BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE highly touted Antigua version of the Broadway Musical – The Lion King – is heading to St. Kitts this weekend, and the show is expected to thrill all attendees.
The chosen venue for its two-day staging is the Sir Cecil Jacobs Auditorium at the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank in Bird Rock.
The SIFAR production is scheduled to start at 8:00 p.m. sharp on Saturday (Jul. 22) and 6:00 p.m. on the following evening, and it will also be staged in Nevis on Tuesday (Jul. 25).
A big hit on Broadway in the United States of America, the Lion King brand has held its own and Silvyn Farrell has taken the musical production a bit higher with ‘The Antigua Edition’.
According to Farrell, the play is based on the animated Disney Film ‘Lion King’ which has been a household name to many.
Farrell also stated that ‘The Antigua Edition’ highlights the same storyline as the movie but with an Antigua and Caribbean flavour.
The movie was release on June 24,1994 and was a hit for Disney, grossing $968,483,777, which was said to be the seventh highest earning animated movie ever released.
A film geared towards children, Lion King features a cub named Simba and his father Mufasa.
Simba, who is the rightful heir to his father’s throne, was weary of uncle Scar’s plot to overthrow the cub’s father.
Mufasa is killed in a stampede rescuing Simba, who is tricked into running away by his conniving uncle.
Simba returns after several years and has the help of two new friends, Timon and Pumba, to take back the throne.
The production is designed to promote young professional and amateur artistes in the performing arts and the technical fields, said Farrell.
Additionally, he noted that it is being used as a means to give exposure to the many career choices that are available through the performing arts medium.
The production was in Antigua last month and will move on to St. Maarten following its staging in St. Kitts and Nevis.
The cast features 45 persons consisting of singers, actors, designers, musicians and stage crew.
According to a statement from the producer, the production cost approximately EC$45,000 and is hopeful of attracting an audience of approximately 1,500.
For admittance to the show, adults are required to pay $40 in advance or $50 at the door, while children under 12 years will only have to pay $20.
