Five Reasons Why After 20 Years Broadway’s “The Lion King” Is Still A Winner - Page 3
By Joan Marcus
“The Lion King” Is Celebrating 20 Years On Broadway
It’s slated to become a new motion picture starring Beyonce and Donald Glover.
But “The Lion King” has become a theater staple, and is celebrating 20 years on Broadway, making it one of the Great White Way’s longest-running shows. It has stayed through three presidential administrations and while more than 600 other Broadway productions opened and closed.
BOSSIP recently took in one of the performances and in honor of this milestone, there are five reasons why “The Lion King” is still a winner since its first performance back in 1997.
By Joan Marcus
The Lion King’s cast is majority minority and provides opportunities for black actors and singers to get their foot in the door on Broadway. There are currently nine South Africans in the show and more than 200 have been employed over the show’s history.
By Joan Marcus
The show weaves several African languages, including Zulu, Congolese, Xhosa and Swahili, into the songs and dialogue.
By Joan Marcus
The Lion King’s success on Broadway has propelled it back to the big screen. Disney is set to remake the story as a live-action film, and it stars Donald Glover as “Simba,” Beyonce as Nala, Chiwetel Ejiofor as “Scar” and Seth Rogen will portray “Pumbaa.”
By Joan Marcus
Although the show is now 20 years old, the cast and scriptwriters are constantly changing the script to make sure that it reflects current events.
By Joan Marcus
With it’s setting in the Motherland, it’s story about family first and royalty, “The Lion King” has many parallels with recent blockbuster “Black Panther” and some would argue helped pave the way for the film.
