle. Most important – against all odds – it has innocence. The show appeals to our primal, childlike excitement in the power of theater to make us see things afresh.” – Richard Zoglin, Time Magazine.

“A jaw-dropping magnificent spectacle. The show and the playhouse are enchanting. The unprecedented production is worth every penny. If this is Disney’s idea of a theme park, we are delighted to report that the theme is quality.” – Linda Winer, Newsday.

“Julie Taymor’s staging of Disney’s THE LION KING is a marvel, a theatrical achievement unrivaled in its beauty, brains and ingenuity. Leaping far beyond its celluloid inspiration, the stage version improves upon nearly every aspect of the hit 1994 animated film, from visual artistry and storytelling to Lebo M’s score and the newly African-ized pop songs of Elton John and Tim Rice.” – Greg Evans, Variety.

“Seen purely as a visual tapestry, there is simply nothing else like it. Suddenly, you’re 4 years old again, and you’ve been taken to the circus for the first time. You can only marvel at the exotic procession of animals before you: the giraffes and the elephants and the hippopotamuses and all those birds in balletic flight. Such is the transporting magic wrought by the opening 10 minutes of THE LION KING, Taymor has introduced a whole new vocabulary of images to the Broadway blockbuster.” – Ben Brantley, The New York Times