In celebration of London Pride 2017, which takes place across Saturday 24 June – Sunday 9 July, the London cast of Disney’s The Lion King were joined by 60 members of London Gay Men’s Chorus at the Lyceum Theatre.
The two companies came together for the first time to sing the iconic hit from the production, Elton John’s Circle Of Life. You can view the video below.
Lindiwe Mkhize, who plays Rafiki in the hit production, said, “Having the opportunity to collaborate with The London Gay Men’s Chorus has been a wonderful experience for us here on The Lion King in London, and one that we were thrilled to take!”
“We are incredibly proud and honoured to celebrate with the LGBT community – and the whole of London – at this joyous moment of Pride.”
Mark Kember, Chairman of London Gay Men’s Chorus, added: “We were thrilled by the prospect of working with Disney’s The Lion King. Disney and The London Gay Men’s Chorus both have such wide and eclectic audiences, so we were tremendously excited to work together on this celebration of hope, diversity and pride.”
“Working with Lindiwe and the cast was a dream come true for many of our members and it was amazing to learn how we both work to achieve the same things – bringing audiences excitement and entertainment, while spreading such important messages of tolerance, understanding and harmony. We really hope everyone enjoys watching the video just as much as we did making it and shares a happy and safe Pride season with us!”
The London Gay Men’s Chorus first started in 1991, when nine friends sang Christmas carols at Angel Underground Station to raise money for charity, going on to become the largest gay choir in Europe with over 200 members. The Chorus entertains, inspires and educates through song, performing a diverse range of music to the highest technical standard and regularly playing to sell-out crowds.
Disney’s award-winning musical The Lion King is now in its 18th triumphant year at London’s Lyceum Theatre. Since the UK premiere in London on Tuesday 19th October 1999, the show has entertained over 14 million theatregoers, and is currently the sixth longest-running West End musical of all time.