Bord Gáis Energy Theatre is thrilled to announce that Brian Gilligan will play the role of “Scar” in Disney’s award-winning musical, THE LION KING when the production plays a limited season in Dublin from Thursday 28 September – Saturday 11 November 2023.
Tickets priced from €26.50 are available now through Ticketmaster.
Born and raised in Dublin, Brian Gilligan trained at the Royal Irish Academy of Music and has featured in productions such as Romeo & Juliet at Mill Theatre Dublin and Jimmy’s Hall at Abbey Theatre Dublin. Brian is currently covering the role of Scar in the touring company of THE LION KING. Brian Gilligan said, “It is an honour to be stepping into the infamous role of Scar in my beloved hometown of Dublin at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre. The villainous Scar is a dream role – he is an extremely complex character who audiences love to hate and a joy to bring to life on stage. I can’t wait to take to the stage in Dublin having been on tour with this amazing cast. What a homecoming.”
THE LION KING returns to Ireland for the third time following sell-out seasons in 2013 and 2022, playing to cumulative audiences of nearly 200,000 people. The story of THE LION KING leaps into life using spectacular masks, puppets, and costumes to tell the story of Simba’s epic adventures, as he struggles with the responsibilities of adulthood and becoming king.
Julie Taymor’s internationally celebrated stage adaptation of THE LION KING opened on Broadway in 1997 and 25 global productions in nine different languages have been created since then (English, Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Spanish, Mandarin, and Portuguese).
THE LION KING is produced by Disney Theatrical Productions, under the direction of Thomas Schumacher. Since its UK premiere in 1999, THE LION KING London has entertained more than 18 million theatregoers and is the sixth longest-running West End musical of all time. The stunning artistry of the production is the work of a team of designers who drew on diverse cultural influences to recreate the rich colours and vast expanses of the African savanna in this daring and inspiring reinvention of one of the most successful animated feature films of all time. Julie Taymor, one of the world’s most innovative directors, brought a vast array of disciplines to THE LION KING, including extensive experience staging epic theatre and opera productions, and exploring classic myths through ritualised puppetry, mask, and movement. THE LION KING was the first musical Taymor directed in the commercial theatre and she made Broadway history by becoming the first woman to win the Tony Award® for Best Director of a Musical.
The Broadway show’s full creative team, which won five Tony Awards® for its work on THE LION KING, reunited in 1999 to recreate the show in London. Julie Taymor and Michael Curry created hundreds of masks and puppets. Scenic design is by British designer Richard Hudson and lighting is by Donald Holder. Costume design is by Julie Taymor, and choreography by Garth Fagan. The book was adapted by Roger Allers, who co-directed the animated feature, and Irene Mecchi, who co-wrote the screenplay.
The original score from the animated film was expanded for the stage and now features 15 musical numbers. As well as writing completely new songs, South African composer Lebo M created an evocative blend of African rhythms and chorales, with additional material by Julie Taymor and Mark Mancina. Elton John and Tim Rice have added three new numbers to the five that they wrote for the award-winning score of the animated film. The resulting sound of THE LION KING is a fusion of Western popular music and the distinctive sounds and rhythms of Africa, including the Academy Award®-winning Can You Feel The Love Tonight and the haunting Shadowland.
THE LION KING runs at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre from Thursday 28 September – Saturday 11 November 2023. For more information, please see www.bordgaisenergytheatre.ie
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