The Lion King Passes Miss Saigon to Become Ninth Longest-Running Show in West End History

Disney's The Lion King will become the ninth-longest running show in West End history on December 18,  giving its 4,265 performance at the Lyceum Theatre. The production, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in London in October, surpasses Cameron Mackintosh's Miss Saigon on the top-10 list.

The London company of 46 performers is led by George Asprey as Scar, Shaun Escoffery as Mufasa, Stephen Matthews as Zazu, Brown Lindiwe Mkhize as Rafiki, Nick Mercer as Timon, Keith Bookman as Pumba, Andile Gumbi as Simba, Gloria Onitiri as Nala, Gary Forbes as Banzai, Allyson Addo as Shenzi and Mark Sangster as Ed.

Julie Taymor's The Lion King also stands at number nine on the list of longest-running musicals in Broadway history, where it opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre on November 13, 1997, before transferring to the Minskoff Theatre. Productions of the show can currently be seen in Paris, Tokyo, Hamburg, Las Vegas and on tour in North America. A new production will take the stage in Singapore in 2010.

Based on the beloved Disney animated feature film, The Lion King follows the adventures of the young lion cub Simba, as he struggles to accept the responsibilities of adulthood and his destined role of King.