A musical based on a Disney movie about animals living on the African savannah? Directed by a woman with credentials in Bunraku puppetry and avant-garde theater? It doesn't sound like a marriage made in heaven. But when The Lion King opened a little more than a decade ago, Julie Taymor's wondrous stagecraft (giant puppets in the aisles!) made believers of even the most cynical critics, and she became the first woman to win a Tony for directing a musical. The show was an instant king-sized hit, buoyed by the dynamic choreography of Garth Fagan and the familiar songs of Elton John and Tim Rice, and is still going strong on Broadway after more than 4,000 performances. Touring productions have thrived, too — in 2002-03, the tour came to the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center and sold out all 53 performances. This week, Tampa welcomes back Mufasa, Simba and company for a six-week run. May 8-June 22, 7:30 p.m. Tues.-Thurs., 8 p.m. Fri., 2 and 8 p.m. Sat., 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sun., Carol Morsani Hall-TBPAC, 1010 N. MacInnes Place, Tampa, $48-$133, 813-229-7827, tbpac.org.
This article appears in May 7-13, 2008.