The Lion King at Paramount Theatre Seattle

The saga of The Lion King starts in a fictional region of the African savanna; based in The Pride Lands, the teenage lion Simba leads a free and easy life, before tragedy strikes because of the deeds of his evil uncle Scar and his impulse to take the throne and become ruler himself. The first act's series of events leads to the little lion's escape from his rightful place and the tale of his ultimate journey back to retake his throne and his place as King.

The 1997 Broadway play, since its creation, had to maintain accuracy using real-life sources from real African culture and historical basis given the play's context. The story itself is actually founded on historical African leaders and factual happenings – Simba actually equates to the animal version of Sundiata Mansa, the Emperor of the Imperial Mali who was appropriately called The Lion of Mali.

Julie Taymor, the first woman 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 outfits used, which resulted in a precise staging of The Lion King. The outfits alone are perfect representations of some ethnic people in Africa, a portrayal of which is Simba’s costume in the play which as it happens copied from Kenyan Maasi soldiers' armor. Just like the original 1994 movie, the iconic musical compositions penned by Elton John and Tim Rice pays homage to its African heritage, with the live adaptation even putting in songs with lyrics that are sung either partly or fully in African dialects including Swahili and Zulu. Additionally, the African theme is also evident in choreography, with many of the dances showing off the fluidity of Bali-inspired movements.

The 3D puppetry, music, and superb acting all blend together so well to carry out an smashing musical. On Wednesday 31st December 2025 and at Seattle, Disney's The Lion King performs in Paramount Theatre - famous to local fans and tourists for holding the premiere musicals and stage adaptations due to the greatest amenities and topnotch lighting design that theater venues can muster. Seats to this musical on Wednesday 31st December 2025 are currently available and may be secured by clicking the links that can be found just at the top of this website.