The Lion King, which is a 'musical play' based on the 1994 Disney animated feature film, is without question one of musical theatres greatest success stories.

Its various productions have played to more than 110 million people worldwide and there is no sign of demand waning.

The London West End production is enjoying its 24th year sell-out at London's Lyceum Theatre, which is no mean feat for a venue with over 2,000 seats.

Having seen The Lion King for the first time after all these years it is easy to understand why it is so popular.

Having the Disney bi-line tagged to it is a great help, as does the fact that so many theatregoers will have seen the cartoon version, often umpteen times, with their children and grandchildren.

Being Disney, the plot is is uncomplicated and by now so well known.

A young lion cub named Simba is born into royalty as heir to his father, Mufasa's, throne.

All seems well except that Mufasa's dastardly brother, Scar, is power hungry and conspires hyenas to kill Mufasa and force Simba to flee into exile before proclaiming himself king of the pride.

Will Simba battle his demons and have the courage to regain his thrown?

As such, The Lion King is a 'family show' in the true sense of the word.

The evening performance I attended was a genuine mix of adults with young children, older couples, and party groups mixing with international tourists, for whom the language was no barrier to the evening.

What I, and they, enjoyed was a lavish and vibrantly colourful production with African theme music and a stunning array of puppets depicting the animals.

Musical highlights were inevitably those with music from Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice, including Circle of Life, I Just Can't Wait to be King, Hukuna Matada and Can you Feel the Love Tonight.

There are some 50 cast members on stage with probably double that number backstage making sure

each performance runs smoothly.

It all results in The Lion King being a theatrical feat as well and a theatrical treat.

Useful links

​ www.thelionking.co.uk