Broadway’s best-selling and one of the longest-running musicals of all time is here, and it’s taking over North America one city at a time! The Lion King is hitting the road and taking its massive production across the nation! The groundbreaking Disney epic has been the talk of the town since its premiere in 1997! Almost three decades after it debuted, the show continues to entertain theater lovers on Broadway and across the world! Now, this breathtaking musical, based on the 1994 film, is close to grossing $2 billion for its Broadway production and over $8 billion in worldwide revenue! Yes, The Lion King is simply that good, and it’s the show worth watching time and time again! This upcoming summer, Lion King’s touring production will be making a coveted stop in Charlotte, North Carolina! From August 8th to September 1st, 2024, The Lion King will conquer the Belk Theater! If you love this fantastic musical that has entertained over 112 million people worldwide, then you better hurry and score your tickets now!
Lion King Musical Tickets:
“Refreshing” and “sophisticated!” – New York Times
“A theatrical achievement!” – Variety
“Beautiful and spectacular!” – New York, John Simon
When it first premiered, The Lion King made jaws drop on Broadway with its trailblazing puppetry, costumes, outstanding music, and remarkable set design. Show director Julie Taymor also led the costume, mask, and puppet design. Before The Lion King musical went on stage, people wondered how the production could pull off putting animals on stage without making it childlike. But Taymor, along with fellow designer Michael Curry, used innovative props and puppets that are not only lifelike, but the designs were utterly brilliant. The full-size animals towered over the audiences in the theater, and the musical featured a 360-degree opening sequence, with characters and animals entering the proscenium through the audience isles. Clearly, this type of groundbreaking work didn’t go unnoticed. The Lion King went on to win five Tony Awards, nine Drama Desk Awards, a Theatre World Award, two Laurence Olivier Awards, three Moliere Awards, and four Helpmann Awards.
Featuring outstanding music and lyrics by Elton John and Time Rice and a book by Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi, The Lion King literally reigns supreme in the theater circuit, and its stop at the Belk Theater in North Carolina is set to be the most exciting season for theater lovers. Audiences can look forward to the musical’s timeless hits, such as “Circle of Life,” “I Just Can’t Wait to be King,” “Hakuna Matata,” and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” In terms of the storyline, people who have seen the 1994 film will not be seeing any change from the plot, but everything else is otherworldly. The musical is worlds apart from the film – a visual and aural experience designed to bring all your five senses to life. Pivotal moments such as Simba’s ceremony at Pride Rock, Uncle Scar’s betrayal and Mufasa’s death, meeting Timon and Pumbaa, and the final battle have made the musical an immensely compelling show that both adults and children will appreciate.
Moreover, the music has been rearranged to feature African music influences. Hence, during conception, the production brought in the talents of South African music producer Lebo M, film score composer Mark Mancina, multi-award-winning film composer Hans Zimmer, and esteemed composers Jay Rifkin and Tsidii Le Loka-Lupindo.
“Great singing, great dancing, great stage effects!” – News Hub
The Lion King debuted in Minneapolis with a test run before premiering on Broadway in the same year. In 1999, the musical made its way to London’s West End before hitting the road in North America three years later. The musical, which remained actively showing on Broadway throughout the years, has basically circled the globe, reaching as far as Europe, Asia, Australia, South America, and Africa. This 2023 to 2024 season, the touring production makes its phenomenal return across major cities!
As expected, the world-class production has garnered rave reviews from fans and critics. Its 1997 debut on Broadway has gained the praise of many of New York’s most esteemed professional critics. Variety’s writer Greg Evans gave the musical a perfect 10 rating, “Julie Taymor’s staging of Disney’s “The Lion King” is a marvel, a theatrical achievement unrivaled in its beauty, brains and ingenuity.” He also continued to admire the creative team’s exemplary work, “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.”
Meanwhile, Entertainment Weekly went on to brand the musical as the King of the Hill, “The Lion King can make you fall in love with theater no matter what theater it’s in.” The New York Times also gave the musical high marks, “There will be plenty of instances of breathtaking beauty and scenic ingenuity, realized through techniques ranging from shadow puppetry to Bunraku.”
A recent review from TimeOut called the Lion King musical a global blockbuster, “The Lion King’s absolute theatricality is astonishing. Techniques from all over the world – African masks, Japanese Kabuki costumes, Malaysian shadow puppetry – are smashed together in an explosion of spectacle. It’s perfect for a musical, allowing distinct flavors and an eclectic carnival spirit.”
“It’s the best I have ever seen!” – Mini Travellers.
Lucky for theater fans in Charlotte, North Carolina, The Lion King will make the Belk Theater its home from August 8th to September 1st, 2024! Located at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Theater, Belk Theater is fully equipped to host a gargantuan production, such as The Lion King. The state-of-the-art venue features an impressive architecture with outstanding acoustics. The theater’s plush seating ensures that guests can watch the show in comfort while the top-tier lights and sound technology provide a clear, crisp, and remarkable experience!
Come and see the world’s top-selling musicals at the Belk Theater! It’s been almost three decades since The Lion King took Broadway by storm. Today, it continues to be a cultural phenomenon that should be experienced at least once in your lifetime! Grab this opportunity to see The Lion King as the touring productions hit Charlotte, North Carolina, this summer!
If you want to see The Lion King musical at the Belk Theater this summer, you better hurry and score your tickets now through the Get Tickets link!