Disney's Lion King musical sold out in three days for shows in April through June 2002. Forty percent gone on first day of ticket sales, as the line stretched over two blocks long. All sold at the theatre counters, none by phone or internet.
Theater fans flock to line for 'Lion'
25,377 tickets for Disney musical sold, shattering Denver Center's one-day record
By Karen Auge
Denver Post Staff Writer
Monday, November 26, 2001 -
The line for the 10 a.m. Sunday box office opening snakes around the Denver Center complex. About 1,500 people showed up to buy tickets for the show, which opens in April.
Theater fans flock to line for "Lion'
25,377 tickets for Disney musical sold, shattering Denver Center's one-day record
By Karen Auge
Denver Post Staff Writer
Move over, "Harry Potter."
The orphan / wizard may reign supreme over cinema, but in Denver, Disney's "The Lion King" is lord of the jungle that is live theater.
The Mufasa-loving multitudes started lining up outside Denver Center Box Office on Saturday night, hoping to be part of what will be this spring's Denver premiere of a national, traveling production of the musical tale.
By the time ticket sales for the general public started at 10 a.m. Sunday, an estimated 1,500 people - whose sense of urgency belied the fact that 60,000 seats were available - stood and shivered in a line that wound up three stories on walkways at the Performing Arts complex.
They came, many said, for good seats, for the magic that is live theater, and for free T-shirts.
The first was Catrina Anderson.
Anderson, along with boyfriend Robert LeFebvre and friend Jolyn Hewitson, figured they'd get a jump on their fellow fans by showing up around 5 a.m.
But Bill Anderson, Catrina's father and a veteran of ticket-procurement wars, thought that was lame.
With the elder Anderson in charge, all four were in place by 5 p.m. Saturday.
For their determination, Catrina Anderson got a watch, Hewitson picked up a "Lion King" compact disc, and all three went home with gold "Lion King" logo T-shirts.
Scores followed those four, handing over between $18 for the seats and $105 for the very best. By 4:30 p.m., 25,377 tickets had been sold for the 10-week, 78-show run, which begins April 17 at the Buell Theatre.
That's a new one-day record for Denver Center Attractions, spokeswoman Nancy Rebek said.
Before Sunday, the center's busiest day had been in May 1999, when someone decided to sell tickets for "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Riverdance" on the same day. Even that double threat only netted 8,300 sales.
But Disney, Rebek pointed out, is a known entity. "And I think there is a certain cache about opening the national tour here." |
