‘The Lion King’ circle of life to end in Toronto after less than a year

Article content

TORONTO — “The Lion King” will soon utter its final roar in Toronto.

Article content

Article content

Mirvish Productions announced Tuesday that the last performance of the critically acclaimed and award-winning musical will take place Aug. 30 at the Princess of Wales Theatre.

Article content

It’s a shorter run than many expected for a production of its calibre, but the company’s director of sales says producers determined it was better to close the show on “a really high note” than gamble with uncertainties that may come up later this year.

Article content

Article content

“You don’t want to go out struggling,” John Karastamatis added.

Article content

Article content

The stage adaptation of the 1994 Disney animated film opened in November, featuring a cast of mostly Canadian performers and crew, with high expectations for an extended run.

Article content

Before opening, David Mirvish told The Canadian Press he hoped the production might last at least a couple of years. He projected it would break even after 26 to 36 weeks of performances.

Article content

By the time it closes, the show will have played 43 weeks and a total of 345 shows, reaching an expected audience of more than 250,000 people. Karastamatis said the production is profitable.

Article content

“We’ve accomplished what we set out to do, we have a new generation of artists on the stage and we’ve had great audiences,” he said.

Article content

“It’s kind of a gut feeling, but it’s hard to tell the future, especially nowadays.”

Article content

Karastamatis described several factors that could negatively affect ticket sales for a show as long-running as “The Lion King.” For instance, a new political climate has reduced cross-border travel.

Article content

“We’re not getting Americans up here. Canadians aren’t going to the United States either. So it’s a whole new world,” he said.

Article content

Article content

“Our hope for this summer is that Canadians will make up the difference.”

Article content

Producers weighed other factors, too. One was that come fall “The Lion King” would be headed into a new theatre season and possibly deemed an “old show” in a busy market of new projects.

Article content

“The Lion King” first ran in Toronto from 2000 to 2004, and has since seen a number of travelling versions roll through the city.

Article content

Last year’s return was touted as an open-ended run, a significant investment that hired more local talent and occupied a single theatre for an extended period.

Article content

Toronto’s “The Lion King” production was an oversized ambition from the start.

Article content

Last fall, Mirvish rented an old Toronto Catholic school to house its massive cast, crew and costumes, because there wasn’t an existing rehearsal space in the city that could accommodate them.

Article content

As the show got underway, it faced another hurdle when, a day before it opened, its star Simba was sidelined by injury.

Article content

Actor Aphiwe Nyezi missed the first two-and-a-half months of the run but returned to “The Lion King” in mid-January. He was temporarily replaced by the lead from the musical’s ongoing North American tour.