Arab stars shine at the Beverly Hills Gala

Dubai: 25 years after its Broadway premiere, The Lion King musical will make its Middle Eastern debut in Abu Dhabi on November 16, giving audiences across the region a rare opportunity to appreciate the award-winning production up close and personal in the UAE capital. United Arab.

The long-running adaptation of Disney’s popular 1994 animated film tells the coming-of-age story of young Prince Simba, who is forced to grow up quickly when his father dies and he must recover his birthright.

“What makes me so happy to bring the show to Abu Dhabi is that it is the original production that has been seen for over 20 years on Broadway and has been seen on stage in the West End, Australia, Hamburg, Japan. Michael Cassell, CEO of The Michael Cassell Group, the theatrical producer who is leading the four-week “Lion King” tour at Etihad Arena, said in an interview with Arab News.

“The crowds are in for an absolute treat because this is theater at its best. The way Julie Taymor — who is the original production director and the first female director to win a Tony Award for Best Musical Director — what she imagined and the world she created by recreating the African savannah in theatre, is simply extraordinary.”

The show will bring more than 100 people, on stage and behind the scenes, to Abu Dhabi. “We have artists from all over the world working on ‘The Lion King’. It’s really a very rare international company and we have a lot of South African cast members which is very important to ensure authenticity in terms of the performance and certainly also the music composed by Lippo M. Cassel said.

Naturally, the musical’s popularity was also aided by the film’s stellar soundtrack, created by Sir Elton John and Sir Tim Rice, but also adapted for the stage with the help of South African producer and composer Lippo M.

Expanding on how Lebo M. was introduced to the show, Cassel said: “The way the score for the theatrical production came about was when Tom Schumacher, producer of ‘The Lion King’ and head of Disney theatrical productions, was in conversation with Julie Taymor to direct, shared with Julie an album that was released After the movie was released, it was called “Rhythm of Pride Lands” and featured all that African music inspired by “The Lion King” by Lippo M.

When Jolie heard this, she had the foresight that the musical – as required for a Broadway show – needed to expand, and LeBeau was hired to work on the production with Jolie and with Elton John and Tim Rice. to bring some of his music to the stage. And that, really, is now at the heart of the series.

“The music stands out in terms of representing the sounds — the rhythms — from Africa, and as I said, you know, it has the hit songs that people might know and love from the movie, like “Circle of Life” or “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” but it features yet So touching new songs created on stage, like “Shadowland,” and one of my all-time favorites, “He Lives In You,” he added.

The Lion King runs from November 16 to December 10 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.