Disney’s The Lion King Surpasses A Chorus Line to Become Broadway's Fifth Longest-Running Show

Disney’s blockbuster musical The Lion King will become the fifth longest-running Broadway show in history on August 15. The company will celebrate the milestone after the matinee at the Minskoff Theatre, when it will have played 6,138 performances. The Lion King will surpass the original Broadway production of A Chorus Line to enter the top five.

Based on the popular Disney film, The Lion King first opened on Broadway on November 13, 1997 at the New Amsterdam Theater, before transferring to the Minskoff in 2006. Now in its 15th year, the show has spawned 19 productions around the world and has been translated into seven different languages. The Lion King won six Tony Awards in 1998 including Best Musical and Best Direction of a Musical. Director Julie Taymor became the first woman in history to win the award for Best Direction of a Musical.

The Lion King currently stars Adam Jacobs as Simba, Alton Fitzgerald White as Mufasa, Patrick R. Brown as Scar, Tshidi Manye as Rafiki, Jeff Binder as Zazu, Ben Jeffrey as Pumbaa, Fred Berman as Timon and Syndee Winters as Nala.