Lion King Turns 25 on Broadway
2022-11-19
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1The Lion King turns 25 years old on Broadway this month.
2The musical first opened in the summer of 1997 at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
3Audiences saw something no one had ever seen before: jumping antelopes, flying birds and elephants walking through the seats.
4"The audience started screaming so early. When the animals came down the aisle everybody shot up," said director-writer Julie Taymor.
5"We were just overwhelmed and we knew we had something."
6That show in Minneapolis would soon move to Broadway.
7Broadway is an area in New York City where the largest and most famous plays and musicals are performed.
8The Lion King would continue to perform for 25 years.
9It often sells the most tickets per week among all Broadway plays.
10It is also often young people's introduction to theater.
11In April 2012, The Lion King became Broadway's all-time highest-selling show.
12It passed The Phantom of the Opera which started almost 10 years earlier.
13With Phantom to close next year, the musical will compete with Chicago for the honor of longest-running show on Broadway.
14It is easy to forget how revolutionary The Lion King was at the time it was released.
15Theatergoers were seeing Asian-influenced puppets and masks telling an African story with several African languages.
16The musical had South African performers and a Black king.
17In addition to writing and directing the show, Taymor also designed clothing and wrote the words for the hit song Endless Night.
18Her job some 25 years ago was huge.
19She had to rewrite Disney's popular movie into a live show.
20She filled the stage with birds flying high on sticks and antelopes marching near the seats.
21The actors operate giant puppets in a movement popular in 16th-century Japanese theater.
22"This is where theater is better than film. It completely surrounds you," Taymor said.
23"I had to use all the tools in the theater toolbox to make it dimensional and theatrical."
24Taymor did not cover up the wheels and poles that bring her puppets to life.
25The human beings that control the puppets and wear the animal masks are fully seen.
26It is the audience's job to add the imagination.
27She called it "the double event."
28That is where the audience not only watches the animals, they watch humans driving the story, too.
29The Lion King made Taymor the first woman to win a Tony Award for best director of a musical.
30Many Broadway stars over the years have also performed in The Lion King.
31There have been 28 Lion King productions since the first.
32It has been performed in nine different languages and seen by 110 million people.
33It has played over 100 cities in 21 countries.
34Part of its long life is because of the movie connection and its simple-to-understand and family-friendly story.
35But it is also a big production that is not dependent on big-name stars.
36Before it became a hit, Disney sent its top officials to a rehearsal.
37One film official suggested Taymor lose the puppetry when it came time for the main characters. She did not agree.
38Taymor then set up a test at the Palace Theatre on Broadway.
39She presented the musical in three different ways - just facial makeup, half-mask, and her original idea.
40Then-Disney chief Michael Eisner liked her idea: "He said, 'The bigger the risk, the bigger the payoff,'" Taymor said.
41"How many people say that?"
42I'm Dan Novak.
1The Lion King turns 25 years old on Broadway this month. 2The 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 antelopes, flying birds and elephants walking through the seats. 3"The audience started screaming so early. When the animals came down the aisle everybody shot up," said director-writer Julie Taymor. "We were just overwhelmed and we knew we had something." 4That 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. 5The 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. 6In April 2012, The Lion King became Broadway's all-time highest-selling show. It passed The Phantom 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. 7It 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. 8In addition to writing and directing the show, Taymor also designed clothing and wrote the words for the hit song Endless Night. 9Her 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. 10"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 theatrical." 11Taymor 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 fully seen. It is the audience's job to add the imagination. 12She called it "the double event." That is where the audience not only watches the animals, they watch humans driving the story, too. 13The 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. 14There 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. 15Part 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. 16Before it became a hit, Disney sent its top officials to a rehearsal. One film official suggested Taymor lose the puppetry when it came time for the main characters. She did not agree. 17Taymor then set up a test at the Palace Theatre on Broadway. She presented the musical in three different ways - just facial makeup, half-mask, and her original idea. 18Then-Disney chief Michael Eisner liked her idea: "He said, 'The bigger the risk, the bigger the payoff,'" Taymor said. "How many people say that?" 19I'm Dan Novak. 20Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press. 21____________________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23audience - n. a group of people who gather together to listen to something 24aisle - n. a passage between sections of seats in a church, theater, airplane, etc. 25overwhelm - v. to affect someone very strongly 26revolutionary - adj. causing or relating to a great or complete change 27puppet - n. a doll that is moved by putting your hand inside it or by pulling strings or wires that are attached to it 28mask - n. a covering for your face or for part of your face 29dimensionality - n. having many different features or qualities, especially in a way that makes something seem real, rather than being too simple: 30rehearsal - n. an event at which a person or group practices an activity in order to prepare for a public performance