Michael Eisner had an concept.
And it wasn’t a extremely popular one at first.
The visionary Disney chief, who served of CEO of the home constructed by Mickey Mouse from 1984 to 2005, was considering turning the 1994 animated “Lion King” film right into a stage musical.
So, he took the thought to the movie’s artistic workforce.
“He first requested all people’s opinion — ‘What do you guys take into consideration placing this on the stage?’” remembers Roger Allers, who co-directed the blockbuster movie with Rob Minkoff. “And all of us across the desk went, ‘We predict that’s an terrible concept.’”
Seems some members of the artistic workforce had truly already mentioned the potential for a musical, however, Allers says, “All we may image had been, like, folks in nice massive fuzzy animal costumes and we thought, ‘That might be ridiculous. It gained’t have any influence in any respect.’”
However regardless of all of the adverse suggestions Eisner acquired, the CEO determined to green-light the undertaking anyway.
“He requested all people’s opinion after which he stated, ‘Properly, we’re going to do it.’” Allers says with fun.
In fact, Eisner turned out to be proper. But once more. “The Lion King” musical would become one of the crucial profitable stage productions of all time.
Twenty-five years after it opened on Broadway on the New Amsterdam Theatre on Nov. 13, 1997, “The Lion King” remains to be going robust in 2022.
It’s been seen by some 100 million followers throughout the globe, with legions of recent followers nonetheless falling for its ample charms — together with the evocative, not-very-fuzzy costumes and distinctive headpieces — every year.
Anticipate much more converts — in addition to 1000's of repeat clients — when “Disney’s the Lion King” returns to the Bay Space for a three-week engagement.
The Tony Award-winning musical — which is presently celebrating its twentieth anniversary as a touring manufacturing — runs Aug. 3-21 on the Heart for the Performing Arts in San Jose.
The present is such a global juggernaut today — with multi-year residencies in New York, London, Paris and different cities in addition to a number of completely different international touring productions — that it’s wonderful to listen to simply how troublesome it initially was to take “The Lion King” from the cinema to the theater stage.
But, the progressive staging and costume design wanted to deliver the animal characters to life — particularly within the legendary “Circle of Life” opening scene — was nonetheless very a lot a piece in progress by the point the musical made its pre-Broadway debut in July 1997 on the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis.
“The present by no means made it via like the primary act with out one thing going flawed,” Irene Mecchi remembers of that preliminary run. “Particularly the massive elephant — there’s one particular person in every of the legs and it will all the time get caught on the little stairs that went as much as the stage, as a result of it parades down the aisle.
“Or one of many giraffes would fall over. And in the event that they fell, it was form of like a nature film — they needed to form of drag the actor off the stage.”
Mecchi, a Bay Space native who splits her time between San Francisco and Los Angeles today, co-wrote the e-book for the musical with Allers.
The 2 additionally labored collectively on the unique film model, which skilled its fair proportion of challenges as effectively.
“After I joined in 1992, I used to be employed to do what was known as ‘a manufacturing polish,’” says UC Berkley graduate Mecchi, who ended up getting screenplay credit score with Jonathan Roberts and Linda Woolverton on the film. “So, I confirmed up for work on the primary day and stated, ‘The place’s the script to shine?’ And the producer Don Hahn says, ‘Properly, there isn't any script.’”
As an alternative, the producers simply had some fundamental plot factors in a storyline that had apparently morphed fairly a bit through the years.
“It went via a whole lot of adjustments,” says Allers, who additionally has robust Bay Space connections and as soon as owned a house in Mill Valley. “I believe even truly at one level it was about howling monkeys. These items take lengthy journeys generally.”
But, the pliability — and persistence — would repay because the artistic workforce undoubtedly clicked and the now-legendary story of Simba, Nala, Mufasa, Zazu, Scar, Shenzi and different residents of the Delight Lands got here to life.
“If you discuss folks doing improvisation, the rule is ‘sure, and …’ versus ‘no,’” Mecchi says. “There have been no dangerous concepts, as a result of any dangerous concept might be constructed upon to make it a good suggestion.”
Having gone via that roller-coaster journey in making the film, Mecchi and Allers had been able to assist take Eisner’s concept — which, please keep in mind, was initially branded by the artistic workforce as “terrible” – and switch it into one thing actually good.
And theatergoers would undoubtedly applaud their efforts when the musical made its debut in Minneapolis. Regardless of the occasional fallen giraffe or imperiled elephant, “The Lion King” was a success from the beginning.
“You possibly can really feel the power within the room,” Allers says. “The roof of the theater virtually blew off. All of us got here from that first public preview virtually floating.”
‘DISNEY’S THE LION KING’
Music by Elton John, lyrics by Tim Rice, e-book by Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi, offered by Broadway San Jose
When: Aug. 3-21
The place: San Jose Heart for the Performing Arts, 255 S. Almaden Blvd.
Well being & security: Vaccination and facemasks not required however strongly beneficial, youngsters beneath 5 not permitted in theater
Run time: 2 hours, half-hour, 1 intermission
Tickets: $25-$148 (topic to vary); broadwaysanjose.com