NILES
FITCH HONORED AS "BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR"
New
York, NY –
The North American tour of Disney's THE
LION KING was
honored with a Denver
Post
Ovation Award, which recognizes the best in Colorado theatre. Niles Fitch, one
of the actors currently playing "Young Simba", was named "Best Supporting
Actor." The Denver return engagement of the landmark musical also received a
nomination for "Best Touring Production" and Syndee Winters was nominated in the
"Best Supporting Actress" category for her portrayal of "Nala."
The
Denver return engagement of THE
LION KING,
which played for five weeks at the Buell Theatre from November 2 – December 4,
2011, celebrated a sold-out, record-breaking run, entertaining nearly 110,000
people and grossing over $8.5 million at the box office. The award-winning
musical grossed over $2 million during the week of November 21, making it the
highest-grossing week of any theatrical production in the venue's history.
The
North American tour is currently playing in Baltimore, MD at the Hippodrome
Theatre through January 8, 2012. Tickets are still available for each
performance and can be purchased online at Broadwayacrossamerica.com.
The
North American touring production of THE
LION KING
has been seen by over 13.5 million theatergoers and grossed over $875 million to
date. Enjoying its ninth year on the road, THE
LION KING
continues to celebrate unparalleled achievements and delight new audiences
throughout North America. The current schedule is listed below.
ABOUT
THE LION KING
As
it approaches its 15th
year, THE
LION KING
remains ascendant, continuing to reign as a cultural phenomenon and one of the
most popular stage musicals in the world. Since its Broadway premiere on
November 13, 1997, 19 global productions have been seen by more than 63 million
people, and grossed over $4.7 billion to date. Produced by Disney Theatrical
Productions (under the direction of Thomas Schumacher), THE
LION KING
is the seventh longest-running musical in Broadway history and one of only six
productions in theatre history to play for ten years or more, both on Broadway
and in the West End. Translated into seven different languages (Japanese,
German, Korean, French, Dutch, Mandarin, Spanish), the show has been performed
in 14 different countries on five continents. THE
LION KING
can currently be seen on Broadway, on stages across North America, and in Las
Vegas, London's West End, Hamburg, Madrid and Tokyo.
THE
LION KING
won six 1998 Tony® Awards: 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.
On
stage, Taymor's creative vision blends elements of African art and Broadway
artisanship to depict anthropomorphic animal characters. Taymor, along with
designer Michael Curry, has created hundreds of masks and puppets for
THE
LION KING.
The book has been adapted by Roger Allers, who co-directed The
Lion King
animated feature, and Irene Mecchi, who co-wrote the film's screenplay. Other
members of the creative team include: Steve Canyon Kennedy (sound design),
Michael Ward (hair and makeup design), John Stefaniuk (associate director),
Marey Griffith (associate choreographer), Clement Ishmael (music supervisor).
Anne Quart serves as associate producer.
The
Broadway score features Elton John and Tim Rice's music from The
Lion King
animated film along with three new songs by John and Rice; 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, ranging from the Academy® Award-winning song "Can You Feel The Love
Tonight" to the haunting ballad "Shadowland."
For
more information worldwide, visit, LionKing.com
NORTH
AMERICAN TOUR SCHEDULE THROUGH SEPTEMBER 2012:
Baltimore
– Hippodrome Theatre
December
7 – January 8, 2012
Minneapolis
– Orpheum Theatre
January
11 – February 12, 2012
Richmond
– Landmark Theatre
February
15 – March 11, 2012
New
Orleans – Mahalia Jackson Theatre
March
14 – April 15, 2012
Orlando
– Bob Carr Performing Arts Center
April
17 – May 13, 2012
Miami
– Adrienne Arsht Center
May
17 – June 10, 2012
Greenville
– Peace Center for Performing Arts
June
12 – July 8, 2012
Houston
– Hobby Center for the Performing Arts
July
10 – August 12, 2012
St.
Louis – Fox Theatre
August
15 – September 2, 2012
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