By Valerie Gladstone Big corporations usually stay with the tried and true. Risk isn’t their game. But in 1997, in an inspired act of hiring, Disney asked the choreographer Garth Fagan to take on The Lion King. Until that point, Fagan had choreographed on two other theatre works, the Duke Ellington opera, Queenie Pie, in […]
I have never bought a book, read a poem or seen a play because it was by a Pulitzer winner. — Ben Brantley, Former Theatre Critic, The New York Times As a child of the 60s, I lived through the heyday of Award shows. Family and friends would gather as if for a holiday, dressed […]
In 1969, as in so much of the country, residents of the largely Latino neighborhood of Auraria were in turmoil. Many young Latinos were being shipped off to Vietnam. Civil rights movements were in full swing, including the Chicano Movement led in Denver by Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales, founder of the Crusade for Justice. In 1969, […]
As one of the most beloved films and musicals of all times, Disney’s The Lion King has charmed the child in all of us. To complement our Denver engagement, Disney Theatrical Productions has provided coloring sheets, a family activity packet, a study guide, trivia, fun facts, and more. Make the most of your experience at The […]
Every year, as the growing season begins, farmers are full of hope for a successful crop. As for the rest of us, we grow more and more eager, as the summer wanes, for the bounty of fresh food available from local farms. One of the most enjoyable ways to observe what has grown from the […]
Puns can be so corny, but a-maize-ingly they continue to pop up regularly in conversation. In fact, I just delivered three…all at the expense of Shucked, a Broadway tour about — of all things — corn. Described as a “corn-fed, corn-bred American musical,” Shucked plays the Buell Theatre Oct. 7-19, 2025. Make sure to get […]
Excerpted from The Lion King: Pride Rock on Broadway by Julie Taymor Julie Taymor on the Challenges of Translating the Film Version to the Stage “To maintain the integrity of my own style, while incorporating it into one of the most beloved stories in recent history, was the first challenge to contemplate. With preconceptions […]
A Guide to the Amazing Opening Scene of The Lion King on Tour “Circle of Life,” The Lion King’s jaw-dropping, much-talked-about opening number, introduces a menagerie of animals who stride, leap, gallop and dance across the stage. A closer look reveals the creative magic at work behind this breathtaking bit of stagecraft. 1 LET’S GIVE […]
In addition to the Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ 35 plays and musicals, the 2025/26 theatre season offers a plethora of options on stages along Colorado’s Front Range. Mark these on your calendar and be sure to support local theatre. SEPTEMBER 2025 Eureka Day Curious Theatre Company, Sep. 4-Oct. 5 Artists have […]
Dim the lights. Unwrap that piece of candy. Cue the overture. Yes, fellow aisle-anders (okay, we’re working on that), the 2025/26 season is upon us with no shortage of musicals and plays that aim to please or perturb — sometimes both — and all the other feels. And as is the way with art […]