Broadway Comes to Walt Disney World Resort On May 22

Broadway Comes to Walt Disney World Resort On May 22
Cast Members From 'The Lion King' Set To Dedicate Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge

"Hey, cast of Broadway's The Lion King. You've won 24 major awards -- including the 1998 Tony Award for Best Musical -- and you wow audiences night after night, what are you going to do next?''

"We're going to Disney World!''

Six cast members from the New York City production of "The Lion King'' are packing their bags for Walt Disney World Resort where they'll be Tuesday, May 22 to star in the Grand Dedication ceremony for Disney's newest resort, Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Led by music supervisor/director Joseph Church, Sheila Gibbs ("Rafiki'') and four ensemble members, the cast is scheduled to perform the musical's signature song, "Circle of Life'' in the grand lobby of the Africa-themed hotel.

A Central Florida performance choir and African cultural representatives who work at the resort will accompany the Broadway cast during the song.

Recreating an African wildlife reserve, Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge showcases the wonder and romance of Africa, from the hand-carved furnishings and the gourmet cuisine served in its three restaurants to the splendor of a 33-acre savannah around the resort where more than 200 exotic animals roam freely. Most of the hotel's balconies overlook the vast savannah, putting guests within 30 feet of nearly three dozen species of mammals and birds, including giraffes, zebras, sacred ibis, bongos and Thomson's gazelles.

Disney Imagineers visited more than 20 African lodges for inspiration and research for the 1,293-room resort, which opened April 16, 2001.

-- Posted May 18, 2001

Source: Company Press Release