DISNEY’S HIT MUSICAL,
THE LION KING AT MANDALAY BAY,
EXTENDS 14 MORE MONTHS –
THROUGH DECEMBER 2011
The Production Named “Best Show” by the Las Vegas Review-Journal
Will Play Its Final Performance on December 30, 2011
After 31 Smash Months and Over 1000 Performances
LAS VEGAS (Wednesday, October 27, 2010) – Disney’s award-winning
Broadway phenomenon THE LION KING has extended its engagement at
Mandalay Bay Theatre by 14 months through December 30, 2011. Already
seen by nearly 800,000 people to date, the production named “Best Show”
in the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s annual “Best of Las Vegas” awards will
have played 31 smash months and over 1000 performances at the
conclusion of its run. Apart from the still-running Broadway
production, this marks the longest run of the show in any US city,
eclipsing even the record-breaking 27 month Los Angeles engagement,
which concluded in 2003.
THE LION KING immediately established itself as one of the most
critically-acclaimed productions in the history of Las Vegas when it
opened in May 2009. Las Vegas Magazine, noting that it has raised the
cultural bar on The Strip, declared it, “the pride of Las Vegas…THE LION
KING transcends cultural boundaries and the limits of the imagination.”
The Las Vegas Review-Journal hailed the production as “innovative and
gorgeous” while a follow up review declared it, “the best New York
import I've seen on The Strip.” The Las Vegas Sun raved, “a dazzling
dramatic enterprise and an emotionally gripping triumph” while CityLife
called it simply, “flat-out brilliant.”
Proving equally popular with audiences, THE LION KING broke the Mandalay
Bay box office record just weeks after it opened and went on to break
its own record four more times. The extension allows Disney and
Mandalay Bay to meet continued ticket demand for the next 14 months
while allowing elements of the physical production to be committed to
upcoming new productions of the show. 2011 engagements include stands
in Montreal, Toronto and Providence, RI.
“We are proud beyond measure of the way that Las Vegas has embraced The
Lion King and we anticipate a strong final 14 months of performances,
given the continued strengthening in the Vegas economy,” said Thomas
Schumacher, Producer and President Disney Theatrical Productions. “We
look forward to opening two new productions in the coming year – one in
Singapore next March and another international production we’ll be
announcing soon.”
Bill Hornbuckle, Chief Marketing Office for MGM Resorts International,
said, “You need only to stand outside the theater at the conclusion of
the show to get a sense for how beloved this production of The Lion King
is. We’re thrilled that the cast and crew will be part of our family
for another year.”
Around the world, The Lion King continues ascendant in its 13th year.
For three of the show’s seven productions, the fiscal year just ended
was the highest grossing ever in their respective lives: Hamburg,
Germany in year nine; London, which just passed its 11th anniversary;
and the flagship New York production, approaching its 13th anniversary
with a momentum unprecedented this deep into any Broadway run.
For Las Vegas, Disney hand-selected an international cast of performers
who have won acclaim in productions of THE LION KING across the globe,
including Broadway, Taipei, South Africa, London, Los Angeles,
Australia, Toronto, Shanghai, Paris and Holland.
Mandalay Bay’s production of THE LION KING is the acclaimed full-length
version seen around the globe and is staged with all of the same
spectacular music, sets, and costumes that have made it a cultural
phenomenon, reaching more than 50 million people in 13 countries. In
addition to Las Vegas and the landmark Broadway production, THE LION
KING also can be seen on stages across North America, in London’s West
End and in Hamburg, Paris and Tokyo. In March 2011, a sit down
production will open in Singapore – a first for Disney Theatrical
Productions.
At Mandalay Bay, the show is performed Tuesday through Friday evenings
at 7:30 p.m. with weekend shows at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. For more
information, please visit www.lionkinglasvegas.com