The mere mention of the name The Lion King evokes the melodies of Elton John’s “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” and “The Circle of Life,” as images of giraffes strutting, birds swooping, and gazelles leaping come to mind. The famous ballads for Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 1994 animated film were penned by Elton John and Tim Rice, which made its Broadway debut in 1997.
Having already played more than 10,000 performances in over 90 cities across North America, the stage production of The Lion King will once again leap onto the National Arts Centre stage on Thursday, October 24, 2024, bringing the entire Serengeti to life as never before.
Performed over its lifetime in nine different languages (English, Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Spanish, Mandarin and Portuguese), there are currently eight productions of The Lion King around the world: Broadway, London, Paris, Hamburg, Madrid, Tokyo, Sao Paulo and on tour across North America. The Lion King has played over 100 cities in 28 countries on every continent except Antarctica; its worldwide gross exceeds that of any film, Broadway show or other entertainment title in box office history.
In addition to featuring Elton John and Tim Rice’s songs from the Lion King animated film, the Broadway score includes three new songs by John and Rice with additional musical material by South African Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor and Hans Zimmer; and music from “Rhythm of the Pride Lands,” an album inspired by the original music in the film, written by Lebo M, Mark Mancina and Hans Zimmer. The resulting sound of The Lion King is a fusion of Western popular music and the distinctive sounds and rhythms of Africa.
The Lion King will play Tuesdays through Fridays at 7:00 p.m., Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m., and Sundays at 1:00 p.m. & 6:30 p.m. There will be a 7:00 p.m. performance on Monday, October 28 and a 1 p.m. matinee on Wednesday, October 30. There will not be a performance on Thursday, October 31.
Tickets for all 23 shows can be purchased via www.ticketmaster.ca or at https://ottawa.broadway.com/shows/disneys-the-lion-king/.
It’s important to note that tickets to Broadway Across Canada’s staging of The Lion King are available from Broadway Across Canada and Ticketmaster, the only official retail ticket outlets for all performances at the NAC. Ticket purchasers who purchase tickets from a ticket broker or any third party should be aware that the NAC cannot reprint or replace lost or stolen tickets and cannot contact patrons with information regarding time changes or other pertinent updates to the performance.
For more information on this show and other spectacular productions coming to Ottawa soon, visit www.BroadwayAcrossCanada.ca.
About Broadway Across Canada
Broadway Across Canada (BAC) & Broadway Across America (BAA) are part of the John Gore Organization family of companies, which includes Broadway.com, The Broadway Channel, BroadwayBox.com, Group Sales Box Office and Broadway Brands. Led by 20-time Tony-winning theatre producer John Gore (Owner & CEO), BAC & BAA is the foremost presenter of first-class touring productions in North America, operating in 48 markets with over 400,000 subscribers. Presentations include Wicked, The Book of Mormon, and Hamilton, SIX. Current productions include &Juliet, Hadestown, Hamilton, Kimberly Akimbo, MJ: The Musical and Moulin Rouge! The Musical.
Photo: Courtesy Disney Photo and Deen van Meer