November 13, 1997. The day the theatre landscape changed forever. Care to guess what I'm talking about? I'm guessing the title of the blog might give you a clue. That was the day that The Lion King opened on the Great White Way. Now while this was not Disney's first time on Broadway it was the show that proved that they were a force to be reckoned with from that point on. Since 1994 Disney has produced a total of six shows on Broadway. Their first show Beauty and the Beast ran for over thirteen years.
Aida which was to date their only musical not based on a cartoon ran for a total of 1,852 performances won four Tony Awards. Following the success of Mary Poppins which is now in it's fifth year on Broadway Disney returned to their catalog of hits and brought us Tarzan in 2006 and The Little Mermaid in 2007. Both were not successful and closed at a loss. You can't win them all I guess. Now while I am not the biggest Disney fan in the world I realize their importance to the theatre community.
They bring children to the theatre. For most it is their first Broadway show. Could be worse.Their first show could of been Spider-Man:Turn Off The Dark. Trust me. Nobody wants that. I say it's time for Disney to do something original. Wishful thinking right? I know. How about a musical not based on a cartoon? I know it's hard to believe but Disney has produced some great movies over the years that are not animated. How about thinking outside of the box guys? After all The Lion King can't run forever. Until next time theatre fans.
JWB
Applause Theatre and Entertainment Service
311 West 43rd Street
Suite 1105
New York,NY 10036
212-307-7050 or 1-800-451-9930
http://www.applause-tickets.com/
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