(Originally published by the Daily News on Nov. 14, 1997.)
“The Lion King” roared onto Broadway last night to the delight of show business royalty.
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THE LION KING’ TURNS POPULAR ENTERTAINMENT INTO ART: 1997 REVIEW
Elton John, Julie Andrews, Rosie O’Donnell and Mary Tyler Moore were among the stars attending the ambitious musical’s opening in the heart of Times Square.
Bathed in kleig lights and the flash of paparazzi cameras, the celebrities emerged from stretch limos and entered the New Amsterdam Theater a $36 million restoration project by the Walt Disney Co. serving as the cornerstone of a revived 42nd St.
The New 42nd St. appeared so well scrubbed, it’s a wonder even a mouse named Mickey was allowed there.
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Last night, a small army of police officers made it one of the safest blocks in town, too.
They closed one lane of traffic in front of the theater and erected barricades that kept the fans a few hundred feet from the celebs.
Wily fans, though, could catch a glimpse of the action by peeking through the windows of the adjacent Disney Store.
Those inside the theater saw a production estimated to cost $20 million, the most expensive stage musical ever. All indications, however, are that the gamble has paid off: It’s already one of the hottest tickets in town.
Elton John who, with Tim Rice, wrote most of the songs, including three new ones not in the animated film version liked what he saw.
At intermission, he leaned over to director Julie Taymor, tears in his eyes, and whispered, “It’s fabulous.”
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The rest of the audience was equally impressed, wildly cheering every song.
The 1,800-seat New Amsterdam was almost as big an attraction last night as the musical itself.
Since 1993 when Disney boss Michael Eisner first toured the ruins of the landmark building until last spring, when its doors opened for the musical “King David,” workers have been peeling off years of dirt and grime to restore the theater.
Now, where the showgirls of the Ziegfeld Follies, W.C. Fields, Eddie Cantor and Fanny Brice once strutted their stuff, the stage is filled with actors playing animals.
The once-proud theater swooned during the Depression. Money dried up for lavish shows, and the theater served as a movie house from 1937 to 1982, when its doors shut. As the area declined, so did the building.
Now it’s the first jewel in the crown that the New 42nd St. is expected to wear.
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