A star-studded audience of celebrities from film, television, radio, stage, music, art, fashion and politics came together with members of the show's original creative team including director Julie Taymor to celebrate THE LION KING's 10th Anniversary in London.
Stars who walked the "yellow carpet" in front of London's historic Lyceum Theatre included legendary actor (and voice of 'Mufasa' from the animated film of THE LION KING) James Earl Jones, Cherie Blair, Gok Wan, Justin Lee Collins, Donna Air, Greg Wise,Hugh Bonneville, Debbie Allen, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw, Beverley Knight, Lisa Snowdon, Pam Hogg and Phylicia Rashad. Also joining the celebrations were former cast members from THE LION KING Vanessa White (now in the chart-topping band The Saturdays), Javine Hylton and rapper Master Shortie.
The audience, which also included over 250 former cast members from the London production of THE LION KING, greeted the 10thAnniversary performance with an unanimous standing ovation, applauding the show's record-breaking first decade in the West End. Director Julie Taymor appeared on stage along with other members of the show's creative team for the final curtain call.
Following the performance, invited guests joined the stars of THE LION KING for an exclusive party at London's fashionable Buddha Bar.
In the decade since its star-studded premiere in 1999, THE LION KING has been seen by over 8 million people in London at over 4200 performances and now ranks among the top ten longest-running shows in West End history.
Julie Taymor's internationally acclaimed stage adaptation of Disney's 1994 animated film premiered on Broadway in November 1997, winning the Tony Award® for 'Best Musical' and since that time, the show has been seen by over 50 million people in cities around the world. In addition to the record-breaking productions in London and New York, THE LION KING can currently be seen in Paris, Tokyo, Hamburg, Las Vegas and on tours of both the US and Japan, with a new production opening in Singapore in 2010.
