The Lion King bids farewell to Bristol but leaves a £6 million legacy in the local economy

The Circle of Life is nearly over at the Bristol Hippodrome, as the sell out success of Disney’s The Lion King comes to a close this weekend.

The show has been a staggering success, with more than £6 million ploughed into the local economy by theatre patrons.

The show opened on Friday 31 August, with the final performance on Saturday 17 November, meaning more than 165,000 people will have seen at least one of 88 performances.

It’s the first show at the theatre where standing tickets have been sold.

General Manager, Bristol Hippodrome, Christiaan De Villiers says: “It has been thrilling to have Disney’s The Lion King at the Hippodrome during our centenary year. It has brought new audiences and new energy to the theatre, and is sure to stand as one of this historic theatre’s most exciting and memorable productions.”

The musical is one of the biggest ever touring theatre productions which required the theatre seating in the auditorium to be rearranged for the animal procession which starts the show.

The touring production will move on to Manchester for an 18-week season at The Palace Theatre.