The bad news: Disney’s “The Lion King” is officially concluding its Toronto run. The good news: Theatre fans can still catch the critically acclaimed musical at the Princess of Wales Theatre until the end of August.
On Tuesday, producers David and Hannah Mirvish announced that the Disney juggernaut will conclude on Aug. 30. By that date, the production will have been performed 345 times to an estimated audience of over a quarter-million.
“We take great pride in the current Toronto production of ‘The Lion King,’” David Mirvish said in a statement, which noted that the vast majority of professionals employed by the production are Canadian. “The talent both on and off the Princess of Wales stage is exemplary. They represent a new generation of artists and artisans, some of whom were not even born when the original Toronto production was staged in 2000.”
Directed by Julie Taymor and featuring music and lyrics by Elton John and Tim Rice, “The Lion King” musical debuted on Broadway nearly 30 years ago and still runs there today.
The latest Canadian production — it’s the second time the musical has been produced by the Mirvish family — arrived at the Princess of Wales Theatre last November and was met with critical acclaim.
Star theatre critic Joshua Chong called the production “the most anti-Disney show ever.”
”(‘The Lion King’) offers a glimpse not only of what Disney once was, but also of what it could be,” Chong wrote. ”(A) show derived from nothing except the timeless theatrical impulse to stimulate the imagination.”
Mirvish also announced a “relaxed performance” of the “The Lion King” taking place on Aug. 1, which is designed to provide an accessible and welcoming environment for all audiences.
In September, the Princess of Wales Theatre will be taken over by the Toronto International Film Festival, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this fall.
If you can’t make it out this summer, fret not: there are currently eight productions of “The Lion King” taking place across the world, from Paris to Tokyo to Mexico City.
“I was a teenager when the original production began,” Hannah Mirvish wrote in a statement. “It was incredible to see that show as an audience member. But the experience and thrill of working on this production is even bigger. It’s everything I could have hoped for and more.”
