Jay Rifkin in the context of "The Lion King (musical)"

The Lion King is a stage musical with a book by Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi based on the 1994 Walt Disney Animation Studios' film of the same name. Directed by Julie Taymor, the musical features actors in animal costumes as well as giant, hollow puppets. The show is produced by Disney Theatrical Productions and features songs from the original film by Elton John and Tim Rice, while the majority of new songs were contributed by Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Tsidii Le Loka, Taymor, and Hans Zimmer.

The musical debuted on July 8, 1997, in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Orpheum Theatre and was an instant success before premiering on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theater on October 15, 1997, in many previews with the official opening on November 13, 1997. On June 13, 2006, the Broadway production moved to the Minskoff Theatre to make way for the musical version of Mary Poppins, where it is still running after more than 10,000 performances. It is Broadway's third longest-running show in history and the highest grossing Broadway production of all time, having grossed more than $1.9 billion.