“When we first started, I had no idea what the show was going to look like,” she explains. Incredibly, and historically, she’s been with the show’s triple-threat ensemble ever since. Where it began, in fact, was in Minneapolis, Minnesota-where South African performer Lindiwe Dlamini joined the show during its summer 1997 pre-Broadway run. Such a momentous achievement within the show’s “Circle of Life” is obviously worth celebrating-and to that end, we spoke exclusively with several members of The Lion King’s current cast and staff, many of whom have been with the show for nigh on two decades. Winner of six 1998 Tony Awards ®, including Best Musical and Best Director of a Musical for Julie Taymor (the first woman winner ever), the show-produced by Disney Theatrical Productions (under the direction of Thomas Schumacher)-has now been seen by an astonishing 112 million people. & Ireland, with a separate production touring internationally.

Not only has The Lion King been thrilling theatergoers for two-plus decades in New York City, but it’s been simultaneously bringing its tale of heart and home to audiences in over 100 cities in 21 countries, and on every continent except Antarctica! Performed over its lifetime in nine different languages (English, Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Spanish, Mandarin, and Portuguese), there are currently nine productions of The Lion King around the globe: Broadway, London, Paris, Hamburg, Madrid, Tokyo, on tour across North America, and on tour in the U.K. Featuring songs by Disney Legends Sir Elton John and Sir Tim Rice, the show opened in 1997 at the New Amsterdam Theatre and has since moved to the Minskoff Theatre-where it celebrated this past Sunday with a truly star-studded 25th anniversary performance. and on November 13, Disney Theatricals’ The Lion King joined those rarified ranks. Only two other productions have achieved such status before. It’s an illustrious milestone in the history of Broadway.

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