Broadway touring productions could soon look different, according to one critic, after the announcement that a popular musical will be closing temporarily.
Earlier this month, it was announced that The Lion King would be closing down until August 2027, in order to reconfigure. According to a social media post by Broadway.Media, the move is being made in order to “reimagine elements... while maintaining the scale and emotional power.”
The Toronto Star arts and culture critic Joshua Chong told CTV Your Morning earlier this week that the announcement was a shock to the theatre community, since the show had been crisscrossing North America to sold-out audiences for years.
He admits that the statement from Disney’s producers about reconfiguring was “really vague.”
“It suggests that this show and this touring production is going to be scaled down,” he said.
He speculated that reconfiguring could result in smaller sets, a smaller orchestra and cast size and scaled back automations, which is the show’s signature feature.
The production, which started in 1997 and launched its tour in 2002, is considered to be one of the most successful in theatre history.
Chong said that if The Lion King can’t survive on tour, it could be reflected in fewer Broadway tours in the future.
“That forces audiences, theatre lovers, to have to go to New York or the West End,” he said.
Broadway struggling
Chong said Broadway is struggling with production expenses, thanks to the price of lumber for sets and the cost of fuel to transport productions between cities.
“The economics of Broadway are not working out right now,” he said. “And a lot of productions are scaling down.”
However, Chong said he suspects that some productions that are making money are scaling down to make even more. That could be good news for smaller markets with smaller theatres.
“If (The Lion King) scales down, perhaps one of the positives that comes out of it is that the tour could reach smaller, medium-sized cities like Kitchener-Waterloo, Halifax, Regina that don’t get Broadway tours,” he said.
