'The Lion King' musical hits 25 years, a key milestone in its circle of life

Masks from 'The Lion King' on display at the new Museum of Broadway in Times Square, New York. It is the first ever permanent museum dedicated to the history of Broadway musicals, plays, and theatres. Photo: AFP

In the summer of 1997, audiences in Minneapolis at the Orpheum Theatre saw something no one had ever seen before: leaping antelopes, fluttering birds and elephants lumbering through the orchestra seats.

“The audience started screaming so early. When the animals came down the aisle everybody shot up,” recalls director-writer Julie Taymor. “I burst into tears. We were just overwhelmed and we knew we had something.”