Elton John thrills audience with stirring version of musical classic

It’s hard to believe that over 20 years have passed since The Lion King musical made its debut on what’s arguably one of the world’s biggest stages – New York’s famous Broadway.

Given that Elton John was the man behind many of the tracks, it’s no surprise that the music has been adored by kids and adults for over two decades.

To celebrate the musical’s 20th anniversary on Broadway, Sir Elton John himself took to the stage for a beautiful rendition of one of the musical’s hit songs. Joined by over 100 cast alumni and the entire creative team of the show, John belted out a moving version of ‘The Circle of Life’.

Shortly after his performance, the ‘Rocket Man’ hit-maker took to Instagram to reveal how important The Lion King was to him.

He explained: “A truly wonderful moment celebrating 20 years of Lion King on Broadway last night.

“Here I am taking a bow with the original creative team during the finale. Their extraordinary talents helped make theatrical history.”

 

A truly wonderful moment celebrating 20 years of Lion King on Broadway last night. Here I am taking a bow with the original creative team during the finale. Their extraordinary talents helped make theatrical history. @disney @thelionking

A post shared by Elton John (@eltonjohn) on Nov 6, 2017 at 5:52am PST

Fans quickly flocked to social media to praise the 70-year-old for sharing his gift with the world.

One person wrote: “Wow! After all these years he still has such a beautiful strong clear tone with minimal signs of aging or rasp! Remarkable!”

Another fan added: “This made me smile… Something we all need right now.”

A third message simply read: “Your talent is a gift to us all!”

The singer also played tribute to Sir Tim Rice, the writer of the Lion King, who asked John to collaborate with him on the original musical.

 

Thank-you Tim! You put my name forward for collaborating with you on Lion King over 25 years ago. Your beautiful, poetic lyrics inspired all the melodies that have gone on to make theatrical history. @thelionking @disney #TimRice

A post shared by Elton John (@eltonjohn) on Nov 6, 2017 at 5:58am PST

The Lion King has made more money than any other stage show or cinema release in history. There are currently 24 productions of the show around the world, with over 90 million audience members seeing the show since it began in 1997. It’s also the third longest-running Broadway show in history.

If that wasn’t enough, a live-action remake of the film is set to inspire a whole new generation when it hits theatres in 2019.

What do you think of Elton John’s performance? Have you seen The Lion King musical?