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DISNEY THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS, a unit of BUENA VISTA THEATRICAL GROUP, was formed in 1994 and operates under the direction of Thomas Schumacher. The company's inaugural production, Beauty & The Beast, is currently the sixth longest running show in Broadway history, with over 5,000 performances. In May 1997, The Walt Disney Company completed restoration of the historic New Amsterdam Theatre on 42nd Street, reopening with the world premiere concert of Alan Menken & Tim Rice's King David. Later that same year, Disney opened The Lion King, which received six 1998 Tony Awards® including Best Musical, as well as the 1998 GRAMMY® Award for Best Musical Show Album. Now in its ninth sold-out year on Broadway, The Lion King can also currently be seen onstage in London, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Tokyo, Shanghai and two touring companies throughout the U.S. Upcoming productions include Seoul, South Korea. In June 1999, Disney premiered its first new musical outside the United States when Der Glöckner Von Notre Dame, an adaptation of the Disney film, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, opened in Berlin. Elton John & Tim Rice's Aida, which opened on Broadway at the Palace Theatre in March 2000, ended its triumphant four-and -a-half year run on Broadway in September 2004. Aida received four 2000 Tony Awards® including Best Music/Lyrics and the 2000 GRAMMY® Award for Best Musical Show Album. Aida can currently be seen in Germany and Japan. On The Record, a new musical celebrating Disney's catalogue of beloved songs, launched a U.S. national tour in November 2004, visiting 24 cities over the following nine months. Mary Poppins, a co-production by Disney and Cameron Mackintosh, is now playing at London's Prince Edward Theatre and will premiere on Broadway in November 2006. Disney's newest musical, Tarzan®, had its world premiere at Broadway's Richard Rodgers Theatre in May 2006. Upcoming productions of Tarzan® include Holland in 2007 and Germany in 2008. Projects currently in development include The Little Mermaid with direction by Francesca Zambello and music by Alan Menken, and The Man in the Ceiling featuring original book author Jules Feiffer and composer Andrew Lippa.
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