Opening night of 'The Lion King' put on hold after Covid case

Poster of the musical "Lion King." [S&CO]

Musical “The Lion King” canceled its opening show on Wednesday after one of the crew members tested positive for Covid-19, according to the musical’s production company, S&Co.

“We regret to inform the public that the opening night of the musical ‘The Lion King’ will be postponed due to a staff member who tested positive for the virus in our weekly rounds of PCR testing,” said the company in a statement.

“Following the news, we have administered PCR testing for the rest of the staff members again, and the musical will resume after the results of the tests are in and the national health authority confirms that we can go on with the show.”

The international tour team of “The Lion King” was originally slated to open Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Seoul Arts Center’s Opera Theater in Seocho District, southern Seoul.

The international tour team of the musical “The Lion King,” had visited Korea in 2018, and this year, it is back again for a seven-week run.

Based on Disney’s 1994 animated film of the same name, the musical has been seen by over 95 million people in more than 100 cities in 20 countries since its premiere in 1997.

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]