PRESS RELEASE 13th JULY 2018 DISNEY’S WEST END SHOWS ALADDIN AND THE LION KING ANNOUNCE SUMMER POP-UP EXPERIENCE IN LONDON Disney’s hit West End musicals Aladdin and The Lion King have today announced that a summer Pop-Up will open its doors to Disney fans old and new in Covent Garden throughout August. Located at 25 Long Acre in the heart of Theatreland, the Pop-Up will be open every day from Tuesday 31st July until Sunday 26th August with a host of free interactive experiences and special events to enjoy. Within this unique space guests will be able to explore the iconic masks, puppets and costumes from the Tony-Award winning The Lion King up-close and learn about the inspiration behind many of the show’s impressive designs. Guests will also have the opportunity to step inside a specially-created ‘Cave of Wonders’, where they will be able to take a photo with the legendary lamp from Aladdin. The fun continues around Covent Garden’s Piazza where visitors are invited to delve into a treasure hunt to uncover four magic lamps – each offering a clue to an Aladdin themed puzzle. Those who unscramble the message can take home a limited edition poster as their well- earned reward. In addition to this, a variety of free events will take place daily within the Pop-Up including performances from cast members of the two West End shows, puppetry demonstrations and stage makeup masterclasses, as well as vocal and movement bite-sized workshops to get a first- hand flavour of the shows’ music and choreography. The full schedule is available to view at www.disneyonstage.co.uk and access to events is available on a first-come first-served basis. This summer Disney UK celebrated the second anniversary of Aladdin in the West End, which opened at the Prince Edward Theatre in June 2016, while The Lion King enjoys its 19th triumphant year at the Lyceum Theatre. For further information please contact The Corner Shop PR: Hannah Clapham: [email protected] / 07779 390 991 Maisie Lawrence: [email protected] / 020 7831 7657 ABOUT DISNEY’S ALADDIN Disney’s hit West End musical Aladdin opened to critical acclaim at the Prince Edward Theatre on 15th June 2016, having begun preview performances from 27th May 2016. Tickets are now on sale for performances up to and including 9th February 2019 for individuals and until 1st June 2019 for group bookings. Now in its fifth record-breaking year on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theatre, Aladdin’s global presence has grown to six productions on four continents, seen by more than 7.2 million people to date. The show opened at Tokyo’s Dentsu Shiki Theatre Umi in May 2015, had its European premiere in December 2015 at the Stage Theatre Neue Flora, Hamburg, began performances in August 2016 in Australia and launched its North American tour in April 2017. Aladdin features the timeless songs from the 1992 animated film as well as new music written by Tony®, Olivier© and eight-time Academy Award winner Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Newsies, Little Shop Of Horrors). With lyrics from Olivier Award and two-time Oscar® winner Howard Ashman (Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid), three-time Tony and Olivier Award, three-time Oscar winner Tim Rice (Evita, Aida), and four-time Tony Award nominee Chad Beguelin (The Wedding Singer), and a book by Beguelin, Aladdin is directed and choreographed by Tony and Olivier Award winner Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon). Aladdin is designed by Olivier and seven-time Tony-winning scenic designer Bob Crowley, five-time Tony-winning lighting designer Natasha Katz, Olivier and two-time Tony-winning costume designer Gregg Barnes and sound designer Ken Travis. Casting is by Jill Green CDG. The production team also includes illusion designer Jim Steinmeyer, hair designer Josh Marquette and makeup designer Milagros Medina-Cerdeira. The music team is headed by music supervisor and music director Michael Kosarin, who also created the vocal and incidental music arrangements, joined by orchestrator Danny Troob and dance music arranger Glen Kelly. DISNEY’S ALADDIN Prince Edward Theatre 28 Old Compton St London W1D 4HS Box Office number: 0844 482 5151 www.aladdinthemusical.co.uk Aladdin plays Monday to Saturday at 7.30pm with matinee performances on Thursday and Saturday at 2.30pm. ABOUT THE LION KING After 20 landmark years on Broadway, The Lion King continues ascendant as one of the most popular stage musicals in the world. Since its premiere on 13th November 1997, 25 global productions have been seen by more than 95 million people. Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions (under the direction of Thomas Schumacher), The Lion King has made theatrical history with six productions worldwide running 15 or more years. Performed in eight different languages (Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Spanish, Mandarin and Portuguese), productions of The Lion King can currently be seen on Broadway; London’s West End; Hamburg; Tokyo and Sapporo; Madrid; Scheveningen, Holland; Manila, Philippines; and on tour across North America, for a total of nine productions running concurrently across the globe. Having played over 100 cities in 20 countries on every continent except Antarctica, The Lion King’s worldwide gross exceeds that of any film, Broadway show or other entertainment title in box office history. The Lion King won six 1998 Tony Awards®: Best Musical, Best Scenic Design (Richard Hudson), Best Costume Design (Julie Taymor), Best Lighting Design (Donald Holder), Best Choreography (Garth Fagan) and Best Direction of a Musical. The Lion King has also earned more than 70 major arts awards including the 1998 NY Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, the 1999 Grammy® for Best Musical Show Album, the 1999 Evening Standard Award for Theatrical Event of the Year and the 1999 Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Choreography and Best Costume Design. The show’s director, costume designer and mask co-designer Julie Taymor continues to play an integral part in the show’s ongoing success. The first woman to win a Tony Award for Direction of a Musical, Taymor has in recent years supervised new productions of the show around the world. The Broadway score features Elton John and Tim Rice’s music from The Lion King animated film along with three new songs by John and Rice; additional musical material by South African Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor and Hans Zimmer; and music from "Rhythm of the Pride Lands," an album inspired by the original music in the film, written by Lebo M, Mark Mancina and Hans Zimmer. The resulting sound of The Lion King is a fusion of Western popular music and the distinctive sounds and rhythms of Africa, ranging from the Academy Award®-winning song “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” to the haunting ballad “Shadowland.” The book has been adapted by Roger Allers, who co-directed The Lion King animated feature, and Irene Mecchi, who co-wrote the film’s screenplay. Other members of the creative team include: Michael Curry, who designed the masks and puppets with Taymor, Steve Canyon Kennedy (sound design), Michael Ward (hair and makeup design), John Stefaniuk (associate director), Marey Griffith (associate choreographer), Clement Ishmael (music supervisor) and Doc Zorthian (production supervisor). Anne Quart serves as co-producer. DISNEY’S THE LION KING Lyceum Theatre 21 Wellington Street, London WC2E 7RQ Box Office number: 0844 871 3000 www.thelionking.co.uk The Lion King plays Tuesday to Saturday at 7.30pm with matinee performances on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at 2.30pm. There is no performance on a Monday evening. .