The Disneyland resort will have two large theatrical venues to fill just after the new year as “Tale of the Lion King” closes at the Fantasyland Theatre while the Hyperion Theater continues to sit unused after a limited run of “Rogers: The Musical.”
“Tale of the Lion King” will end its run at the Fantasyland Theatre at Disneyland with final performances on Sunday, Jan. 7. “Rogers: The Musical” ended its limited run in the Hyperion Theater at Disney California Adventure on Aug. 31.
Disney teased a possible return of “Rogers” to the Hyperion at the end of the summertime run. The two-day “Celebrate Gospel” music festival will briefly fill the Fantasyland Theatre in February.
But other than that, Disneyland has been quiet about any plans for either theater.
No casting calls for either venue have been posted on the Disney Auditions website — a prerequisite for any new show.
What’s next for the 1,800-seat Fantasyland Theatre and 2,000-seat Hyperion Theater?
Let’s take a prognosticator’s look at the possibilities and handicap the contenders.
Obviously, the easiest solution would be to bring back “Rogers” and/or “Tale of the Lion King” in either location.
Both shows were light on sets and costumes that characterized the Broadway-caliber productions that have graced both stages through the years.
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Disney Live Entertainment could boost the production values of “Tale of the Lion King” by borrowing some ideas from the wildly popular “Festival of the Lion King” at Disney’s Animal Kingdom or adding puppeted animals like the Broadway version of “Lion King.”
“Rogers: The Musical” would probably be a better fit for the Fantasyland Theatre — but it makes more sense at the Hyperion with its close proximity to Avengers Campus. The Marvel characters have largely been confined to Disney California Adventure since Disney acquired the…
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