Lion King Turns 25 on Broadway

Lion King Turns 25 on Broadway

The Lion King turns 25 years old on Broadway this month.

The musical first opened in the summer of 1997 at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Audiences saw something no one had ever seen before: jumping antelopes¹, flying birds and elephants walking through the seats.

"The audience started screaming so early. When the animals came down the aisle² everybody shot up," said director-writer Julie Taymor. "We were just overwhelmed⁴ and we knew we had something."

That show in Minneapolis would soon move to Broadway. Broadway is an area in New York City where the largest and most famous plays and musicals are performed.

The Lion King would continue to perform for 25 years. It often sells the most tickets per week among all Broadway plays. It is also often young people's introduction to theater.

In April 2012, The Lion King became Broadway's all-time highest-selling show. It passed The Phantom⁵ of the Opera which started almost 10 years earlier. With Phantom to close next year, the musical will compete with Chicago for the honor of longest-running show on Broadway.

It is easy to forget how revolutionary The Lion King was at the time it was released. Theatergoers were seeing Asian-influenced puppets and masks telling an African story with several African languages. The musical had South African performers and a Black king.

In addition to writing and directing the show, Taymor also designed clothing and wrote the words for the hit song Endless Night.

Her job some 25 years ago was huge. She had to rewrite Disney's popular movie into a live show. She filled the stage with birds flying high on sticks and antelopes marching near the seats. The actors operate giant puppets in a movement popular in 16th-century Japanese theater.

"This is where theater is better than film. It completely surrounds you," Taymor said. "I had to use all the tools in the theater toolbox to make it dimensional and theatrical⁶."

Taymor did not cover up the wheels and poles that bring her puppets to life. The human beings that control the puppets and wear the animal masks are fully⁷ seen. It is the audience's job to add the imagination.

She called it "the double event." That is where the audience not only watches the animals, they watch humans driving the story, too.

The Lion King made Taymor the first woman to win a Tony Award for best director of a musical. Many Broadway stars over the years have also performed in The Lion King.

There have been 28 Lion King productions since the first. It has been performed in nine different languages and seen by 110 million people. It has played over 100 cities in 21 countries.

Part of its long life is because of the movie connection and its simple-to-understand and family-friendly story. But it is also a big production that is not dependent on big-name stars.

Before it became a hit, Disney sent its top officials to a rehearsal⁸. One film official suggested Taymor lose the puppetry when it came time for the main characters. She did not agree.

Taymor then set up a test at the Palace Theatre on Broadway. She presented the musical in three different ways — just facial makeup⁹, half-mask, and her original idea.

Then-Disney chief Michael Eisner liked her idea: "He said, 'The bigger the risk, the bigger the payoff,'" Taymor said. "How many people say that?"

Words in This Story

audience — n. a group of people who gather together to listen to something

aisle — n. a passage between sections of seats in a church, theater, airplane, etc.

overwhelm³ — v. to affect someone very strongly

revolutionary — adj. causing or relating to a great or complete change

puppet — n. a doll that is moved by putting your hand inside it or by pulling strings¹⁰ or wires that are attached to it

mask — n. a covering for your face or for part of your face

dimensionality — n. having many different features or qualities, especially in a way that makes something seem real, rather than being too simple:

rehearsal — n. an event at which a person or group practices an activity in order to prepare for a public performance

1 antelopes   

羚羊( antelope的名词复数 )； 羚羊皮革

参考例句：

• One jump, and you're out, and we'll run for it like antelopes.' 你只要一跳就出来了，我们可以像羚羊那样飞快地逃掉。”
• Most antelopes can withhold their young for weeks, even months. 绝大部分羚羊能把分娩期推迟几个星期，甚至几个月。

2 aisle   

n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道

参考例句：

• The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
• The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。

3 overwhelm   

vt.使受不了，使不知所措，征服，制服

参考例句：

• No difficulty can overwhelm us.困难压不倒我们。
• After my lecture,the students began to overwhelm me with questions.讲课之后，学生们开始问一系列问题，使我不知所措。

4 overwhelmed   

[ overwhelm ]的过去式

参考例句：

• She was overwhelmed by feelings of guilt. 她感到愧疚难当。
• If (one was) overwhelmed by passion, it could lead to serious blunders. 当感情完全淹没理智时，就可能铸成大错。

5 phantom   

n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的

参考例句：

• I found myself staring at her as if she were a phantom.我发现自己瞪大眼睛看着她，好像她是一个幽灵。
• He is only a phantom of a king.他只是有名无实的国王。

6 theatrical   

adj.剧场的，演戏的；做戏似的，做作的

参考例句：

• The final scene was dismayingly lacking in theatrical effect.最后一场缺乏戏剧效果，叫人失望。
• She always makes some theatrical gesture.她老在做些夸张的手势。

7 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

8 rehearsal   

n.排练，排演；练习

参考例句：

• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。
• You can sharpen your skills with rehearsal.排练可以让技巧更加纯熟。

9 makeup   

n.组织；性格；化装品

参考例句：

• Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
• Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗？

10 strings   

n.弦

参考例句：

• He sat on the bed,idly plucking the strings of his guitar.他坐在床上，随意地拨着吉他的弦。
• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。