Over 112 million people worldwide have seen the musical and it has earned numerous awards and honors, including six Tony Awards, one for Best Musical and Best Direction of a Musical, making director Julie Taymor the first woman to earn such an honor. It is Broadway's third longest-running show in history, and has grossed more than $1 billion, making it the highest grossing Broadway production of all time. On June 13, 2006, to make way for the Broadway production of Mary Poppins, the show moved to the Minskoff Theatre, where it is still running after more than 10,000 performances. The musical debuted on July 8, 1997, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at the Orpheum Theatre and was successful before premiering on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theatre on October 15, 1997, in previews, with the official opening on November 13, 1997. The show is produced by Disney Theatrical Productions. Directed by Taymor, the musical features actors in animal costumes as well as giant, hollow puppets. It is based on the 1994 Walt Disney Animation Studios' film of the same name. The Lion King is a stage musical with music by Elton John, lyrics by Tim Rice, and a book by Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi, with additional music and lyrics by Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor, and Hans Zimmer.

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