Las Vegas Weekly

March 9, 2009 · 6:48 AM

Rehearsals begin today for The Lion King at Mandalay Bay

By Robin Leach

Tshibi Manye, who plays Rafiki in the Broadway cast of The Lion King, performs a number during a preview event for the show, which will open in May 2009 at the Mandalay Bay Theatre.

Photo: Leila Navidi

It was back on Nov. 13, 1997, that Disney’s The Lion King opened on Broadway with its unforgettable costumes, score and Oscar-winning song from Sir Elton John and Tim Rice. It moved from the New Amsterdam Theater in 2006 to the Minskoff Theater -- and, even after its 11th anniversary in the Big Apple, is still going strong.

The musical has had more than 25,000 performances at theaters throughout the world, including in England, Holland, South Africa, Japan, Germany, Australia and China. It’s been seen by nearly 50 million people and has won more than 70 international theater awards.

Today is The Lion King’s first day of rehearsals in Las Vegas -- the first time the cast, stagehands and crew are together. Producer Thomas Schumacher will conduct a ritual that he’s had with all of his theatrical companies by having each one of the 80 personnel stand and tell how they became affiliated with the show.

Check back later with Vegas DeLuxe because we’ll have first-day photos and an interview with Thomas after the first reading of the entire script and sing-through of The Circle of Life. The Lion King opens in previews May 4, with the gala premiere May 15.

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