The Lion King at Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre

The tale of The Lion King starts in a fictional land in Africa; living in The Pride Lands, the teenage lion Simba is destined to succeed as King, before tragedy strikes because of the actions of his jealous uncle Scar and his intention to overthrow Simba's father, Mufasa, and become King himself. The first half's series of incidents leads to Simba's banishment from his rightful place and the account of his ultimate return to bring peace to his lands and citizens.

The 1997 Broadway play, since its creation, had to borrow several design elements and inspiration from real African civilization and historical texts given the play's context. The narrative itself is actually based on real African leaders and actual happenings – Simba being the animal counterpart of Sundiata Mansa, the founder of the Malian Empire who was aptly named The Lion of Mali.

Julie Taymor, the first female in the history of Broadway to gain a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical, completed in-depth research on African and East Asian history, especially design, which resulted in a faultless live adaptation of The Lion King. The outfits alone are respectful representations of a few ethnic people in Africa, an example of which is Simba’s outfit in the musical which in fact copied from Kenyan Maasi fighters' armor. Just like the previous 1994 movie, the iconic musical score created by Elton John and Tim Rice pays homage to its African heritage, with the stage adaptation even putting in compositions with lyrics that are performed either partly or completely in African dialects such as Swahili and Zulu. Also, the African motif is also evident in dance numbers, with a lot of the performances presenting the fluidity of Bali-inspired movements.

The costume design, music, and lifelike stage design all merge effortlessly to deliver an second to none musical. On Saturday 15th November 2025 and at Denver, The Lion King from Broadway performs in Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre - famous to residents and visitors for holding the premiere musicals and stage adaptations because of the leading amenities and topnotch equipment that show venues can provide. Seats to The Lion King on Saturday 15th November 2025 are now available and may be bought using the links that can be found on the top of this page.