The Lion King has been among the very top West End box office attractions since it opened in 1999.  We think that you will enjoy it every bit as much as the thousands of others who have taken their seats at the Lyceum Theatre.  This is a coming-of-age tale which follows Simba from carefree cubhood, through troubled adolescence and into a young adulthood when he avenges his father’s murder and assumes the role of pride leader.  Disney’s great genius is their ability to imbue animal characters with humanity.  Live theatrical performance inspires empathy like no other artistic medium.  These elements combined with award-winning costumes and musical score make The Lion King a treat which every member of the family will want to sample again and again.  

"One of the most joyous and spectacular musicals in years!" The Daily Mail

"An astonishing triumph of theatrical imagination" The London Evening Standard

Popular songs:

• Circle of Life
• I Just Can't Wait to be King
• Hakuna Matata
• Can You Feel the Love Tonight

Latecomers may not be admitted to a performance, and if admitted, may not be seated in the seats that have been originally allocated

Please note that for all bookings at price level 5 (£28/£29/£31/£35) your tickets will automatically be left at the box office for your collection. Please ensure you have a form of ID with you and allow additional time in your journey to enable ticket collection. The box office will open one hour prior to the performance start time.

• Review from The Stage
• London Theatre Guide reviews
• Wikipedia entry for The Lion King

The Lion King: 10 Years for the Pride

Disney’s The Lion King roared into the West End an incredible 10 years ago. It was October 1999 when the curtain first went up on the award-winning musical. This week West End Theatre Breaks went along to see how the show has held up after more than 4,000 performances at the Lyceum Theatre.

A Classic Disney Tale The birth of Lion cub Simba has pushed his uncle Scar down the pecking order to the throne. Scar plots to kill the boisterous young cub, and his father, the king Mufasa, and take their place at the head of the pride. After Mufasa is killed in a stampede, Scar tricks Simba into leaving the kingdom. The wild plains are no place for a young cub to survive alone.

As Spectacular as Ever Even after a decade, The Lion King remains every bit as colourful and extravagant as you would expect from a Disney production. The special effects and puppets dazzle from the opening scene where the African Savannah is brought to life before your eyes, with antelope, giraffes, birds and elephants filling the stage. African drummers play from the boxes at the side of the auditorium as an animal procession moves through the audience.

Visually Stunning There is a strong comic performance from Brown Lindiwe Mkhize as ‘Rafiki’, the baboon shaman who guides the story. George Asprey excels as the malevolent ‘Scar’ and Stephen Matthews skilfully brings a puppet ‘Zazu’, the king’s chief aide, to life. The show is notably lifted at the end of Act One by the arrival of ‘Timon’ and ‘Pumbaa’, played by Nick Mercer and Keith Bookman respectively. Memorable songs such as ‘Hakuna Matata’ will delight fans of the film. Although the story feels a little familiar and slow-paced at times, the lighting and visuals carry it home.

A Record Year 2009 was an exceptional year for The Lion King at the box office. The show grossed £32 million; the best figures since the musical opened. During the week of the 2010 New Year the musical broke the Lyceum Theatre’s record takings, grossing over £880,000 for the week. More than 18,000 people saw the New Year productions.

Book Your Lion King Break Here

Posted by Ben on Wednesday 20th January 2010 at 2:51PM

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