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• Practice makes perfect with the stage version of Disney's "The Lion King"

  Jim Hill goes backstage at the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino, expecting to see all sorts of craziness. But what he finds instead is a smooth-running, relatively stress-free musical-making machine Read More... Posted Friday, October 23, 2009 12:00 AM | 3 Comments Filed under: Disney, Broadway, musical, The Lion King, Disney Theatrical, Julie Taymor, Las Vegas, Tokyo, Paris, stagehands, Broadway musical, stage version, 2009, 1997, Broadway production, backstage, staging, London, Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, stage show , Singapore, 2010, stage, costume designer , set, costumes, stage manager, stagecraft, tours, Mandalay Bay, sets

• Tune Thursday: Why "The Lion King" gets the lion's share of the attention on the Las Vegas Strip

  Jim Hill talks about the ambitious promotional plan that the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino and Disney Theatrical put together to help hype this new sit-down production of that Tony Award-winning musical Read More... Posted Thursday, September 24, 2009 12:00 AM | 3 Comments Filed under: Disney, theater, Broadway, musical, ABC, promotion, The Lion King, Disney Theatrical, Dancing with the Stars, Julie Taymor, Las Vegas, hotel, Hairspray, The Producers, Broadway musical, stage version, promotional campaign, shows, show, 1997, Avenue Q , Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, lion, stage show , 1996 , stage, Mandalay Bay, Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family, Mandalay Place, Raleigh Studios, The Lion King Exhibit, The Strip, video marquee, key card, Results Show, Las Vegas Strip

• “Mary” moves to Cleveland, “Sleeping Beauty” awakes in San Francisco and Connecticut gets ready for an “Enchanted” Q & A

  Tired of hearing about Comic-Con? As a deliberate change of pace, Jim Hill talks up a trip of Disney-related events that AREN’T being presented in San Diego next week Read More... Posted Thursday, July 16, 2009 12:00 AM | 2 Comments Filed under: Broadway, musical, Disney Theatrical, Alan Menken, Disney Legend, Cartoon Art Museum, Sleeping Beauty, Stephen Schwartz, Tony Award winner, San Francisco, Academy Award, Broadway musical, stage version, Cleveland, animated feature, 2007, Tony Award, Mary Poppins, Tony Award-winner , Academy Award nominees, stage show , stage, Cadillac Palace Theatre, Academy Award-nominee, Enchanted

• Tune Thursday: Disney’s “The Lion King” gets ready to roar in Las Vegas

  Jim Hill talks with Deborah Warren, publicist for this brand-new production of the acclaimed stage musical. In particular discussing the many challenges that Disney Theatrical faced while setting up shop at the Mandalay Bay Resort Read More... Posted Friday, May 08, 2009 12:00 AM | 0 Comments Filed under: Disney, Broadway, musical, The Lion King, Disney Theatrical, Julie Taymor, Las Vegas, Broadway musical, 2009, stage show , stage, musical theater

• Is Disney looking to trade its 5th Avenue store in for a brand-new retail location down on Times Square?

  Since the World of Disney's lease is up in 2010, the Mouse is already on the prowl for a new spot to set up shop in NYC. Jim Hill shares what he's heard about these on-going negotiations Read More... Posted Tuesday, October 21, 2008 12:00 AM | 7 Comments Filed under: Disney, Broadway, musical, ABC, Walt Disney World, The Lion King, Disney Theatrical, Beauty and the Beast, Lunt-Fontanne Theater, Disney Store, ABC Studios, The Walt Disney Company, New York City, Mickey Mouse, restaurant, New Amsterdam Theatre, Minskoff Theatre, The Legendary Years, Disney's Pop Century Resort, NYC, Times Square, WDW, 5th Avenue, flagship store, World of Disney, Broadway musical, tourists, 2008, 2009, Disney World, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Walt Disney World Resort, Halloween, 2007, Mary Poppins, tourist , retail establishment , stage show , retail dining and entertainment complex, Virgin Megastore, Virgin, 1996 , 2010, stage, 2004, New York, Disney Stores, The Little Mermaid, movie theater, musical theater, 1990s, Wall Street, retail area, negotiations, trick-or-treat, trick or treat, square feet, retail space, commercial retail space, Wart, king, retailer, retailers, foot traffic, exposure, Paul Hoen, HoJos, Howard Johnson, American Eagle, American Eagle Outfitters, Pittsburgh, square foot, lease, Jeff Sutton, SL Green Realty Corp, Vornado, arcade, Alice's Wonderland, Toys R Us, Toys R Us Times Square, Virgin Megastore Times Square, ABC Times Square Studio, ABC Times Square Studios, retail entertainment complex, pre-show, post-show, preshow, posters, The Related Companies, retail presence, negotiating table, Rockefeller Center, Trump Tower, company representatives, real estate opportunity, real estate opportunites, construction project, construction projects

• Monday Mouse Watch : Disney's "High School Musical" cancels "Christmas" ?!

  Jim Hill's back with a tale that reveals the true power of the "HSM" franchise. Which has a Massachusetts theater postponing its long-proven holiday moneymaker so that it can then present the stage version of Disney's "High School Musical 2" Read More... Posted Monday, October 20, 2008 12:00 AM | 7 Comments Filed under: Disney, theater, A Christmas Carol, musical, High School Musical, Disney Theatrical, High School Musical 2, Tarzan, High School Musical 3, High School Musical 4, High School Musical franchise, Christmas, New Year's Eve, Disney's High School Musical on Tour, stage version, HSM, 2008, 2009, Thanksgiving, 2007, holiday classic, Gabriella , Camp Rock , stage show , stage, East High, creative team , rehearsal, theater community, musical theater, High School Musical 3: Senior Year, Music Theatre International, Fabulous Fox Theatre, Theater of the Stars, regional theater premiere, Salt Lake City, Temple Square, Charles Dickens, regional theater, professional production, Ebenezer Scrooge, North Shore Music Theatre, holiday traditions, high school students, high school student, rehearsals, Camp Rock 2, Atlanta, Carol LaRosa, Gloucester Times, Jon Kimbrell, Beverly, Tiny Tim, NSMT, holiday, Disney's High School Musical : On Tour, High School Musical On Stage, High School Musical : On Stage, Disney's High School Musical On Stage, Disney's High School Musical : On Stage, Disney's High School Musical 2 On Stage, Disney's High School Musical 2 : On Stage, High School Musical 2 On Stage, High School Musical 2 : On Stage

• Tune Tuesday : "Shrek the Musical" gets off to a great start in Seattle

  WARNING !! There be spoilers ahead in this preview piece about DreamWorks Theatrical's Broadway-bound production. Which is a musical adaptation of DW's Academy Award-winning animated feature Read More... Posted Tuesday, September 09, 2008 12:00 AM | 8 Comments Filed under: Disney, music, theater, DreamWorks, Broadway, musical, Walt Disney, The Lion King, The Walt Disney Company, New York City, YouTube, Mickey Mouse, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Julie Taymor, NYC, LA, Academy Award, movie, Broadway musical, stage version, 2008, animated feature, 2001, Donkey, ogre, Shrek, Fiona, opening night, Broadway production, Big Green Ogre , Great White Way, Jeanine Tesori , David Lindsay-Abaire , Jason Moore , Seattle, 5th Avenue Theater , Lord Farquaad , Academy Award winner, December , November, childhood, stage show , design team, August, director , stage, audience, Big Apple , New York, creative team , DreamWorks Theatricals, Broadway-bound, musical adaptation, DW, Academy Award-winning, movie-based musical, theater community, Ponyo, playset, Young Frankenstein, The Little Mermaid, 9 to 5 : The Musical, world premiere, Ahmanson Theater, Shrek the Musical, out-of-town, opening, librettist, composer, designer, Tim Hatley, swamp, spoilers, Momma Ogre, Poppa Ogre, Big Bright Beautiful World, opening number, title character, introductory number, I Know It's Today, Cloris Leachman, Brian D'Arcy James, outhouse, backstory, second act, challenge song, I Think I Got You Beat, choreographer, Rob Ashford, New York audiences, Broadway Theatre, playhouse, Walt Disney Company, 1928, movie theater, strategy, the Colony Theater, Colony Theater, Steamboat Willie, Fantasia, Snow White, diecast

• Tune Thursday : Looking back at the development of Broadway's "Lion King"

  Jim Hill chats with Derek Smith, the actor who's now playing Scar in this Tony Award-winning musical. But whose ties to this show actually go all the way back to the costume & mask tests that Julie Taymor did in her workshop Read More... Posted Friday, July 11, 2008 12:00 AM | 1 Comments Filed under: Disney, Broadway, musical, Disney Theatrical, New York City, Julie Taymor, New Amsterdam Theatre, Minskoff Theatre, Tony Award winner, NYC, Scar, Broadway musical, stage version, Tony Award, 1997, Broadway production, costume concept, staging, stage show , stage, New York, costume designer , costumes, Derek Smith, The Green Bird, workshop, mask, The Madness of King Scar, rehearsal, rehearsal pianist, stage manager

• Stage version of "Mary Poppins" draws a lot of its inspiration from ... Well, drawings

  Jim Hill looks back at the development of this Disney / Cameron Mackintosh production. Which is not just based on the 1964 film, but also draws its inspiration from P.L. Travers' stories and Mary Shepard's illustrations Read More... Posted Friday, June 20, 2008 12:00 AM | 7 Comments Filed under: Disney, Broadway, musical, Disney Theatrical, Chicago, New Amsterdam Theatre, NYC, Academy Award, film, movie, road company, Broadway musical, stage version, 2009, Tony Award, Broadway production, Cameron Mackintosh , Jolly Holiday, Bob Crowley, Mary Poppins, London, penguins, stage show , production team, March, stage, national tour, North American National Tour , Ashley Brown , title role, Gavin Lee , Drama Desk Award, New York, 1964, set designer , costume designer , set, motion picture, setting, Practically Perfect, Richard Eyre, creative team , Matthew Bourne , Julian Fellowes, P L Travers , Robertson Ay, footman, A Spoonful of Sugar , 1934, Mrs Corry , Annie, Fannie, gingerbread , gilt stars , Gingerbread Stars , Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, talking shop, bake shop, Jaws 3 People 0, Bad Wednesday, chapter, Mary Poppins Comes Back , Royal Doulton , George Stiles , Anthony Drewe , Temper Temper, Miss Andrew, governess, Ruth Gottschall, birdcage , Mary Shepard , Let's Go Fly a Kite, 1943, Mary Poppins Opens the Door , Neleus, statue , statues, illustrations, illustration, The Marble Boy, Starlighter , costumes, constellations , Anything Can Happen If You Let It, Mary Poppins in the Park, England, Theatre Royal Plymouth , Cadillac Palace Theatre, Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, Matthew Garber, Karen Dotrice, Ed Wynn

• Tune Tuesday: Get ready for the stage version of "High School Musical 2"

  Jim Hill shares all sorts of tidbits from the Disney Theatrical side of the fence. Including the tour schedule for both the North American & UK version of "Mary Poppins" as well as "The Little Mermaid" CD release celebration Read More... Posted Tuesday, February 19, 2008 12:00 AM | 3 Comments Filed under: Disney, theater, Broadway, High School Musical, ABC, Walt Disney Pictures, Disney Theatrical, High School Musical 2, The Walt Disney Company, High School Musical 3, High School Musical franchise, New York City, Washington D.C., Australia, Chicago, Los Angeles, NYC, LA, Broadway musical, stage version, Disney Channel Original, 2009, October, Cameron Mackintosh , Broadway Cares / Equity Fights Aids , autographs, co-production, stage show

• Night Kingdom to reimagine the Disney-theme-park-going experience

  Jim Hill shares what he knows about WDW's 5th theme park. Which will be an after-hours venue that will offer guests the chance to have all sorts of once-in-a-lifetime, hands-on adventures Read More... Posted Friday, February 15, 2008 12:00 AM | 95 Comments Filed under: Disney, theater, theme park, convention, resorts, Walt Disney World, Disney Theatrical, Discovery Cove, SeaWorld, Disney's Typhoon Lagoon, The Walt Disney Company, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney's Polynesian Resort, Disney's Contemporary Resort, Disney's Wilderness Lodge, Disney's Yacht Club Resort, Walt Disney World Dolphin hotel, WDW, cast members, Operations, cast member, hotel, Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, resort, Disney World, The Walt Disney World Resort, October, guest, guests, rides, ride, show, on property, vacation package, eatery, SeaWorld Orlando, Pleasure Island, The Adventurers Club, Adventurers Club, night club, 2011, Disney's Night Kingdom, 5th theme park, Busch Gardens Africa, focus group, focus groups , preview video , SeaWorld's Discovery Cove, niche park , J B Kaufman, DNK, High School Musical: East Meets West , 2000, 4000 , Indiana Jones , zipline , crocodiles, hand-feeding , hippopotamus, traditional theme park , night vision goggles , lions , lion, hyenas , hyena, spelunking, bats , bat, rock climbing, African savanna, South American , penguins, horticultural , Typhoon Lagoon , eateries, stage show , Broadway talent, capacity , operation , blueprints , hotels, Walt Disney World Swan, Walt Disney World Dolphin, on-property , admission , gourmet meal , non-alcoholic beverages , non-alcoholic beverage, admission fee , newest theme park , vacation packages, convention groups, convention group, weeks, week, months, month, advance reservations, advance reservation, reservations , reservation, annual shareholders meeting , shareholders meeting , Albuquerque , annual press event, press event, Villain themed , Villains themed , coasters, coaster, natural environment , once-in-a-lifetime , Disney's Boardwalk Inn