The Lion King, the Julie Taymor-directed musical based on the blockbuster film of the same name, is scheduled to play 100 performances at the Grand. The limited engagement is being presented by The Shanghai Grand Theatre in association with The Walt Disney Company.

About the upcoming engagement, Disney Theatrical Productions President Thomas Schumacher said in a statement, "We are delighted to be taking this production to Shanghai and thank our partners at The Shanghai Grand Theatre who have made it possible for us to play in their wonderful venue. We're mounting Julie Taymor's full Broadway production so Chinese audiences will see the same show they would see in New York or London."

The production of The Lion King that will play the Chinese venue was recently seen in Australia. The international cast of 52 performers features actors from 12 different countries, including eight from South Africa.

The Lion King originally opened at Broadway's New Amsterdam Theatre Nov. 13, 1997. Directed by Julie Taymor — who became the first woman to ever receive a Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical — The Lion King has become an international hit with productions playing all around the globe. In fact, the Elton John-Tim Rice musical has won over 30 major awards. Those include six Tony Awards, including one for Best Musical; eight Drama Desk Awards; six Outer Critics Circle Awards; two Sir Laurence Oliviers; the Evening Standard Award for Best Theatrical Event; and three Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards. Visit www.disneyonbroadway.com for more information.

For more information about the Shanghai Grand Theatre, visit www.shgtheatre.com.