The Lion King 30 Live Event Coming To Hollywood Bowl This May
This is going to make some of you feel old, but The Lion King will turn 30 years old this year. To celebrate this milestone Disney will host a "live to film concert event" at L.A.'s Hollywood Bowl. The event will include appearances of cast members both from the '94 original and the 2019 CG remake as well as the Broadway stage show.
The event will run at the Hollywood Bowl from May 24-25 and will be produced by Disney Concerts, Fulwell 73 Productions, AMP Worldwide and Live Nation-Hewitt Silva.Presales are open now for American Express cardholders, with general sales open from 10am (Pacific) on Friday, April 19.
There will be appearances from Jeremy Irons (Scar), Nathan Lane (Timon), Billy Eichner (Timon in the remake), Ernie Sabella (Pumba), Jason Weaver (Young Simba) and Bradley Gibson (Simba on stage). The concert event will feature a full orchestra performing the original Hans Zimmer score in full, conducted by Sarah Hicks. The songs originally written by Tim Rice and Elton John will be performed by a mix of stars from the original, the remake and the stage show, proving what a long life the film has had.
There will also be additional celebrity performers including musician Jennifer Hudson. It's being kept under wraps what her role will be and she has not previously been associated with the franchise. However, it has been noted that she performed The Circle Of Life during her appearance on American Idol. Other celebrity appearances are to be announced.
The show will feature both a full orchestra and a full choir. There will also be costumes, sets and puppets taken from the stage show. This promises to be the ultimate Lion King experience.
The Lion King franchise will continue this December with Mufasa: The Lion King, a sequel/prequel to the 2019 CG remake (don't call it live-action) Oscar winner Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) takes over in the director's chair from Jon Favreau, while Aaron Pierre steps into the boots of the legendary James Earl Jones as the young Mufasa. Mufasa is due to hit cinemas on December 20, 2024
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