Picture: Bob Barker Source: News Limited
HAKUNA matata indeed - The Lion King musical has proved so popular over its 16-year life that its box office takings eclipse both the Lord Of The Rings and all six Star Wars films combined.
ANGELINA JOLIE AND THE KIDS ENJOY THE LION KING IN SYDNEY
Picture: Bob Barker Source: News Limited
And when Sydney feels the love tonight as a new Aussie production of the smash hit Disney musical opens at the Capitol Theatre (where it was last seen in 2005), it will be the tenth Lion King musical currently showing across the world, including versions in the US, Brazil, Japan, Germany, Spain and the UK.
Picture: Bob Barker Source: News Limited
Since it first opened in 1997, the cumulative box office gross has topped $US5 billion, with more than 60 million tickets sold.
And associate director John Stefaniuk, who oversees productions across the world, is dead proud of what our local performers have done with the piece, which stars Home And Away alumnus Josh Quong Tart as Scar alongside relative unknowns Rob Collins as Mufasa and Nick Afoa as Simba.
Picture: Bob Barker. Source: News Limited
"I've got to tell you, this (production) really stacks right up at the top, and what I really love about this company is they're so passionate," he said.
"You can feel the weight of the story in each and every moment and I really admire that in this Australian production.
Picture: Bob Barker Source: News Limited
"And when we go to a new country and embrace a new culture we really try and open ourselves up to that culture, so we've been thrilled to have here an Aboriginal Mufasa (Collins) and Nick (Afoa), a Samoan from New Zealand as Simba," he added.
Picture: Bob Barker Source: News Limited
While there are a core group of performers who are South African, the rest of the cast have backgrounds in a range of countries, including Malaysia, The Philippines, China, Ghana, Jamaica, Thailand, Brazil, Puerto Rico, the US and New Zealand.
Picture: Bob Barker Source: News Limited
"It's a simple story of this young boy trying to find himself and that theme and that story, no matter where you are in the world, is universal and people can identify wherever they are in that circle and trying to discover who they are," Stefaniuk said.
Picture: Bob Barker Source: News Limited
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