'Lion King' reigns on Anchorage stage this fall: award-winning Broadway musical breaks Anchorage records.

• Author: Pounds, Nancy
• Position: Alaska: This Month

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Expect "The Lion King" to pounce onto the Anchorage stage and downtown on a grand scale this month and next. The Broadway musical, which will reign Sept. 2 through Oct. 11, will be the longest run of a major performance in Anchorage. The Tony Award-winning show also is the largest production to play in Alaska, according to production company officials.

"It's a very big deal for us. It's a very big deal for Anchorage and for the state," said Nancy Harbour, president of the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts. "We're amplifying everything we normally do for this huge show."

ALASKA DISNEY DEBUT

The production is presented by WestCoast Entertainment of Spokane, Wash., and Disney Theatricals. "Lion King's" Alaska debut is also the first Disney theater presentation in the state, according to Lerria Schuh, sales and marketing director for WestCoast Entertainment.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Bright, captivating costumes and sets ignite the show's powerful themes of growing up, honor, friendship and survival. Twenty-five different types of animals are represented, from a five-inch mouse to an 18-foot-tall giraffe. About 230 puppets participate in the production. "The Lion King" won six Tony Awards in 1998, including costume design, choreography and lighting honors.

"The costumes are breathtaking and unbelievable," said Harbour, who has seen "The Lion King" performed in New York City.

"This is a production that is bigger than life," said Jack Lucas, president of TicketsWest and WestCoast Entertainment. "I don't believe most people that purchase tickets really understand what they will be seeing on stage. It is a huge production with great costumes, lights and production value."

Lucas has seen "Lion King" performed dozens of times. "I never get tired of seeing it. The first 15 minutes alone will totally blow you away," he said.

Lucas emphasized that "Lion King" performances in Anchorage will be high-level productions.

"Disney takes great care in making certain that the production guests will see in Anchorage is the same production that you will see anywhere else in the world, including New York," Lucas said.

PREPARING FOR THE NEW KING

"The Lion King" already has eclipsed the previous Anchorage theater record-setter, "The Phantom of the Opera," which played in 1994. Opening-day ticket sales for "The Lion King" more than doubled initial sales for "Phantom," Harbour said.

Also, "Lion King's" 48 performances surpass "Phantom's"...