Georgia Entertainment Scene
Georgia Entertainment Scene

WATCH: Elton John surprises Broadway crowd at 'The Lion King' anniversary show

Elton John and Tim Rice hold their Oscars for Original Song backstage at the 67th annual Academy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on March 27, 1995. AP Photo

Credit: Melissa Ruggieri

Credit: Melissa Ruggieri

Elton John and Tim Rice hold their Oscars for Original Song backstage at the 67th annual Academy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on March 27, 1995. AP Photo
By Melissa Ruggieri
Nov 6, 2017

BY MELISSA RUGGIERI/AJC Music Scene

Elton John surprised attendees of “The Lion King” following Sunday night’s performance of the musical.

The Broadway anchor celebrated its 20th anniversary in front of an audience filled with luminaries, including show director-designer Julie Taymor, original "Lion King" star Heather Headley and "Hamilton" star Renee Elise Goldsberry.

John appeared after the curtain call and led the cast in a performance of the show’s signature song, “Circle of Life.”

Following its official opening on Nov. 13, 1997, “The Lion King” earned six Tony Awards, including best musical.

John, who also composed scores for “Billy Elliot,” “Lestat” and “Aida,” is working on the musical adaptation of “The Devil Wears Prada.”

Atlanta theater fans can check out "The Lion King" when it returns to the Fox Theatre Jan. 10-28.

Follow the AJC Music Scene on Facebook and Twitter.

About the Author

Melissa Ruggieri has covered music and entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 2010 and created the Atlanta Music Scene blog. She's kept vampire hours for more than two decades and remembers when MTV was awesome.

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